E G Logan
Full Member
The chief executive of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, Melissa Bell, has published an apology for the 2025 summer reading list that appeared in a summer section supplement produced by a 'third-party content provider'.
It said:
"Instead of the meticulously reported summer entertainment coverage the Sun-Times staff has published for years, these pages were filled with innocuous general content: hammock instructions, summer recipes, smartphone advice … and a list of 15 books to read this summer.
"Of those 15 recommended books by 15 authors, 10 titles and descriptions were false, or invented out of whole cloth. Sixteen hours later, the journalist behind the piece 'fessed up: rather than a reported recommendation list, this one had been generated by an AI agent."
The freelance journalist, Marco Buscaglia, working for content provider King Features admitted he had used "an AI agent" and had sent his stories in without checking them. It is thought likely that the team at King Features then also sent Buscaglia's work out unchecked to recipients including the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Enquirer.
Bell added: "The circulation department made these choices because it was trying to help keep our finances as stable as possible."
It said:
"Instead of the meticulously reported summer entertainment coverage the Sun-Times staff has published for years, these pages were filled with innocuous general content: hammock instructions, summer recipes, smartphone advice … and a list of 15 books to read this summer.
"Of those 15 recommended books by 15 authors, 10 titles and descriptions were false, or invented out of whole cloth. Sixteen hours later, the journalist behind the piece 'fessed up: rather than a reported recommendation list, this one had been generated by an AI agent."
The freelance journalist, Marco Buscaglia, working for content provider King Features admitted he had used "an AI agent" and had sent his stories in without checking them. It is thought likely that the team at King Features then also sent Buscaglia's work out unchecked to recipients including the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Enquirer.
Bell added: "The circulation department made these choices because it was trying to help keep our finances as stable as possible."
