Story Development & Editorial Workflow
Automate your editorial workflow from pitch to publication
What You Can Do
Manage your entire story development pipeline—from assignment briefs and source research guidance to fact-checking verification and copy editing—all within Claude's context. You'll generate assignment templates, receive real-time editorial feedback, identify verification gaps, and receive copyediting suggestions with tracked changes. The skill handles complex multi-source stories, deadline pressure, and maintains editorial standards across your publication.
Features
Create detailed story briefs with scope, key sources, research angles, and timeline. Claude suggests beat coverage, identifies coverage gaps, and flags potentially underreported angles.
Get structured verification checklists for claims in drafts. Claude identifies verifiable facts, flags assumptions, suggests authoritative sources, and highlights statements needing reporter confirmation.
Receive substantive editorial notes on story structure, narrative flow, angle clarity, and source balance. Claude identifies weak transitions, buried ledes, and suggests narrative reorganization for impact.
Generate copyediting suggestions with marked-up examples. Claude catches grammar, clarity, active voice improvements, word choice refinements, and publication style guide compliance.
Build research plans for complex stories with primary source strategies, database searches, and interview targeting. Claude suggests expert voices, opposition viewpoints, and data sources to strengthen reporting.
Verify your story follows compelling narrative structure: clear nut graf, logical information progression, human elements, and satisfying resolution. Claude suggests pacing improvements and identifies sections that need elaboration.
Prioritize feedback by deadline stage—rough draft gets structural focus, near-final gets polish. Claude helps you triage feedback and identifies what changes matter most before publish time.
Example Output
Assignment Feedback Example:
Story: Investigation into city housing inspection failures
Editor's Notes:
- Nut graf is solid—lead with the $4M in uncollected penalties
- Add 1-2 personal impact stories (families in unsafe units)
- Source gap: No interview with housing commissioner—try to get response
- Consider timeline graphic showing inspection frequency decline since 2020
Fact-Checking Checklist:
- ✅ "Housing inspections declined 40% since 2020" — verifiable from city data, reporter confirmed
- ⚠️ "Mold is leading cause of childhood asthma" — common claim, needs attribution to specific study
- ❌ "No inspections of apartment complex since 2015" — reporter must confirm with building records
Copyediting Example:
[ORIGINAL] The situation that exists in the city's housing inspection program is a major problem.
[REVISED] The city's housing inspection program has failed thousands of tenants.
[NOTE] Remove vague "situation" construction; strengthen with specific impact.
What's Included
- Editorial Workflow Templates: Pre-built templates for assignment briefs, editorial memos, fact-checking checklists, and copy-edit rounds. Customize for your publication's workflow.
- Story Development Prompts: Claude prompts for every stage: pitch evaluation, research planning, draft feedback, fact-checking, copy editing, and final review. Use as-is or adapt to your process.
- Feedback Framework: Structured editorial feedback guide covering structure, clarity, source balance, narrative flow, and style consistency. Helps Claude give targeted, actionable notes.
- Fact-Checking Verification Guide: Framework for identifying verifiable claims, flagging assumptions, categorizing fact types (data, quotes, attribution), and suggesting verification sources.
- Copy Editing Quick Reference: Common copyediting patterns, style rules, and example revisions. Includes active voice conversion, clarity improvements, and common journalistic phrases.
Who It's For
- News Editors & Assignment Editors
- Editorial Directors & Managing Editors
- Fact-Checkers & Verification Specialists
- Staff Reporters Managing Complex Stories
- Copy Editors & Proofreaders
Best For
- Multi-source investigations requiring verification
- Breaking news with tight deadlines
- Enterprise stories spanning multiple sections
- Policy & data-driven reporting
- Narrative long-form features
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