1mo ago

Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books

arstechnica.com

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1mo ago

Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books

arstechnica.com /ai/2025/05/chicago-sun-times-prints-summer-reading-list-full-of-fake-books/

25 comments

Also establishment media: What the fuck, why are we dying
"I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first. This time, I did not and I can't believe I missed it because it's so obvious. No excuses," Buscaglia said. "On me 100 percent and I'm completely embarrassed."
Yeah, I don't believe you.
- This reads like "I slipped on the mouse and accidentally doubled the size of Lara Croft's bust" which is an actual excuse given by one of the developers of the original game. There's not a single editor left in Chicago? Articles go straight from ChatGPT to print? That's ludicrous.
- background at times but always check out the material first.
  Right? No one who uses AI "for background at times but always check out the material first..." would be in a position to fuck this up in this way. They're more full of shit than a truck stop septic tank.
due to backlash, the Chicago Sun-Times is adding a AI checker, run by AI
People will pick up on whom to trust soon.
- 1990s: The truth is out there. Trust no one. Information wants to be free.
  2020s: Responding with "amen" to a Facebook picture of a shellfish-Jesus hybrid monster blessing Donald Trump.
  I don't have much faith in "people".
- Too late, I already don't trust anyone.
  
  Ha! You expect me to believe that?
  Nice try, ChatGPT.
- They never have before.
another win brought to you by 404 media...
- I don't think I fully understand your comment.
  
  404 media has been the first news outlet to break most of these tech stories, they are a small group of extremely talented journalists. (When I say small I mean 4 or 5)
  https://www.404media.co/
Weir should make a book titled with the make name and make it about AI wrecking society in some way.
It's worth knowing that this was in some kind of externally-authored, paid advertising insert. It's a bad look regardless, but this isn't AI writing the news, but AI writing the ads in-between the news.
It reflects poorly on the Sun-Times as a business, but shouldn't directly affect your feelings about their journalism and editorial staff, who weren't responsible for this.
- Sorry, but that’s exactly what it does.
  
  Well then you are lost. "Fuck the people in charge who did this and fuck their workers who had nothing to do with it." If your boss sucks, should I blame you for their mistakes?
- Which interestingly enough implies that they are having so much trouble selling advertising, that they are making up nonsense and pretending it is advertising, so their remaining advertisers aren't spooked away by the ghost town / dead mall atmosphere.
  
  It appears that the complicated nature of newspaper publishing is a confusing factor here. The Sun-Times did not generate/"write" this piece at all. It was written completely externally to the Sun-Times by a separate entity, King Features Syndicate. The CST incorrectly assumed that King Features or its owner, Hearst Magazines, would have their editorial teams vet the material they authored/"authored" before publication. Since this is self-evidently wrong, the CST has changed its policy and now editorial staff will have final approval over externally-authored pieces, which they did not have before.

25 comments