--- name: news-topic-monitor-brief description: "Produces a structured monitoring brief that tells a reporter or editor exactly what to watch, where to watch it, and how often — so a developing story never slips through unnoticed." status: stable category: research subcategory: media-competitive version: 1.0 eval_score: 4.2 tags: [monitoring, news-tracking, editorial-planning, beat-reporting] --- # News Topic Monitor Brief ## What This Skill Does Produces a structured monitoring brief that tells a reporter or editor exactly what to watch, where to watch it, and how often — so a developing story never slips through unnoticed. ## When To Use This Skill - You are following a long-running story (a court case, a policy process, a public health situation) and need to set up a systematic watching routine - An editor has asked you to "keep an eye on" a topic but hasn't defined what that means in practice - You are handing a beat off to a colleague and need to document the monitoring sources and signals - You are preparing to cover a predictable future event (an election, a budget announcement, a corporate earnings season) and want a tracking plan in place before it begins ## What You Need To Provide **Required:** The topic or story you are monitoring (one clear sentence describing it); the time horizon (days, weeks, months); your role (staff reporter, freelancer, editor, researcher) **Optional:** Geographic scope; any sources or outlets you are already tracking; specific sub-angles you want flagged; how you will receive alerts (email, Slack, RSS, manual checks) ## How the Assistant Approaches This 1. Defines the story's core monitoring questions — the specific developments that would constitute news — so you know what a meaningful update looks like versus routine noise 2. Maps the landscape of sources into tiers: primary sources (official statements, public records, direct contacts), secondary sources (specialist outlets, trade press, academic or NGO trackers), and ambient signals (social media, aggregators, court filings) 3. Recommends a checking cadence for each tier based on how fast the story moves, then packages everything as a one-page brief you can pin to your desk or share with a colleague ## Output Format A single-page brief, structured in four labelled sections: **Story Summary** (two sentences on what you are tracking and why), **Key Monitoring Questions** (four to six bullet points describing the specific developments you want to catch), **Source Map** (a tiered table listing each source, what signal to look for, and how often to check it), and **Alert Thresholds** (plain-language descriptions of what would justify an immediate story, a follow-up, or simply an internal note). Plain prose and tables throughout. No jargon. Fits on one printed page. ## Quality Criteria - [ ] Every monitoring question is specific enough that a colleague with no prior knowledge of the story could check it independently - [ ] The source map covers at least three distinct source types and includes at least one primary source (official or on-record) - [ ] Checking cadences are realistic for the stated time horizon — not so frequent they are unworkable, not so infrequent they risk missing a break - [ ] Alert thresholds distinguish clearly between "file a story now," "note for next weekly review," and "no action needed" - [ ] No sources named are specific real-world publications, people, or proprietary databases that could become outdated or identifiable ## Example ### Input Topic: A national government has announced a review of regulations governing online food delivery platforms, following a series of worker safety incidents. The review is expected to run for six months and produce binding recommendations. I am covering this as a labour and employment reporter. I need a monitoring plan for the full duration of the review. Time horizon: Six months. Role: Staff reporter at a general-interest national news outlet. Geographic scope: Domestic (one country, no international comparison needed at this stage). ### Output --- **STORY SUMMARY** The government has launched a formal six-month regulatory review of online food delivery platforms, triggered by a cluster of worker safety incidents. The review will produce binding policy recommendations. This brief sets out what to watch, where, and how often for the duration. --- **KEY MONITORING QUESTIONS** - Has the review committee published interim findings, consultation documents, or call-for-submissions notices? - Have any platforms, unions, or worker advocacy groups made formal submissions to the review — and what positions are they taking? - Have any new worker safety incidents occurred involving delivery platform workers during the review period? - Has the government signalled any change in its expected timeline, scope, or committee membership? - Are opposition parties, labour regulators, or employer associations publicly responding to the review's direction? - Have comparable reviews or rulings been issued in other jurisdictions that could influence the domestic outcome? --- **SOURCE MAP** | Source | What to look for | Frequency | |---|---|---| | Government review committee's official page | New documents, consultation notices, committee announcements | Every 2 days | | Labour ministry press releases | Ministerial statements on the review or on platform worker conditions | Every 2 days | | Parliamentary record / Hansard | Questions, debates, or committee hearings referencing the review | Weekly | | Workplace health and safety authority | Incident reports, enforcement actions involving delivery platforms | Weekly | | Platform companies' investor relations pages | Earnings calls, regulatory risk disclosures, public statements | Monthly | | Trade union and worker advocacy group websites | Submissions, press statements, campaign updates | Weekly | | Industry association for food delivery platforms | Submissions, member communications, public responses | Weekly | | Labour and employment specialist press | Analysis, leaked documents, expert commentary | Every 2 days | | Court and tribunal records | Worker misclassification cases, injury claims, enforcement proceedings | Weekly | | Social media (platform worker communities) | Organised action, incident reports, sentiment shifts | Twice weekly | --- **ALERT THRESHOLDS** **File a story immediately if:** - The committee publishes a document that contains a specific policy recommendation or ruling - Any major platform announces a significant operational or policy change in direct response to the review - A serious or fatal worker safety incident occurs and receives official acknowledgement - The review timeline is extended, narrowed, or cancelled **Note for next weekly editorial review if:** - A submission from a significant stakeholder (major union, employer group) is published and takes a clear or unexpected position - Parliamentary debate on the topic intensifies or a motion is tabled - A comparable ruling or finding is issued in another jurisdiction **No immediate action if:** - Routine procedural updates (committee meeting dates, minor schedule changes) with no substantive content - Social media activity that is not corroborated by any on-record source --- ## Known Limitations - This brief is built from the information you provide. If you omit a key stakeholder or source category, it will not appear in the source map — review the output against your own knowledge of the beat before using it. - Checking cadences assume a single-reporter workload. If you are on a team, redistribute tasks explicitly rather than assuming shared coverage. - The assistant cannot access live monitoring tools, set up RSS feeds, or create alerts — the brief tells you what to watch, but you must set up the actual tools yourself. - For highly technical regulatory topics (financial regulation, pharmaceutical approvals), the monitoring questions may need review by a subject-matter specialist before use. ## Related Skills - [press-roundup-writer](../../media/press-roundup-writer/SKILL.md) - [competitor-coverage-gap-finder](../competitor-framing-analyzer/SKILL.md) - [trending-topics-brief](../trending-topics-brief/SKILL.md)