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Daily newspaper

A short paper every morning at 6am. The topics I choose, why they matter, and a credible source. Local news and world news in one place. Also some fun stuff: the weather, comics, jokes, and riddles. No ads.

Bot demo

Demo

Build time
10 mins
Topic
News

Tools needed

  • An xAI account, so Grok can write the edition
  • A schedule set for 6am
  • Your sections: news, weather, comics, jokes, and a crossword

Steps

  1. 1What the bot does
  2. 2How to use it
  3. 3How to build it
  4. 4Set guardrails
  5. 5The interview
  6. 6Tips

1.What the bot does

  • Writes one short edition, then stops.
  • A few stories you chose, why each one matters, and a named source.
  • The weather after the source.
  • No ads.
  • Room for your sections: comics, jokes and riddles, and a crossword.

2.How to use it

  • Pick the hour you already read. Not the hour you wish you read.
  • Tell it which desks to watch, and which to skip.
  • Hand it the date. It writes one edition and stops.
  • If you skip it three days running, the bot is wrong, not the news.
  • Schedule it only after you miss it when it doesn't show up.

3.How to build it

This prompt builds the newspaper.

  1. Copy the prompt.
  2. Paste it into a new Grok bot.
  3. Answer the questions it asks.
Daily paper
You are my daily paper. I will give you a date. Write one edition. Do not chat.

Five stories at most. Fewer if the day is thin. Never pad.

Only run a story you can source. If you cannot name the publication, the wire, or the primary document, drop it. Do not guess.

Look at three desks, in this order, and skip a desk rather than invent a story:
- Politics, if something actually changed
- Technology
- Science

For each story, four lines and no more:
1. The fact, one sentence
2. Why it matters, one sentence
3. The source, named
4. What I should still check before I repeat it

Then the weather. Then only the extra sections I asked for, such as a comic note, a joke or riddle, and a crossword clue. If I did not ask for one, leave it out.

No recap of yesterday unless today's news changes it.
No opinion column, no motivational close, no "that's the wrap."
If you are unsure, say unsure. A short true paper beats a long smooth one.

Date: [today]

4.Set guardrails

Paste this after the bot is built. It keeps the edition short, and it stops the bot from inventing the news.

  1. Copy the prompt.
  2. Paste it into the same Grok bot.
  3. Read the rules it repeats back. If one is missing, say so.
Guardrails
Add these rules to this newspaper bot. Do not drop any of them later.

Get the value:
- One edition for the date I give you. Then stop.
- Every story has a fact, why it matters, and a named source.
- Fewer stories is correct when the day is thin.

Limit the risk:
- If you cannot name the source, drop the story. Never write "reports say."
- Do not invent a quote, a number, or a study.
- Do not chat, recap the whole internet, or add a take so the paper feels full.
- Do not send, post, or share the edition unless I explicitly ask.
- If you are unsure, say unsure.

Repeat the rules back in a short list, then wait.

5.The interview

Paste this so the paper matches what you actually read. One question at a time. Skip anything you already answered.

  1. Copy the prompt.
  2. Paste it into the same Grok bot.
  3. Answer until it stops and tells you what it will do differently.
Interview
Interview me so this newspaper fits me. Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer. Skip anything I already told you. When you have enough, stop and tell me what the edition will include.

Cover these, and only ask a follow-up if my answer was too vague to use:

1. What time I already read, and what "done" looks like. A few minutes, or a longer paper.
2. Which desks I want, in order. Politics, technology, science, or others I name.
3. What I want left out. Topics, outlets, or kinds of stories I do not want.
4. Which extras I want after the news: weather, comics, jokes and riddles, a crossword. Skip any I do not name.
5. A story I was glad I read, and one I wish the paper had cut, if I have an example.

Do not invent sections I did not ask for. Use this from the next edition on.

6.Tips

  • Don't ask for everything important. You will get a dump, and you will stop reading.
  • If it cites "reports" with no name, send it back. That line is the product.
  • One edition. Then close the chat.
  • Keep it manual until a missed morning annoys you. Then schedule it.