By Sunil Saxena
The challenge for any blogger or reporter is to come up with new story ideas, and as they will tell you this is not an easy enterprise. It is as much a challenge as a writer’s block.
In the past, the reporters cultivated sources on the news beats assigned to them. They would pore over each and every report published by their rivals to find possible news leads. Even today, they do so.
The bloggers started off with an advantage. They had the World Wide Web to research. When stuck, they could turn to Google, Yahoo or Bing search. The reporters quickly caught on.
Now, bloggers and reporters also have AI, and its vast, untapped promise. The question is: Can AI help the bloggers or reporters?
# My Experiment with AI
The only way to establish this was to pose a query to an AI engine, and I chose ChatGPT 4.0 to assist me.
Fortunately, I did not have to worry about the subject. It was the recently concluded Maha Kumbh 2025 that had attracted more than 65 crore (650 million) pilgrims between January 14 to February 26 in Prayagraj. The government had made extensive arrangements to ensure that all pilgrims had a safe and happy dip.
Now, that the event was over, it was time to do a blog on the post-Kumbh scenario and tell the world how the holy city was coping with the aftermath.
To give me more options, I decided to start with a broad canvas and then narrow it down to a topic on which I could build a report.
The experiment was therefore conducted at two levels.
The object of Level 1 was to seek three broad umbrella themes.
The goal of Level 2 was to narrow the search and ask ChatGPT 4.o to develop a detailed outline on any one theme.
This way I thought I would have a narrow, focussed idea.
Here are the prompts that I used, and the response of ChatGPT 4.o:
# Level 1
# Prompt: Suggest three engaging post-Kumbh themes that explore what’s happening now in Prayagraj after the mega event. The themes should map post-Kumbh stories that are unique and give readers a sense of the aftermath.
# Response of ChatGPT 4.o
I was amazed at ChatGPT’s response. It suggested three umbrella themes:
1. The Aftermath: How Prayagraj is Recovering from Hosting 65 Crore Pilgrims
2. The Pilgrims Who Stayed: Stories of Those Who Didn’t Leave
3. The Vanishing Kumbh Economy: What Happens to the Thousands Who Made a Living During the Mela?
In each theme, it suggested several story threads. Here are some of the threads that I picked up from the three themes:
- Explore how Prayagraj is dealing with the cleanup of the riverbanks, temporary settlements, and infrastructure stress.
- Interview sanitation workers, municipal officials, and volunteers who are restoring the city to normalcy.
- Highlight environmental concerns — how the river and surrounding areas are being cleaned, and what efforts are being made to maintain sustainability.
- Now that the crowds are gone, how are these people adjusting? Where do they go next?
- Interview traders, rickshaw pullers, and street performers about their post-Kumbh plans and whether they see a future in the next Kumbh.
# Level 2: I could easily convert each of these threads into a unique story. But I decided to drill down further and asked Chat GPT 4.o to develop a more comprehensive outline for Theme 1.
# Prompt: Please develop a detailed outline for Theme 1: “The Aftermath: How Prayagraj is Recovering from Hosting 65 Crore Pilgrims.”
# Response of ChatGPT 4.o
ChatGPT’s response was even more astonishing. It broke the theme into five sub-themes and suggested smaller story threads for each sub-theme. I will not go into the sub-threads here but limit myself to listing the sub-themes. These were:
1. The Clean-up Operation: Restoring the City to Normalcy
2. The Economic High and Sudden Slowdown: Impact on Local Businesses
3. Infrastructure: Legacy of Kumbh or a Burden?
4. The Social & Cultural Aftermath: Are locals relieved or nostalgic now that Kumbh has ended.
5. What’s Next for Prayagraj: Can Prayagraj use the momentum of Kumbh to become a better-planned, more sustainable city for the future?
I had gone to ChatGPT for one story idea but ended up with a multitude.
# My Recommendation
If you are a blogger or a reporter, you must start using AI to generate story ideas and build story outlines. It will save time and help you visualise the story better.
Once you have the outline, you can then jump into the field, interview people, get first-hand information and write a stunning blog or news feature — not one but several.
(This article was first published on Medium.com)
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