The default AI research mode is to answer the question asked, making assumptions about missing context rather than requesting clarification. For journalism, these silent assumptions can produce misleading research — framed around the assumed context rather than the actual story. Prompting AI to ask follow-up questions before answering forces explicit disambiguation of context.
The Follow-Up Question Prompt
Add to any research prompt: "Before answering, ask me up to 5 clarifying questions if understanding my specific context would improve the accuracy or relevance of your response." This instruction consistently triggers meaningful clarifying questions — about the story's geographic focus, the time period, the audience's knowledge level, and the specific angle. Answering these questions before the research begins produces dramatically more targeted, useful output. Use it for any story where context is non-obvious.