When to use
- Breaking news requires immediate coverage
- Organization faces public crisis or controversy
- Misinformation is spreading rapidly and needs countering
- Emergency situation requires coordinated communication
- Preparing crisis response plans before incidents occur
What's included
Breaking news protocol
First 30 minutes checklist, verification phase workflow, newsroom escalation matrix with crisis levels 1-4.
Rapid verification
5-minute verification checklist, verification triage system with priority queues, claim tracking workflow.
Communication templates
Holding statements, corrections, clarifications, retractions, and status update templates for stakeholders.
Social media response
Crisis monitoring dashboard, response decision tree, guidelines for when to engage vs. when to ignore.
Misinformation response
Counter-messaging framework: lead with truth, avoid repeating myths, provide authoritative sources.
Post-crisis review
After-action checklist, timeline reconstruction, process improvement documentation.
Escalation levels
Routine
Single reporter can handle. Standard verification and publication workflow.
Elevated
Editor involvement needed. Triggers: multiple fatalities, major public figure, legal concerns, significant local impact.
Major
Multiple reporters, editor oversight. Triggers: national news potential, active public danger, major institution affected, coordinated misinformation.
Critical
All hands, executive involvement. Triggers: mass casualty event, government/democracy implications, organization directly involved, imminent physical threat.
5-minute verification checklist
Source check (1 min)
- Who is claiming this?
- Are they in position to know?
- Have they been reliable before?
Corroboration (2 min)
- Does anyone else confirm?
- Check wire services
- Check official sources
Red flags (1 min)
- Too perfect/dramatic?
- Matches known false narratives?
- Single source only?
Decision (1 min)
- PUBLISH: Multiple credible sources, no red flags
- HOLD: Needs more verification
- MONITOR: Developing, don't publish yet
Installation
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism.git
# Copy the skill to your Claude config
cp -r claude-skills-journalism/crisis-communications ~/.claude/skills/
Or download just this skill from the GitHub repository.
Related skills
Stay accurate under pressure
Breaking news protocols, verification checklists, and communication templates for crisis situations.
View on GitHub