Publishing · Free Grok Bot template
News Desk: an AI news writer bot that fact-checks before you publish
Finds stories in your topic, writes briefs and fact-checked drafts with sources and photo credits, and waits for your approval.
When to use the News Desk template
- Running a news section for a niche site or newsletter
- Turning a daily topic check into short, sourced briefs
- Keeping photo licences and credits straight
What it does
- Finds new stories on a schedule
- Writes a brief and a draft for each
- Makes a fact-check list with a source for every claim
- Suggests only reusable-licence photos, with credits
Ask-first rules built in
- Drafts only: never publishes
- No invented quotes, numbers or sources
- Every photo needs your OK
What it needs
Web search. A routine if you want daily checks.
How to set up the News Desk template, step by step
- Make a new Bot. Name it News Desk so it only does this one job.
- Paste the starting instruction. Copy the instruction below and edit the parts in brackets.
- Run it once by hand. Give it one small job and read the result closely.
- Correct it, then save a skill. Tell it what to change until you are happy, then save the method as a skill.
- Add a routine last. Only once you trust it, schedule it with a routine.
New to skills and routines? Read Grok Bot routines and skills, explained.
Starting instruction
One-click template: coming soon
The shareable version is being prepared. Until then, the starting instruction above works in any new Bot today.
Example: what you get back
A morning routine asks it for new stories on your topic. You get two or three briefs, each with what happened, why readers care and the source links, plus a draft and a fact-check list with one claim per line and its source beside it.
Full walkthrough: How a Grok Bot helps me run a small news section.
News Desk template FAQ
Can an AI news bot write articles for my site?
It can draft them. A person should check the facts and approve each story; this template never publishes.
How does it avoid made-up facts?
Every claim needs a source link in the fact-check list. Anything it cannot confirm is cut or clearly marked.
Where do the photos come from?
It only suggests photos with a licence that allows reuse and writes the credit line. You approve every photo.