Small-town newspaper faces up to a new AI rival

A small-town news editor in Southern Oregon has uncovered an AI-driven operation that is masquerading as a local news outlet. Bert Etling, who currently serves as the editor for Ashland News and has been a staple in the community for years, is finding himself embroiled in an ongoing conflict with a robotic entity producing content under the guise of the Ashland Daily Tidings.

Etling’s journey began when he received unexpected notifications regarding the Daily Tidings, a paper which had closed down three years prior, ending a legacy that dated back to 1876. The notifications indicated that the site was generating new articles daily, which prompted Etling to investigate further. Speaking to Oregon Public Broadcasting, he recounted a conversation with an individual identified as one of the “reporters.” Surprisingly, this person had no idea he was purportedly contributing to journalism in Southern Oregon, shedding light on the broader implications of automated content generation.

The AI-driven operation produces around five articles per day, the bulk of which are derived from existing local publications, including Ashland News itself and The Oregonian. These pieces are then altered through algorithms designed to create what is referred to as “human-quality” writing. Such technology, including programs like Spin Rewriter, has the capability to produce thousands of iterations from a single article, flooding the internet with imitation journalism.

Moreover, similar AI operations are emerging across the United States, such as a site in Seattle operating under the Hoodline banner. Here, fictitious reporters are credited with delivering a myriad of articles daily, often under fake identities, devoid of the human insight and community engagement that traditional journalism relies upon. One particular incident reported involved an AI mishap that sensationally misrepresented a public release regarding a murder prosecution, illustrating the potential dangers of AI in news dissemination.

For Etling and his team at Ashland News, the implications of these AI-generated articles have largely been an annoyance rather than an overt threat to their operation. The two reporters at Ashland News maintain a strong presence within the local community and are committed to delivering authentic journalism. “People here know that we’re real people,” Etling stated. However, he expressed concern that such AI activities might undermine the trust that the community holds in journalism as a whole. “They’re making people trust newspapers less,” he remarked, acknowledging the potential damage to public perception.

In response to the increasing infiltration of AI within journalism, Ashland News attempted to bolster its presence by executing its first print run in an effort to underline their authenticity in a digital world saturated with imitation. This decision reflects a broader struggle within the news publishing industry as it adapts to technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations.

Historically, journalism has always been about human connections and the stories that bind communities. However, the rise of AI-generated content introduces a new era characterised by challenges to credibility and trust. With the potential for AI to proliferate fake news and misrepresentation, questions are being raised about the identity and integrity of the journalism profession. As Etling aptly concedes, “It’s like a proof-of-life kind of thing. Do we exist?”

Source: Noah Wire Services