Practical guide
How to summarize RSS feeds without losing sources
Normalize the feed first, then summarize by story. Preserve the item URL and publication identity, fetch the readable body where permitted, and keep feed metadata separate from claims made in the article.[1][2]
Why this gets difficult
RSS makes collection dependable but does not solve interpretation. A large feed list can still produce duplicate entries, truncated descriptions, inconsistent dates, and summaries detached from the canonical article.[1][2]
A practical way through
- Validate the feed and resolve each entry to its canonical HTTPS URL.[1][2]
- Deduplicate identifiers, redirects, and syndicated copies before reading the bodies.[1][2]
- Group entries that describe the same event, preserving a distinct source when it adds new evidence.[1][2]
- Write the summary from readable source material and attach the canonical links from the input.[1][2]
An example
The situation: Four feeds publish versions of one press release, while a fifth source adds an interview that changes the interpretation.[1][2]
What changes: The syndicated items become one shared fact; the interview remains separate because its evidence is not present in the release.[1][2]
What you get: The reader gets two useful entries instead of five feed cards or one summary that erases the interview.[1][2]
What to watch for
Sources worth keeping
How Scottie helps
Scottie can accept public RSS sources, read the available articles, group overlapping coverage, and display only source URLs that came from the source material Scottie read.[3]