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Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
How an AI-generated summer reading list exposed exposed a crisis in journalism
A summer reading list for 2025, published in a few US-based newspapers, has become a cautionary tale for journalism and publishing industries in the era of artificial intelligence, portending a crisis of credibility. The Hearst Newspapers-owned content syndication service, King Features, had curated and circulated the reading list in question, which appeared in several prominent regional outlets, including The Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The catch? Most of the books didn't exist, and some were falsely attributed to celebrated authors. The listicle recommended 15 books, of which only five were real—the remainder were AI hallucinations. The article, 'The heat index: your guide to the best of summer' listing non-existent books appeared in a special section of the Chicago Sun-Times May 18 (Sunday) edition. Among the fabricated titles were Tidewater Dreams that was touted as Chilean American novelist Isabel Allende's 'first climate fiction novel,' and The Rainmakers, described as a futuristic novel on water scarcity wrongly attributed to Pulitzer Prize-winner Percival Everett. Chicago Sun-Times summer reading list (10 out of 15 books listed are fake) The Chicago Sun-Times published a summer reading list with mostly fictional book titles generated by AI, revealing systemic problems in modern journalism caused by staff cuts and declining support for… — (@shauntrennery) May 22, 2025 Initially published without a byline, the list was later traced to freelance writer Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI tools in compiling the content. In a statement to NPR, Buscaglia took full responsibility: 'Huge mistake on my part and has nothing to do with the Sun-Times. They trust that the content they purchase is accurate and I betrayed that trust. It's on me 100 percent.' In a formal response, the Sun-Times said: 'To our great disappointment, that list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist,' the paper said. 'We are actively investigating the accuracy of other content in the special section.' While the Sun-Times prides itself on being 'deeply focused on telling the stories of this city,' the paper acknowledged that it supplements local journalism with syndicated content from partners such as King Features. According to their statement, the AI-generated list entered print without editorial review or disclosure of its third-party origin. King Features, for its part, confirmed that the freelance contributor violated its AI policy. 'We are terminating our relationship with this individual,' the syndicate said. 'We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement.' The incident comes at a particularly precarious moment for the Sun-Times, which announced earlier this year that 20% of its staff had accepted buyouts amidst ongoing financial strain. As newsroom resources shrink, publishers increasingly lean on syndicated materials — a trend that has made room for AI-generated fillers to slip through the cracks. 'This should be a learning moment for all journalism organisations,' the Sun-Times wrote. 'Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.' The backlash among readers and book professionals was immediate. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a user Maria A Karamitsos, wrote 'Reason #847 why newspapers need real journalists & not AI. AI will out the nail in the coffin for print media for sure. I want human-generated content only! 'How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers.' Reason #847 why newspapers need real journalists & not AI. AI will out the nail in the coffin for print media for sure. I want human-generated content only! 'How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers' via @nprbooks — Maria A. Karamitsos (@MariaKaramitsos) May 21, 2025 The Sun-Times has since removed the section from its e-paper and announced that subscribers will not be charged for that edition. New editorial safeguards are also being introduced, including internally reviewing all third-party licensed editorial content, labelling third-party features, and a reassessment of its relationships with national content partners. As AI tools become more accessible and media organisations face both technological disruption and economic headwinds, the boundaries of authorship, editorial oversight, and reader trust are being tested.
