# Query: Can AI rewrite developing stories where facts are arranged in a chronological order?
# Reason: Journalists are often required to report about incidents where the information is constantly getting updated. This is especially true about accidents such as train or air crashes or natural calamities such as earthquakes.
The challenge before journalists is to write a news report that is based on the latest information, and which includes all the key points put together in the inverted pyramid format.
#Experiment (Second in Rewriting series): Two fact sheets were prepared about an imaginary train accident. The first fact sheet organised the information in a chronological order. The second fact sheet presented the information without time details.
The prompt used in both the cases was the same. But AI came up with two different responses.
The two responses and my findings are given below.
# Prompt: Locate the most important news point in the train accident fact sheet given below and then rewrite the passage as a news report.
2 pm: First reports of derailment of Delhi Express. The train runs between New Delhi and Lucknow. Reports of injuries.
2.30 pm. Railways say the accident spot is near Etawah. All passenger trains scheduled to run on Kanpur-Tundla section have been cancelled. Seven trains have also been diverted.
3 p.m. The accident occurred after a dumper overturned at around 1.30 pm on the railway track at an unmanned crossing near Etawah, according to Avinash Chandra, Additional Director General of Police, Kanpur (Zone).
3.30 pm: According to GK Bansal, NCR Railway Public Relations Officer, 85 passengers are injured. Ten passengers are said to be critical but there have been no deaths. Most injuries in the first coach that jumped the rails. A rescue train is on its way to carry the stranded passengers back to Delhi.
4 pm: Railway Minister Ramesh Narain said that he is constantly monitoring the situation. He has also directed the senior officials to reach the accident site immediately. He confirms that passengers have been moved to Tundla railway station from where they will be taken to Delhi. The injured have been sent to Saifai hospital in Etawah district. There are no deaths, he confirms.
5 p.m: Opposition demands the resignation of the Railway Minister.
# Report rewritten by ChatGPT
Title: Delhi Express Derails Near Etawah; 85 Passengers Injured, No Fatalities Reported
Body: In a harrowing incident earlier today, the Delhi Express, a vital link between New Delhi and Lucknow, derailed near Etawah, triggering widespread concern among passengers and authorities alike.
Initial reports at 2 pm highlighted the derailment, accompanied by distressing accounts of injuries sustained by passengers aboard the ill-fated train.
By 2:30 pm, railway authorities confirmed the accident’s location near Etawah, prompting the cancellation of all passenger trains scheduled to traverse the Kanpur-Tundla section. Additionally, seven trains were diverted to ensure commuter safety amidst the chaos.
Further details emerged at 3 pm, with Avinash Chandra, Additional Director General of Police for Kanpur Zone, attributing the accident to an overturned dumper at an unmanned crossing near Etawah around 1:30 pm.
GK Bansal, NCR Railway Public Relations Officer, provided grim statistics at 3:30 pm, revealing that 85 passengers suffered injuries in the derailment. Of these, ten individuals are reported to be in critical condition, with the majority of injuries concentrated in the first coach that jumped the rails. A rescue operation is underway, with a train dispatched to evacuate stranded passengers back to Delhi.
Railway Minister Ramesh Narain, at 4 pm, assured the public of his unwavering vigilance, directing senior officials to the accident site promptly. Passengers have been relocated to Tundla railway station, from where they will be transported to Delhi. The injured have been rushed to Saifai hospital in the Etawah district, with Narain confirming that there have been no fatalities.
However, amidst the crisis, at 5 pm, opposition voices crescendoed, demanding the resignation of Railway Minister Ramesh Narain, intensifying political tensions in the aftermath of the tragic derailment.
# Changed Fact Sheet with the same prompt
# Prompt: Locate the most important news point in the train accident fact sheet given below and then rewrite the passage as a news report.
Delhi Express derailed today. The train runs between New Delhi and Lucknow. Reports of injuries. Railways informed the accident spot was near Etawah.
All passenger trains scheduled to run on Kanpur-Tundla section have been cancelled. Seven trains have also been diverted.
According to GK Bansal, NCR Railway Public Relations Officer, 85 passengers are injured. Ten passengers are said to be critical but there have been no deaths. Most injuries in the first coach that jumped the rails. A rescue train is on its way to carry the stranded passengers back to Delhi.
Avinash Chandra, Additional Director General of Police, Kanpur (Zone), giving the cause of the accident said the accident occurred after a dumper overturned at around 1.30 pm on the railway track at an unmanned crossing near Etawah.
Railway Minister Ramesh Narain said that he is constantly monitoring the situation. He has also directed the senior officials to reach the accident site immediately. He confirms that passengers have been moved to Tundla railway station from where they will be taken to Delhi. The critically injured passengers have been sent to Saifai hospital in Etawah district. There are no deaths, he confirms.
A political slugfest has broken out with opposition demanding the resignation of the Railway Minister.
# Report rewritten by ChatGPT
# Title: Delhi Express Derails Near Etawah, 85 Passengers Injured
# Body: Reports emerged today of a derailment involving the Delhi Express, a vital link between New Delhi and Lucknow, sparking chaos and concern among passengers.
According to railway authorities, the accident occurred near Etawah, prompting the cancellation of all passenger trains scheduled to traverse the Kanpur-Tundla section. Additionally, seven trains have been diverted to ensure commuter safety.
GK Bansal, the NCR Railway Public Relations Officer, provided distressing statistics, revealing that 85 passengers sustained injuries in the derailment. Of these, ten individuals are reported to be in critical condition, amplifying the gravity of the situation. Most injuries were concentrated in the first coach, which bore the brunt of the derailment.
Avinash Chandra, the Additional Director General of Police for Kanpur Zone, shed light on the accident’s cause, citing an overturned dumper at an unmanned crossing near Etawah around 1:30 pm as the trigger.
As authorities scramble to manage the crisis, Railway Minister Ramesh Narain assured the public of constant monitoring, with senior officials deployed to the accident site without delay. Passengers have been relocated to Tundla railway station, from where they will be transported to Delhi. Those injured have been swiftly transferred to Saifai hospital in the Etawah district. Fortunately, there have been no reported fatalities, offering a glimmer of relief amid the chaos.
However, amidst the rescue efforts, a political storm brews, with opposition voices calling for the resignation of Railway Minister Ramesh Narain, intensifying the pressure on authorities as they grapple with the aftermath of the tragic derailment.
# My Findings:
- AI got the title right in both cases.
- The lead was wrong in both the cases. AI failed to build the lead around the fact that 85 people had been injured in the accident. This is the first principle of journalism – highlight the fatalities or injuries.
- In the first rewrite, AI stuck to the chronological presentation of the news report. It did add transitions to connect paragraphs or provide context. However, the report was disjointed. It was not a smooth narration of the incident.
- The second rewrite was better. AI was able to present a better picture of the accident.
Bottomline: AI has a limitation when it comes to converting a chronological set of facts into a news report.
Read also:
AI can rewrite only those reports that are simple
AI can correct spelling and grammar errors like sub-editors
AI can spot the 5Ws and H much like humans
Editors can depend upon AI to write news headlines
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