This post explains a short interaction where an assistant could not retrieve any article text from a provided link because the link led to an image page rather than machine-readable text.
It outlines why that happens, the practical steps you can take to enable summarization (including how to paste the text), and best practices for sharing articles so automated systems can create summaries such as a 10-sentence synopsis.
Why the assistant couldn’t retrieve the article text
The core issue is simple: many links point to images, screenshots, or pages that do not expose selectable text to automated tools.
When a URL returns an image or an image-based page, text extraction tools and bots cannot parse the words unless optical character recognition (OCR) is applied.
This limitation is common on social platforms, some news aggregators, and image-hosting pages that intentionally or incidentally render content as images.
Understanding the distinction between text-based HTML and image-based content is essential when requesting machine summaries, translations, or analysis.
Technical reasons and quick diagnostics
Common technical reasons for failed retrieval include:
Quick diagnostic steps you can try immediately: open the link in a browser and attempt to select and copy the text.
If copying fails, the content is likely image-based or otherwise inaccessible to automated extractors.
How to provide content for a reliable summary
To ensure accurate and fast summarization, provide the article text directly when possible.
Pasting the text into the chat or uploading a text-based file (plain text, PDF with selectable text, DOCX) is the most straightforward approach.
If the article exists only as an image or image-PDF, use OCR tools and paste the resulting text.
Recommended formats and best practices
Here are practical steps and options you can follow to share content effectively:
When pasting, include the headline and lead paragraph and indicate any sections to prioritize for summary or analysis.
If you want a specific output format — for example a 10-sentence summary — state that upfront.
Security, privacy, and context
If the article contains sensitive or proprietary material, indicate that so the summarizer can respect confidentiality constraints.
For public articles, adding short context — why you want the summary and which audience will read it — improves the relevance and tone of the resulting summary.
Final checklist before submitting content
Before sending content for summarization, quickly verify:
If you paste the article text here, I will produce the requested 10-sentence summary right away.
If you prefer, I can also help run through OCR options and guide you step-by-step based on the file type you have.
Here is the source article for this story: California Extreme Weather Wildfires