7NEWS
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
A US newspaper just released its summer reading list. But the books don't exist
A US newspaper released its recommended reading list on Sunday, two weeks ahead of their summer starting. The problem? Most of the books don't exist. The Chicago Sun-Times confirmed on Tuesday that several of the titles had been generated by AI and don't actually exist. Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer, was created in part by a freelancer who works for a third-party company, according to the Sun-Times. 'To our great disappointment, that list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist,' chief executive of Sun-Times owner Chicago Public Media Melissa Bell said in a statement. 'We are actively investigating the accuracy of other content in the special section.' The AI flub comes as industries like journalism fear that the rapidly developing technology could encroach on jobs formerly occupied by humans. The Sun-Times recently cut 20 per cent of its staff, according to Axios. While it has come a long way in recent years, AI is not a flawless technology and some iterations have been known to generate fictional or inaccurate information — an issue also called hallucinating. Some institutions have found uses for the growing technology, including the health care field, education and marketing. However, there is still much pushback from some consumers who are hesitant to trust AI. And like all forms of journalism, AI still requires fact-checking. While several of the books listed by the Sun-Times do not exist, the authors attributed with writing them do. There is no Tidewater Dreams, for example, but Isabel Allende is an acclaimed Chilean American writer. The Chicago author Rebecca Makkai is credited with the fake book Boiling Point. And author Min Jin Lee is listed as having written the nonexistent book NightShade Market. Toward the bottom of the list, some real books appear, such as André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name. Bell has also released a statement on the paper's website. She said the list came from distributor King Features, a company the paper regularly partners with for content. 'King Features worked with a freelancer who used an AI agent to help build out this special section,' she said. 'It was inserted into our paper without review from our editorial team, and we presented the section without any acknowledgement that it was from a third-party organisation.' At least one other paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, also used the third-party list including the AI-generated book titles. In a statement shared by the Sun-Times, a spokesperson for King Features said the company has 'a strict policy with our staff, cartoonists, columnists, and freelance writers against the use of AI to create content'. 'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance content creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI. 'We are terminating our relationship with this individual. We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement.' The Sun-Times said it had removed the list from its digital publication, and the website had a banner on the homepage leading to Bell's statement as of Wednesday afternoon. The paper will now identify in print when content comes from a third-party distributor, and is currently reviewing its relationship with third-party contractors to ensure they meet the standards of the newsroom, it said.
NBC News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Chicago Sun-Times admits summer book guide included fake AI-generated titles
Those books that the Chicago Sun-Times recommended reading this summer? You can stop looking for them. The newspaper said Tuesday that several of the titles had been generated by AI and don't actually exist. 'Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer,' published on Sunday, was created in part by a freelancer who works for a third-party company, according to the Sun-Times. 'To our great disappointment, that list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist,' Melissa Bell, chief executive of Chicago Public Media, which runs the newspaper, said in a statement. "We are actively investigating the accuracy of other content in the special section." The AI flub comes as industries like journalism fear that the rapidly developing technology could encroach on jobs formerly occupied by humans. The Sun-Times recently cut 20% of its staff, according to Axios. While it has come a long way in recent years, AI is not a flawless technology and some iterations have been known to generate fictional or inaccurate information — an issue also called hallucinating. Some institutions have found uses for the growing technology, including the health care field, education and marketing. However, there is still much pushback from some consumers who are hesitant to trust AI. And like all forms of journalism, AI still requires fact-checking. While several of the books listed by the Sun-Times do not exist, the authors attributed with writing them do. There is no 'Tidewater Dreams,' for example, but Isabel Allende is an acclaimed Chilean American writer. The Chicago author Rebecca Makkai is credited with the fake book 'Boiling Point.' And author Min Jin Lee is listed as having written the nonexistent book 'NightShade Market.' Toward the bottom of the list, some real books appear, such as André Aciman's 'Call Me By Your Name.' A spokesperson for the Sun-Times directed NBC News to Bell's statement on the paper's website. Bell said the list came from distributor King Features, a company the paper regularly partners with for content. 'King Features worked with a freelancer who used an AI agent to help build out this special section. It was inserted into our paper without review from our editorial team, and we presented the section without any acknowledgement that it was from a third-party organization,' she said. At least one other paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, also used the third-party list including the AI-generated book titles. In a statement shared by the Sun-Times, a spokesperson for King Features said the company has 'a strict policy with our staff, cartoonists, columnists, and freelance writers against the use of AI to create content. The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance content creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI. We are terminating our relationship with this individual. We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement.' The Sun-Times said it had removed the list from its digital publication, and the website had a banner on the homepage leading to Bell's statement as of Wednesday afternoon. The paper will now identify in print when content comes from a third-party distributor, and is currently reviewing its relationship with third-party contractors to ensure they meet the standards of the newsroom, the statement says.
