Latest news with #ChicagoPublicMedia
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago paper publishes AI-generated 'summer reading list' with books that don't exist
The Chicago Sun-Times admitted on Tuesday that it published an AI-generated list of books that don't exist for its summer reading list. On Sunday, the publication released a special 64-page section titled "Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer" which featured a list of 15 recommended books for summer. However, upon further look, it was found that 10 of the 15 books on the list were not real. One example included a book called "Nightshade Market" by Min Jin Lee, which was described as a "riveting tale set in Seoul's underground economy" and follows "three women whose paths intersect in an illegal night market" exploring "class, gender and the shadow economies beneath prosperous societies." Lee herself confirmed on her X account on Tuesday that the book was not real. 'Heart Wrenching': Ai Expert Details Dangers Of Deepfakes And Tools To Detect Manipulated Content "I have not written and will not be writing a novel called 'Nightshade Market.' Thank you," Lee wrote. Read On The Fox News App Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell remarked on the situation in an article on Tuesday, revealing that the mistake came from a freelance writer from one of their partner companies, King Features. Bell acknowledged that the list was published without review from the editorial team. "We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time, our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges," Bell wrote. "This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it." Moving forward, Bell announced that the paper will be reviewing its relationship with content partners like King Features, updating its policies for third-party content and explicitly identifying third-party content in its publications. The Chicago Sun-Times also removed the section from its e-paper version and confirmed that it would not charge subscribers who bought the premium edition. "We are committed to making sure this never happens again. We know that there is work to be done to provide more answers and transparency around the production and publication of this section, and will share additional updates in the coming days," Bell said. In another report for the Chicago Sun-Times, the freelance writer was identified as Marco Buscaglia, who confirmed that he used AI for this and other stories without disclosing it to supervisors or fully vetting the results. Ai Could Be 'Nail In The Coffin' For The Internet, Warns Neil Degrasse Tyson King Features later added that it was "terminating" its relationship with Buscaglia, saying that he had violated strict policy regarding the use of AI. In an additional statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Chicago Public Media marketing director Victor Lim said, "Regarding Chicago Public Media's usage of generative AI, we are committed to producing journalism that is accurate, ethical, and deeply human. While GAI may assist with certain tasks—like summarizing documents or analyzing data—our editorial content will always be created and shaped by journalists."Original article source: Chicago paper publishes AI-generated 'summer reading list' with books that don't exist
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Major newspapers ran a summer reading list. AI made up its book titles.
Advertisement Many pointed out quotes attributed to experts and professors who don't seem to exist, or at least don't have a significant online presence. Similarly, some pieces in the package featured quotes that social media sleuths said could not be found online — such as one from Brianna Madia, the author of a van-life book called 'Nowhere for Very Long,' talking about hammock culture to Outside Magazine in 2023. Interviews she did with the magazine in 2019 and 2017 did not feature any discussion on hammocks, and she does not appear in any of the magazine's 2023 stories online. The section's 'Summer reading list for 2025' recommended not only fake books such as 'Tidewater Dreams' by Isabel Allende and 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir, but also imaginary titles from authors Brit Bennett, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Min Jin Lee, and Rebecca Makkai. (The list does feature some real books, including Françoise Sagan's 'Bonjour Tristesse' and André Aciman's 'Call Me by Your Name.') Advertisement 'It is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate. We value our readers' trust in our reporting and take this very seriously,' Victor Lim, senior director of audience development for Chicago Public Media, said in a statement. 'We've historically relied on content partners for this information, but given recent developments, it's clear we must actively evaluate new processes and partnerships to ensure we continue meeting the full range of our readers' needs,' he added. Lisa Hughes, the publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Inquirer, said the special section was removed from the e-edition after the discovery was made. 'Using artificial intelligence to produce content, as was apparently the case with some of the Heat Index material, is a violation of our own internal policies and a serious breach,' she said in a statement to The Washington Post. Much of the content for the section was written by Marco Buscaglia, a Chicago-based freelance writer who used AI chatbots during the writing process, he told The Post in an interview Tuesday. Buscaglia said the insert, which he began writing in February with a March deadline, wasn't written with any specific cities in mind, and he didn't know which newspapers would run it. Buscaglia said there was 'no excuse' for not double-checking his work. When he started writing the recommended books list, Buscaglia said, he considered looking at Goodreads or calling local bookstores for recommendations. But instead, he asked AI chatbots for help. (Buscaglia said he was unsure which chatbot he used, though he said it was either ChatGPT or Claude.) Advertisement 'I'm very responsible about it. I do check things out, but in this case, I mean, I totally missed it,' he said about using AI in his reporting. 