DB Markham's Homepage

2026-02-08-the-review-09

10 min read

2026-02-08 - Final Edit

Context

I have been playing around with various LLMs to tease out whether or not I have enough material for some long-form non-fiction writing. After asking for a sample newspaper I believe there is something here.

Goal

I like the version of the work I’ve included in the input section the best, it looks like it might actually work for creating a newspaper, but it needs to both be tightened up a bit and made more engaging for a layman audience.

(I may have been too lazy to paste into the input session and if so, let’s continue working with what we have so far.)

Make no mistake, this is a newspaper for highly educated people and don’t go screwing around with the details or article length. My goal is to make the look of the paper better, not the content. So make sure the headlines hook people, the first paragraph gives an overview so that they can determine to continue reading or not. I believe this is the usual editorial work done in newspapers. Also, since the drop quotes and the infographics are also scanned first, we’re going to need something good. If there are any included, re-do those as needed to make them more appealing to a layreader that’d be fine. If there are not any there, make some. We’re going to want to be able to embed, pack up, or otherwise distribute as a stand-alone static web page, pdf, and markdown for obsidian. Don’t link graphics out to other places. For Obsidian, I’m happy with svgs that I can drop in my attachment folder

We’ve got the content. We need to pay attention to the look and feel of the paper. Review the style guide and do your best to follow it.

Finally, I have an idea about one of those pencil sketches like the NYT used to run, only as a thumbnail beside each of the pro and cons for the section. Show us who wrote this. Makes the paper look more personal and official. You might need to dig around to figure out who that is. Also, this may be a bad idea. I don’t know.

We’ll probably do one more look at the overall feel of the newspaper before we’re officially done with this.

When we do content like this, many LLMs just can’t make it through without hanging and/or losing context. Take some time to orchestrate what you’re doing and use temp workspaces in order to be able to easily pick this back up where you left off.

Background

Everyday I use various AI tools and ideas of my own to play around with creating long-form content. Sometimes I run this as a big prompt stream. Sometimes I cut and paste. Sometimes I take things from one tool and use as input for another.

Success Criteria

Success is in the eye of the human reading this. I’m looking for thematic quality, intellectual rigor, approachability by a lay-audience, and enough new, non-hyped deep material here to make it worth even scanning.

Failure Indicators

Don’t get hung up running out of context window or having problems going through so much content you hang up. If you’re able, create an orchestration document or a to-do list and update it as you go so that you can pick things back up. Work in very small pieces.

Daily Newspaper Style Guide

This style guide ensures consistency across all editions of the daily newspaper. It applies to both human editors and large language models (LLMs) during the final polishing stage, after core content (articles, headlines, images, etc.) has been drafted. The goal is to maintain a professional, readable, and uniform appearance, fostering reader trust and brand recognition. Adhere strictly to these rules unless overridden by specific editorial decisions.

1. Overall Structure and Layout

  • Edition Header (Masthead): Every edition must start with a centered masthead block including:
    • Volume and issue details, day, date, and price in uppercase, small caps or equivalent, on one line (e.g., “VOL. I, NO. 47 • SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026 • PRICE: ONE MOMENT OF ATTENTION”), centered, in 10-12pt font.
    • Newspaper name in bold, uppercase, large font (e.g., 48pt), split across two lines if needed (e.g., “THE GLOBAL” on first line, “CONNECTOR” on second), centered.
    • Tagline in quotes, italic, below the name (e.g., “Tracing the threads that hold the world together—before they snap”), centered, in 14pt font.
    • A horizontal rule (---) below the masthead for separation.
    • Example in markdown approximation: 
      VOL. I, NO. 47 • SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026 • PRICE: ONE MOMENT OF ATTENTION

THE GLOBAL
CONNECTOR

*"Tracing the threads that hold the world together—before they snap"*

---
  • Background and Visual Style: Aim for a newspaper-like background in digital formats (e.g., light beige or subtle paper texture via CSS if possible; in plain markdown, note as a design instruction for rendering).
  • Sections: Organize content into a themed newsletter format rather than rigid categories. Start with an introductory article, followed by 4-6 main stories, and end with an editorial. Each story should stand alone but tie into the edition’s theme.
    • Introductory article: Begins immediately after masthead, with a main headline in bold, title case.
    • Main stories: Each starts with a bold headline, followed by a subheadline in italic.
    • Editorial: Labeled as “EDITORIAL” in uppercase, bold, with its own headline.
    • Separate sections with ❧ ❧ ❧ or similar decorative dividers.
    • Limit total content to 2000-3000 words for a daily edition.
  • Page Breaks/Flow: In digital formats, use markdown or HTML breaks for readability. Aim for a “print-like” flow: no more than 800-1000 words per “page” equivalent. Use drop caps for the first letter of major articles.
  • Footer: End every edition with:
    • A horizontal rule.
    • Production Note: A paragraph explaining the collaboration between human and AI, verification process, and encouragement of skepticism (e.g., “Production Note: This edition… Your skepticism remains appropriate and encouraged.”).
    • Coming Next: A teaser for the next edition (e.g., “Coming Next Week: [Theme]—examining [details]. Also: [additional hook].”).
    • Copyright notice: ”© 2026 [Newspaper Name]. All rights reserved.”
    • Contact info: “Editor: [Name/Email] | Submissions: [Email]“.
    • No page count; end with a clean close.