Axios
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Philadelphia Inquirer prints summer reading list full of AI-generated fake titles
The Philadelphia Inquirer last week published a "summer reading list for 2025" that included multiple nonexistent titles by real authors, and was partially produced by AI. The big picture: The list, which ran in a print supplement, also appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, causing a stir on social media as journalists worry about AI-generated material replacing human-made content. The Inquirer confirmed to Axios that the supplement contained material generated by AI, which the newspaper's publisher and CEO, Lisa Hughes, says is "a violation of our own internal policies and a serious breach." Hughes says the newsroom was not involved in producing the supplement. Between the lines: Today's AI models continue to make up things in ways that AI makers still haven't figured out how to detect or stop, and human users keep failing to check their output. Case in point: The first item on the list is a novel by the "beloved Chilean American author" Isabel Allende titled "Tidewater Dreams." Allende is real, but "Tidewater Dreams" — ostensibly a "climate fiction novel" that "explores how one family confronts rising seas levels while uncovering long-buried secrets" — doesn't exist. You have to read down the list of 15 titles to the 11th entry before you hit a real book (Françoise Sagan's 1954 novel, "Bonjour Tristesse"). Zoom in: The article was part of Heat Index, a 56-page summer guide supplement published May 15. It appeared before an ad for the Inquirer that exhorts readers to "Unsubscribe from 'traffic, parking, boardwalk cuisine… yay!' Subscribe to keeping everything beachy." It was also posted on the paper's online edition and has since been removed. King Features designed and produced the material in the supplement, and the Inquirer has been receiving syndicated materials from King for decades, Hughes tells Axios. How it happened: Chicago-based freelance writer Marco Buscaglia has since admitted to 404 Media to using AI to write the piece without fact-checking it.
Axios
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Sun-Times fallout: Fake book list raises red flags over AI
The Sun-Times is feeling the heat after it printed a summer reading list Sunday, citing multiple non-existent titles by real authors — which was partially produced by AI. Why it matters: The scandal comes on the heels of a 20% cut to the editorial staff at the paper and as journalists worry about AI-generated material replacing human-made content. Also, AI models continue to make things up in ways that AI makers haven't figured out how to detect or stop, and human users keep failing to check their output. Case in point: The very first item on the list is a novel by the "beloved Chilean American author" Isabel Allende titled "Tidewater Dreams." Allende is real but "Tidewater Dreams" — ostensibly a "climate fiction novel" that "explores how one family confronts rising seas levels while uncovering long-buried secrets" — doesn't exist. You have to read down the list of 15 titles to the 11th entry before you hit a real book (Françoise Sagan's 1954 "Bonjour Tristesse"). What they're saying: The Sun-Times was quick to distance itself from the insert. "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," CPM spokesperson Victor Lim tells Axios. "We value our readers' trust in our reporting and take this very seriously." Yes, but: While licensed and syndicated content is normal for newspapers, it is usually marked as such. This article looks like it was part of an advertising or advertorial supplement, but the section's cover simply reads "Chicago Sun-Times — Heat Index — Your guide to the best of summer." The insert also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which also touted the licensed content as its own. What happened: The Sun-Times says it licensed the content from King Features, a unit of Hearst, which claims to be the world's largest lifestyle publisher. In an interview with 404 Magazine, Chicago-based writer Marco Buscaglia takes the blame for using AI to source the list and not fact-check. "I can't believe I missed it because it's so obvious. No excuses," Buscaglia said to 404. "I'm completely embarrassed." Zoom out:"It's always been perilous when a news outlet presents material that it didn't produce on its own," former Tribune metro editor and writer of the Stop the Presses newsletter Mark Jacob tells Axios. "AI has supercharged the danger since it's so easy for lazy and sloppy people to create bad content." "What should legitimate media learn from this?" Jacob asks. "Hire trusted human beings to produce content, and carefully review any content that's going out under your brand." The Sun-Times Guild was swift in its condemnation of the paper's gaffe. "We're deeply disturbed that AI-generated content was printed alongside our work," the union said in a statement. "Our members go to great lengths to build trust with our sources and communities and are horrified by this slop syndication." "We call on Chicago Public Media management to do everything it can to prevent repeating this disaster in the future." Flashback: This isn't the first time newspapers have had issues with licensed content. In 2012, the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times ended their use of content produced by Journatic, a company that was accused of using fake bylines and plagiarism. When tech entrepreneur Michael Ferro took over the Tribune in 2016, he said he wanted to push the paper to use "big data and artificial intelligence" to make the paper profitable. Ferro orchestrated a wave of layoffs to make the paper more digitally focused before resigning two years later. The intrigue: The summer reading list only appears in print. It ran opposite a house ad for the Sun-Times that exhorts readers to "Donate your old car and fund the news you rely on." The bottom line: For the Sun-Times, the fallout from the error could have lasting implications now that the paper has switched to a nonprofit model that counts on reader donations.
