# Query: How should the rewrite prompt be crafted in the case of running stories?
# Background: Running stories always focus on the latest developments. Reporters understand this and write their news reports accordingly.
However, for AI this clue can only come from the prompt.
# Experiment (Third in rewriting series): A fact sheet listing developments in an imaginary murder case involving a hockey star was prepared. The fact sheet included all the new developments but started with the murder of the hockey player.
Next, two prompts were crafted. The first prompt did not draw the attention of AI to the fact that this was a follow up story. AI was asked to rewrite the news report in the inverted pyramid format.
The second prompt asked AI to rewrite the story using the latest developments given in the fact sheet.
The response of AI for each prompt and my findings are given below.
# Fact Sheet:
- Former hockey player Ayyappa Chenanda found dead in his Malad home on December 10 with 7 stab wounds on his body.
- 6 days after the hockey player was found murdered, the police arrested his wife Amita for the crime on December 16.
- The accused, who was admitted to the Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali for stab wounds, had alleged that her husband killed himself after attempting to murder her. Her lie was exposed after the cops confirmed that the wounds on her body were self-inflicted. Also, the deceased’s son gave a complaint to the police that it was Amita who had killed his father.
- The flat in Agarwal Trinity Towers, where they lived, was in Chenanda’s name. Amita, who was Chenanda’s second wife, feared that he would give the flat and other properties to his first wife and son. She had asked him to transfer the flat in her name but he refused, police said.
- The Malad police have so far recorded statements of a domestic help and a watchman at the Agarwal Trinity Towers along with her neighbours who video recorded her statement.
# Prompt 1: Rewrite the points given in the fact sheet in the inverted pyramid format using the information given below.
# Report rewritten by ChatGPT
Title: Former Hockey Player Found Dead in Malad Home; Wife Arrested for Murder
Body: Former hockey player Ayyappa Chenanda was discovered dead in his Malad residence on December 10, with a shocking revelation of seven stab wounds on his body.
Six days following the grisly discovery, the police apprehended his wife, Amita, on December 16, charging her with the heinous crime.
A twist in the tale emerged as it surfaced that Amita, who had been admitted to Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital in Kandivali for stab wounds, concocted a fabricated narrative. She alleged that her husband attempted to murder her before taking his own life. However, investigations debunked her claims, revealing that the wounds on her body were self-inflicted. Further damning evidence came from the deceased’s son, who accused Amita of his father’s murder.
The couple resided in a flat at Agarwal Trinity Towers, owned by Chenanda. Amita, his second wife, nursed fears that he might bestow the property and other assets to his first wife and son. Despite her pleas to transfer ownership of the flat to her, Chenanda refused, igniting simmering tensions, as per police reports.
Malad police have undertaken a comprehensive inquiry, recording statements from domestic help, the tower’s watchman, and neighbors, some of whom even captured Amita’s statements on video.
# Prompt 2: Locate the latest news point in the fact sheet that gives information about developments in the case of a hockey player who was murdered, and then write a news report that captures the latest developments.
# Report rewritten by ChatGPT
Title: Wife Arrested for Murder of Former Hockey Player Ayyappa Chenanda
Body: In a shocking twist to the tragic case of former hockey player Ayyappa Chenanda’s murder, the police have arrested his wife, Amita, on December 16. The arrest comes six days after Chenanda was found dead in his Malad home with seven stab wounds.
Initially, Amita had concocted a tale of self-defense, alleging that Chenanda had attempted to murder her before taking his own life. However, her deceit was unravelled by investigators who confirmed that the wounds on her body were self-inflicted. Additionally, Chenanda’s son filed a complaint with the police, accusing Amita of his father’s murder.
Details emerging from the investigation paint a picture of simmering domestic discord. The flat in Agarwal Trinity Towers, where the couple resided, was owned by Chenanda, much to Amita’s dismay. She reportedly feared that Chenanda would transfer the property to his first wife and son. Despite her requests, Chenanda refused to transfer ownership, intensifying their quarrels over property matters.
# My Findings
- The role of the prompt is critical in deciding the AI output.
- The first prompt did not draw AI’s attention to the fact that this is a running story. AI therefore could not grasp the main news point which was the arrest of the wife of the murdered hockey player. It began the report with the wrong lead.
- The second prompt directed the AI to locate the latest point. AI was able to do so because the arrest happened on December 16 while the murder had happened on December 10. The rewritten lead was therefore correct.
- This inability to spot the main news point is reflected in the titles also. The title of the first rewritten report starts with the murder and adds wife’s arrest. It is as if both the events happened on the same day.
The title of the second rewritten report is correct. It focuses on the new development, which is the arrest of the murdered player’s wife.
Bottomline: The prompt must give the right direction to AI. Otherwise, AI will not be able to differentiate between current and running stories.
Read also:
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AI can rewrite only those reports that are simple
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