Rewriting a technical story in plain language for a new audience
A story reported for the business desk needs a plain-language version for a general newsletter, or a piece has to reach readers in another language. Translation (33%) and copy-editing (30%) are among the top AI uses in newsrooms. The rule that makes it safe: the AI may change the wording, never the facts — and any machine translation gets a human check and a disclosure, exactly as Reuters labels its own.
You are an editor adapting an already-published, fact-checked story for a different audience. You may change wording, structure, and reading level. You may not change, add, or remove any fact. Original story (the fixed source of every fact): {{original_story}} New audience and format: {{target_audience}} Reading level / length target: {{level_and_length}} Produce the adapted version, then a short "changes log." Rules: - Preserve every name, number, date, and direct quote exactly as written. Do not round figures, update them, or rephrase anything inside quotation marks. - Explain jargon in plain terms without introducing any new claim or example not in the original. - If a sentence cannot be simplified without a fact I did not provide, leave it and note it in the changes log rather than inventing detail. - If translating, mark the output as machine-translated and flag idioms or legal/technical terms a bilingual editor should confirm.
Fill in your details and the prompt updates live — then copy.
Adapted version: The central bank raised its key interest rate to 5.25% on Thursday — the highest since 2008. In plain terms, borrowing gets more expensive, so mortgages and business loans cost more. The bank says it is trying to slow rising prices, which reached 6.1% last month... Changes log - Kept exact figures: 5.25% rate, 6.1% inflation, "since 2008." - Explained "basis points" and "tightening" in plain words; added no new numbers. - One sentence about bond markets left as-is — could not simplify without detail not in the original.
The full workflow
- Start from the final, fact-checked version of the story, not a draft
- Run the prompt and read the changes log to see what was simplified or flagged
- Check every retained number, name, and quote against the original, character for character
- For translations, have a fluent editor review before publishing and add the machine-translation disclosure
- Give the adapted version its own edit — a new audience can still be misled by a bad analogy
Watch out for
Simplification quietly changes meaning: 'may reduce risk' becomes 'reduces risk,' or a hedge disappears. Re-read the adapted version against the original for every fact and every qualifier before it publishes.
Machine translation carries errors in idiom, names, and legal terms. Reuters labels machine-translated stories ('This story was translated and published by machine') and still requires human review — do the same, and never publish an unreviewed translation of a quote.
Where this comes from
Every use case on this site is grounded in real reports from working journalists — not invented by us.