'I feel like, if given the opportunity, I would approach these things differently and have a lot, you know, obviously better set of filters.' 'I do feel that it also misrepresents the Sun-Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer,' he said, adding: 'I feel bad about that, too - that the papers somehow [get] associated with that.' The misstep comes as the media industry wrestles with the advent of AI. Large language models and AI chatbots don't always search the web for information, relying on preinstalled knowledge, which can lead them to spit out incorrect or misleading information. Critics have said that newspapers that use AI tools risk exposing readers to low-quality reporting and misinformation, contributing to a rising mistrust of journalism.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago Sun-Times features non-existent books, people: How it happened
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago Public Media on Tuesday was quick to distance itself from content generated by Artificial Intelligence that cited books and experts who don't exist that made it into Sunday's edition of the Chicago Sun-Times. The AI hallucinations were included in a 60-page 'Best of Summer' guide that featured a summer reading list, summer food trends and a section on 'America's growing hammock culture.' 'This is licensed content that was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom, but it is unacceptable for any content we provide to our readers to be inaccurate,' spokesman Victor Lim told WGN via email. 'We value our readers' trust in our reporting and take this very seriously.' Speaking to 404 Media, Lim said the content was licensed from a company called King Features Syndicate, a subsidiary of Hearst Magazines. In a public statement, the Chicago Sun-Times said its partner confirmed 'a freelancer used an AI agent to write the article.' 'It is unacceptable that this content was inaccurate, and it is equally unacceptable that we did not make it clear to readers that the section was produced outside the Sun-Times newsroom,' the statement said, in part. Chicago Public Media owns the Sun-Times and local NPR station WBEZ. The content also reportedly appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Among the authors mentioned in the summer reading list is Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende. The guide suggests reading Tidewater Dreams, 'Allende's first climate fiction novel.' The book doesn't exist. Nor does 'Nightshade Market' by real author Min Jin Lee. An analysis by the technology website Gizmodo indicates that of the 15 works mentioned, all but five are fake. Readers looking to get a feel of 'what's hot on plates this season' were informed of social media's role in food trends, but the feature includes a quote from Dr. Catherine Furst, purportedly a food anthropologist. WGN and journalists at other organizations can find no confirmation she is a real person. Author Marco Buscaglia's byline appears on a feature story about hammock culture in America, but it appears to quote people and other publications that cannot be verified. Mentioned is Dr. Jennifer Campos, billed as a professor of leisure studies at the University of Colorado. She does not appear to be real. Author Brianna Madia is real, but a quote she purportedly gave to Outdoor Magazine two years ago appears to be made up. A review of Outdoor's archives turns up no content of Madia speaking about hammocks. WGN has reached out to Madia for confirmation. WGN has also tried to contact Buscaglia, whose name appears on some but not all of the features in the guide. The request has so far gone unanswered. The Chicago Sun-Times Guild, the union that covers the organization's journalists, said in a statement that it was 'deeply disturbed' by the inclusion of syndicated section that was 'produced externally without the knowledge of the members of our newsroom.' 'We take great pride in the union-produced journalism that goes into the respected pages of our newspaper and on our website. We're deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work. The fact that it was sixty-plus pages of this 'content' is very concerning — primarily for our relationship with our audience but also for our union's jurisdiction,' the guild's statement said. 'Our members go to great lengths to build trust with our sources and communities and are horrified by this slop syndication. Our readers signed up for work that has been vigorously reported and fact-checked, and we hate the idea that our own paper could spread computer- or third-party-generated misinformation. We call on Chicago Public Media management to do everything it can to prevent repeating this disaster in the future.' 'We are committed to making sure this never happens again.' In its statement, the Sun-Times listed five actions it was immediately taken. In addition to not charging subscribers for Sunday's edition, the organization said it was removing the section from the e-paper version of Sunday's edition. The Sun-Times said it was updating policies to ensure third-party content meets the same editorial standards as in-house produced content. In the future, the Sun-Times said it will be more transparent and 'explicitly identify' third-party licensed editorial content. Finally, the organization said it was reviewing its relationship with its partner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago Newspaper Caught Publishing a 'Summer Reads' Guide Full of AI Slop
