How to use the News Analysis Writing Rules agent skill

What the News Analysis Writing Rules skill makes the agent do

An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent can load when a task matches it. This skill contains one file, SKILL.md, with four writing rules for explaining a news event.

First, the agent should pick a topic that names a confirmed event, the people or groups affected, and one key question worth explaining. Second, it organises the piece as a fact summary, necessary background, impact analysis and signals to watch. Third, it marks which statements are sourced facts and which are the author's judgment, and it does not present guesses as facts. Fourth, it avoids clickbait headlines, exaggerated cause and effect and numbers the sources do not support, and it keeps uncertainty visible at the end.

• Confirmed event, affected parties and one key question come first
• Outline: fact summary, background, impact analysis, signals to watch
• Facts and author judgment are labelled separately
• No clickbait, no overstated causes, no unsupported numbers, uncertainty kept at the end

How to install the skill

You can install the skill in one of two ways. The first is to download the skill ZIP from the item page and unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/. To make it available only inside one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.

The second way is to upload the ZIP in the Claude apps. Open Settings, go to Capabilities, then choose Skills and upload the file there.

After installing, check that the skill folder contains SKILL.md directly inside it. That file is the one the agent reads.

• Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
• Project install: the project's .claude/skills/ folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills → upload the ZIP

How to trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. Ask for a news explainer or event analysis in ordinary language, and the agent should use the skill when the request matches its purpose. Name the event and, if you can, the people affected and the question you want answered.

Asking the agent to separate facts from its own judgment, or to keep uncertainty visible, also helps it apply the rules as intended. The skill shapes the structure and tone of the writing; it does not gather the news for you.

• Write a news explainer on [event] for [audience], covering who is affected and the main question.
• Structure this event analysis as facts, background, impact and what to watch next.
• Draft a balanced explainer on [event] and label which statements are sourced and which are my judgment.

Example: from a news item to a structured explainer

Suppose you paste in three confirmed reports about a change in a local transport fare. You ask the agent for a balanced explainer for commuters. Under this skill, the agent should name the confirmed change, identify commuters and operators as those affected, and pose one question such as whether the change will alter daily travel costs.

The draft should then open with a plain fact summary, add only the background the reader needs, and explain likely impacts while marking them as the author's reasoning. It should end with signals to watch, such as official announcements, and a short note on what remains uncertain.

What the skill needs and safety notes

The skill lists no requirements. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, and its only file is SKILL.md.

The skill cannot check facts. It does not verify claims or add citations. For breaking news that needs live verification, you still need to research the sources yourself, and the agent may need outside research as well. Review every number and claim before you publish.

• Requires: nothing listed
• Runs scripts: no
• Uses network: no
• Files: SKILL.md only

Tips for better results

Give the agent the source material you trust, and say which sources are confirmed. The skill asks for a clearly confirmed event, so vague input produces vague structure.

Keep the labels in the final draft. If you edit the text, make sure facts and judgments stay visibly separate and the closing uncertainty note remains.

• Provide confirmed sources and state which claims they support
• Ask for the four-part structure explicitly if the draft drifts
• Check every figure against its original source before publishing