I have always been a news junkie. I'm the one who checks the news first thing in the morning from my phone just after asking Alexa+ to give me the top news stories of the day, with CNN on in the background. This seemed like the most effective way to get caught up, but in reality it was pretty much chaos.
Within minutes of waking up, I’d bounce from global crises to celebrity drama to something I didn’t even care about all before my morning coffee. The problem was, rather than being informed, I was being bombarded and overwhelmed. I needed something to streamline the amount of information I was consuming to avoid everything at once.
So, I tried something different. I ditched my morning news feed and replaced it with a single ChatGPT prompt I now call the “CEO briefing.” And I’m not exaggerating when I say: I’m never going back.
What is the ‘CEO briefing’ power prompt?
Instead of scrolling or getting an AI Overview of the news, I now ask ChatGPT to act like a high-level executive giving me only what matters.
Here’s the exact prompt: “Give me a concise daily briefing like a CEO would receive. Include the most important global news, tech updates and cultural shifts I should know. For section include credible sources. Keep it under 200 words and focus on what actually matters and why.”
Thanks to ChatGPT-5.5 Instant, the model is far more concise and doesn't add the extra fluff it used to. Before this model (yesterday), I had to add "no fluff." But without apps or special subscriptions, I get the news sent to me, including the sites. This completely bypasses "AI Overviews," which tend to change headlines and leave out media outlet names. This prompt gives me the sources right from the start.
Why it works better than scrolling the news
One of the many reasons I'm not a fan of AI Overviews is because I love the serendipitous nature of being on an actual media outlet and clicking on other stories. This prompt lets me discover what news is trending with sources, while also leaving room for me to explore on my own. This has led to a completely calm way of consuming the news. I'm not just getting the information, I know where it's coming from, too.
It’s the difference between sitting in a chaotic room full of people shouting headlines and having someone walk in and say, 'Here’s what actually matters today.'
I'm also not at the mercy of Google telling me what should matter to me. This prompt gives a tight summary of what I want to read, plus a quick explanation of why it's news. It feels like I'm truly being briefed with the opportunity to click on sources. I don't spiral or go down rabbit holes. Before this prompt, I would find myself reading about AGI and then suddenly click on an image of Timothee Chamalet at a Knicks game.
Now, I get what I need for my work and move on in minutes.
A news feed that fits me
Most news feeds are designed to keep you scrolling. But asking ChatGPT to give me a "pulse" of the news lets me decide what gets my attention. By framing the request as a "CEO-style briefing," the AI knows to prioritize signal over noise and it cuts through everything that isn't relevant.
This prompt works even better now that ChatGPT-5.5 Instant has launched because the personalization of this model is like nothing we've seen yet. Because it has even better memory, it knows the news I care about (AI/Tech/Computing) and doesn't give me all the news stories. In other words, it respects my time. And, if I want to know what Timothee Chamalet did at the Knicks game, I can go back in my free time. But ChatGPT knows what "Breaking News" means for me.
It’s the difference between sitting in a chaotic room full of people shouting headlines and having someone walk in and say, “Here’s what actually matters today.” So, for me, AI news is a priority, for you, it might be finance, real estate or something else. This prompt works for any news you want (and don't want) to consume.
Overall, you'll notice less jumping between tabs or autoplay videos. And no hitting paywalls when you're just trying to understand what's going on first.
Bottom line
You can prompt ChatGPT directly, or set up ChatGPT Tasks to email you the news every day at the same time. You could even do a morning, afternoon and evening request so you stay informed all day. Just open ChatGPT, paste the propmt and get the news.
I feel more informed because I'm getting what I need and chek out the other stuff later. It’s a small shift, but it changes the tone of everything that comes after. So, if your morning news habit leaves you feeling scattered instead of informed, it might not be the news, it might be the way you’re consuming it.
Give this prompt a try and let me know in the comments what you think.