The Chicago Sun-Times, a daily non-profit newspaper owned by Chicago Public Media, published a "summer reading list" featuring wholly fabricated books — the result of broadcasting unverified AI slop in its pages. An image of a "Summer reading list for 2025" was first shared to Instagram by a book podcaster who goes by Tina Books and was circulated on Bluesky by the novelist Rachael King. The newspaper's title and the date of the page's publication are visible in the page's header. The page was included in a 64-page "Best of Summer" feature, and as the author, Marco Buscaglia, told 404 Media, it was generated using AI. "I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first," Buscaglia told 404 Media. "This time, I did not and I can't believe I missed it because it's so obvious. No excuses." "On me 100 percent and I'm completely embarrassed," he added. At first glance, the list is unassuming. "Whether you're lounging by the pool, relaxing on sandy shores or enjoying the longer daylight hours in your favorite reading spot," reads the list's introduction, "these 15 titles — new and old — promise to deliver the perfect summer escape." The book titles themselves are unassuming, too. The newspaper recommends titles like the ethereal-sounding "Tidewater Dreams," which it says was written by the Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende; "The Last Algorithm," purported to be a new sci-fi thriller by Andy Weir; and "The Collector's Piece," said to be written by the writer Taylor Jenkins Reid about a "reclusive art collector and the journalist determined to uncover the truth behind his most controversial acquisition." But as we independently confirmed, though these authors are real and well-known, these books are entirely fake — as are several others listed on the page. Indeed: the first ten out of all fifteen titles listed in the Sun-Times list either don't exist at all, or the titles are real, but weren't written by the author that the Sun-Times attributes them to. Fabrications like made-up citations are commonplace in AI-generated content, and a known risk of using generative AI tools like ChatGPT. We reached out to the Sun-Times and its owner, Chicago Public Media — which notably also owns the beloved National Public Radio station WBEZ Chicago — but didn't hear back at the time of publishing. The paper did speak out in a Bluesky post, though, emphasizing that the page is "not editorial content" and not associated with the paper's newsroom. "We are looking into how this made it into print as we speak," the paper wrote in the social media post. "It is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom. We value your trust in our reporting and take this very seriously. More info will be provided soon." This was echoed by Buscaglia, who told 404 Media that the content was created to be part of a "promotional special section" not specifically targeted to Chicago. "It's supposed to be generic and national," Buscaglia told 4o4 Media. "We never get a list of where things ran." This wouldn't be the first time AI has been used to create third-party content and published without AI disclosures by journalistic institutions, as Futurism's investigation last year into AdVon Commerce revealed. Readers are understandably upset and demanding answers. "How did the editors at the Sun-Times not catch this? Do they use AI consistently in their work?" reads a Reddit post to r/Chicago about the scandal. "As a subscriber, I am livid!" "What is the point of subscribing to a hard copy paper," the poster continued, "if they are just going to include AI slop too!?" "I just feel an overwhelming sense of sadness this morning over this?" University of Minnesota Press editorial director Jason Weidemann wrote in a Bluesky post. "There are thousands of struggling writers out there who could write a brilliant summer reads feature and should be paid to do so." "Pay humans to do things for fuck's sake," he added. More on AI and journalism: Scammers Stole the Website for Emerson College's Student Radio Station and Started Running It as a Zombie AI Farm
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago Public Media's cost-cutting buyout reduces Sun-Times staff by 20%
The Chicago Sun-Times, which bills itself as the hardest-working newspaper in America, may have to work even harder after more than a fifth of its staffers took a buyout, heading off potential layoffs in a sweeping cost-cutting initiative by Chicago Public Media. Thirty Sun-Times employees, including 23 reporters and editors, will be voluntarily leaving the newspaper, which joined forces three years ago with NPR radio station WBEZ in a groundbreaking nonprofit media model. In addition, five business employees at WBEZ have also taken the buyout offer. Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell shared the news of 35 departing employees in a letter to supporters and members posted on the Sun-Times website Tuesday afternoon. 'Some people work behind the scenes, while others have recognizable bylines and specific areas of coverage,' Bell said. 'Each of them has played a vital role in shaping our organization into what it is today, and all are deeply valued. Their absence will be felt, but so will their legacy, and we are truly thankful for their contribution to public service through journalism.' A Chicago Public Media spokesperson Wednesday confirmed the 35 employees that took the voluntary separation offer included 15 members of the Sun-Times Guild and eight non-union journalists, along with 12 business-side employees across both the newspaper and radio station. The buyouts, along with other cost-saving measures, including 'leaving certain executive roles unfulfilled,' will create $4.2 million in annual savings for the nonprofit news organization, the spokesperson said. In a separate article, the Sun-Times detailed the buyouts and listed a number of the departing journalists, with a large chunk of the sports department leaving the newspaper, including columnists Rick Morrissey and Rick Telander, Bears beat writer Mark Potash and White Sox beat writer Daryl Van Schouwen. Among the more prominent employees taking the buyout, longtime film and TV critic Richard Roeper announced Wednesday that he will be leaving the Sun-Times after 37 years. His last day at the paper is Friday. 