2. Typography and Formatting

  • Fonts (for digital/print equivalents):
    • Headlines: Serif font (e.g., Times New Roman or Georgia), bold, 18-24pt.
    • Subheadlines: Serif, italic, 14-16pt.
    • Body Text: Serif, regular, 12pt.
    • Captions/Quotes: Sans-serif (e.g., Arial or Helvetica), 10pt, italic.
    • Use markdown equivalents: # for main headlines, for sections, bold for emphasis, italic for quotes/subtle emphasis.
  • Drop Caps: Introduce new articles or major sections with a drop cap for the first letter (e.g., large, bold initial like Welcome). In markdown, approximate with W and continue the paragraph; in rendered formats, use CSS for 3-4 line height drop.
  • Headlines:
    • Main article headlines: Capitalize major words (title case), no period at end.
    • Keep to 1-2 lines (under 70 characters).
    • Example: “Everything Is Connected (By Very Fragile Stuff)”
  • Body Text:
    • Paragraphs: 3-5 sentences each, separated by a blank line.
    • Line length: 60-80 characters for readability.
    • Bullet points for lists (e.g., key facts): Use - or * with consistent indentation.
    • Tables: Use markdown tables for data. Align columns left for text, right for numbers.
  • Pull Quotes (Drop Quotes): Insert 1-2 per story, centered, in a boxed or indented block, larger font (14pt), italic, with quotation marks. Place mid-article for emphasis. Example in markdown: 
    > "The tech giants in California scream about latency and 'packet loss,' viewing the outage as a software bug. The ship captain knows the truth: the internet is just a wire in the ocean."
  • Emphasis:
    • Bold (text) for key terms or names on first mention.
    • Italics (text) for book titles, foreign words, or emphasis.
    • Avoid ALL CAPS except in headers.
    • No underlining except for hyperlinks.
  • Punctuation and Spacing:
    • Use Oxford comma in lists (e.g., “apples, oranges, and bananas”).
    • Single space after periods.
    • Em-dashes (—) for interruptions, en-dashes (–) for ranges (e.g., 2025–2026).
    • Block quotes: Indent with > or use italics in a separate paragraph for quotes longer than 2 lines.

3. Language and Tone

  • Style Standard: Follow Associated Press (AP) style for grammar, spelling, and abbreviations.
    • Numbers: Spell out 1-9, use numerals for 10+ (except at sentence start).
    • Dates: “Jan. 12, 2026” (abbreviate months when with day).
    • Titles: “President Joe Biden” on first reference, “Biden” thereafter.
    • Avoid jargon; explain acronyms on first use (e.g., “Artificial Intelligence (AI)”).
  • Tone: Neutral, factual, and objective for news stories, with a witty, reflective edge. Editorial may be more opinionated but balanced. Overall voice: Professional, concise, engaging—aim for a reading level of 8th-10th grade. Use direct address like “dear reader” in intros.
  • Length Guidelines:
    • Introductory article: 200-400 words.
    • Main stories: 300-500 words each.
    • Editorial: 400-600 words.
    • Avoid fluff; prioritize who, what, when, where, why, how, with thematic connections.
  • Inclusivity: Use gender-neutral language (e.g., “they” instead of “he/she”). Avoid biased terms; represent diverse perspectives fairly.
  • For Further Reading: Perspectives: At the end of each story and editorial, include a “FOR FURTHER READING: PERSPECTIVES” section. Use PRO (green box) and CON (red box) for balanced views. Each entry: Bold label (PRO or CON), title in quotes, source with hyperlink. Approximate boxes in markdown with code blocks or tables; in rendered formats, use colored backgrounds (e.g., light green for PRO, light red for CON). Example: 
    FOR FURTHER READING: PERSPECTIVES

**PRO** "Why Governments Must Control Cable Repair" — Parliament UK Joint Committee Report  
Source: [publications.parliament.uk](https://publications.parliament.uk) (September 2025)

**CON** "Sabotage Fears Outpace Evidence" — TeleGeography Analysis  
Source: [blog.telegeography.com](https://blog.telegeography.com) (2025)

4. Images and Media

  • Placement: Insert images after the first or second paragraph of relevant articles. Use 1-2 per article max. No images in this example, but if used, tie to stories (e.g., maps for cables, illustrations for AI).
  • Formatting:
    • Size: Medium (e.g., 400-600px wide) for main images; thumbnails for galleries.
    • Alignment: Center with wrapping text if possible.
    • In text-based formats, describe images in brackets: [Image: Description of scene, credit: Source].
  • Captions: Below images, in italics, 1-2 sentences. Include credit (e.g., “Photo by Jane Doe / Reuters”).
  • Alt Text (for digital): Provide descriptive alt text for accessibility (e.g., “A bustling city street during rush hour”).
  • Usage Rules: Only relevant, high-quality images. No stock photos unless necessary; prefer originals or credited sources.

5. Editing and Proofing Checklist

Before finalizing:

  • Consistency Check: Ensure all sections follow the structure. Cross-reference dates, names, facts, and thematic ties.
  • Grammar/Spelling: Run through a tool like Grammarly or manual review. Use American English (e.g., “color” not “colour”).
  • Fact-Checking: Verify claims with sources; add inline citations if needed (e.g., [Source: Reuters]).
  • Readability: Read aloud for flow. Break up dense text with subheads, pull quotes, or bullets.
  • LLM-Specific Notes: If using an LLM for polishing, prompt with: “Apply the style guide to this draft: [insert content]. Ensure consistency in structure, tone, formatting, including drop caps, pull quotes, and perspectives sections.”
  • Variations: Minor deviations allowed for special editions (e.g., holidays), but document changes.

This guide should be reviewed annually or as needed. For questions, contact the editor-in-chief. By following these rules, each edition will maintain a polished, predictable look that readers can rely on.

Input

What do you need to start? Dependencies, materials, information

Output

What will you produce? Deliverables, artifacts, decisions

Work Area

Log

  • 2026-02-06 11:14 - Created

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