'I'm excited for the next chapter in my career, as I have no plans of retiring or even slowing down,' Roeper said in a news release. 'I will continue to review films and TV series every Friday on 'Windy City Weekend' on ABC-7 Chicago, and I'll keep recording new episodes of 'The Richard Roeper Show' podcast every week. I also intend to continue writing reviews regularly. See you at the movies.' Other well-known bylines that took the buyout include longtime columnist Michael Sneed and advice columnist Ismael Perez, according to the Sun-Times. All departing employees will receive severance and a cash bonus based on their tenure, according to Chicago Public Media. The payouts range from 10 weeks of salary and a $9,000 bonus for employees with less than five years to 24 weeks and $12,500 for those with 30 or more years on the job, the spokesperson said. Departures begin Friday, but will roll out over several weeks. 'It's a bittersweet moment knowing we've avoided layoffs,' Sun-Times Guild co-chair Mitch Armentrout said in a statement. 'But 15 beloved Guild members have taken buyouts, as have several non-union newsroom colleagues. This is the biggest hit to our newsroom in at least 12 years.' In 2013, the Sun-Times laid off its entire photography staff, which drew national attention and became symbolic of the headwinds facing the newspaper industry. Chicago Public Media announced the cost-savings plan in January, looking to shave $3 million to $5 million off the annual budget through the buyouts. In her letter, Bell said the buyouts met the goal, ostensibly avoiding any layoffs, at least for now. 'I am grateful to share with you now that we reached our cost reduction targets through voluntary departures,' Bell said. The Chicago Sun-Times merged with WBEZ-FM 91.5 in January 2022, backed by $61 million in initial philanthropic support. But the nonprofit combo has failed to realize the synergies envisioned by former CEO Matt Moog, who stepped down last year amid revenue shortfalls. Bell, who co-founded online news site took the helm at Chicago Public Media in September. At the start of the year, the Sun-Times had 144 employees, including 104 on the editorial side, while WBEZ had 134 employees, with 64 content creators, Chicago Public Media told the Tribune in January. The downsizing at the Sun-Times follows national trends that have seen dramatically reduced employment at local newspapers across the U.S. in the post-millennium digital media landscape. Since 2005, more than 266,000 newspaper jobs have been eliminated, a 73% decline, according to the 2024 State of Local News report by Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. The total includes the loss of more than 45,000 newsroom jobs, a 60% reduction over the past two decades, according to the study. Reducing the Sun-Times staff by 20% in one fell swoop, however, could presage a significant change in the content produced by Chicago's longtime No. 2 newspaper, which has struggled financially for years. Founded in 1948 by Marshall Field III, the Sun-Times has had a colorful history and a succession of owners, including media baron Rupert Murdoch, who bought it in 1984. Murdoch was forced to sell the Sun-Times in 1986 after acquiring WFLD-Ch. 32 because of Federal Communications Commission cross-ownership restrictions. In 2009, a group led by former Mesirow CEO Jim Tyree rescued the Sun-Times from bankruptcy, paying $5 million in cash and taking on $20 million in liabilities. Wrapports, a local investor group headed by tech entrepreneur Michael Ferro, stepped up after Tyree's death to buy the Sun-Times and 38 suburban newspapers for about $20 million in December 2011. In 2017, an investor group that included the Chicago Federation of Labor bought the money-losing Sun-Times and other assets from Wrapports for $1, after Tribune Publishing was thwarted in its own bid to buy the newspaper by Justice Department antitrust concerns. The Sun-Times has continued to bleed red ink since joining the nonprofit fold and faced a $12 million operating deficit this year, according to Chicago Public Media. While the shortfall was covered by philanthropic funding through 2026, downsizing at the Sun-Times is part of a strategy to eliminate the losses before the initial backing runs out. Chicago Sun-Times Media received nearly $11.2 million in contributions and grants for fiscal year 2024, which ended in June, according to the most recent Form 990 tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service. In 2024, operating revenue for the nonprofit newspaper was $27.9 million, a 6% year-over-year decline which landed the Sun-Times in the red by more than $1.1 million – despite the philanthropic contributions, the filing showed. In addition to the buyouts, the resignation of Moog, a Chicago tech entrepreneur who was elevated from interim to permanent CEO of Chicago Public Media in 2021, may help defray costs going forward. He received $722,861 in total compensation last year, according to the tax filing. Bell, who was named in June to replace Moog, pledged in her letter Tuesday to 'secure the future of independent journalism in Chicago' after stabilizing the organization through the buyout plan. At the same time, with the initial $61 million in philanthropic funding expiring, Bell wrote that she is looking to double the number of Chicago Public Media supporters and members over the next five years to help fill that void.
