Maxwell: A.I. ‘news' site with fake reporters is just latest news scam in Florida
Sunday’s newspaper contained a fascinating story: "The rise and fall of an AI-driven ‘local news outlet' in South Florida."
The story was fascinating because it exposed a new breed of fake news. How fake? So fake that the journalists running the short-lived "South Florida Standard" didn't actually exist.
The writers and editors all had headshots and bios. But it was all make-believe … which is kind of sad, because some of these nonexistent journalists seemed like rockstars.
For instance, editor-in-chief "Sofia Delgado" was supposedly bilingual, a mother of two and an expert on everything from the Florida Legislature to mental health. And she was so prolific that she published three stories a day, seven days a week! She was like Lois Lane and Superman all in one … and just as real, seeing as how she was an AI amalgamation producing AI-generated stories.
The piece exposing the ironically named "Standard" was written by the Florida Trib, a relatively new online site full of actual journalists who teamed up with the Question Everything podcast. Other real-news sites like the Orlando Sentinel carried the piece, because the reporting was solid and the story was bananas.
There were a lot more eye-popping details, but there's a bigger lesson here about all the questionable "news" sites popping up - because the "Standard" is just the latest.
The rise and fall of an AI-driven ‘local news outlet' in Florida
The Sentinel has exposed earlier ones - including sites funded by special interests and mystery donors that purport to give Floridians the unvarnished truth but often just give them regurgitated talking points from powerful interests trying to spit-shine their image or muddy the informational waters.
Years ago, one site posted a fiery rant about me and Carl Hiaasen. I was honored to be in such esteemed company, but puzzled as to what sin I'd committed.
The piece, by a site called "The Capitolist," made a convoluted case that we were "legacy media pundits" who "don't know what to think." (The alleged proof was that we’d been both too tough on - and yet also too supportive of - the Disney corporation at varying times. Like I said: It was weird.)
Things became a bit clearer, though, about why this website might be gunning for me and Carl after the Sentinel published another exposé with this headline: "Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs influence coverage, records show."
The "news site," as you may have guessed, was "The Capitolist," which is run by a former spokesman for Rick Scott. Now things made more sense. Both Carl and I had written columns critical of FPL and Scott in the past. And somebody wanted to sully our reputations.
Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs influence coverage, records show
There have also been a handful of startup "news" sites churning out fawning coverage of Gov. Ron DeSantis and attacking legitimate news outlets. One was called "The Florida Standard," which vowed to combat the "corrupt propaganda" of traditional news sites.
Except it turned out that the short-lived "Florida Standard" was the real propaganda machine. Investigations by Seeking Rents and Politico revealed that the governor's office was feeding the outlet stories, which the site would then dutifully publish. The governor’s political team also secretly funded the site. The result was glowing stories about the governor and critical coverage of anyone who dared challenge or even accurately report on DeSantis.
Some of these sites seemed to have different goals. But they had one thing in common: None were run by actual journalists with proven track records.
Which raises the question: Why would anyone pay attention to this stuff? Just because it slid into their “news” feed? Well, that probably didn’t happen by accident. And if you don’t know a site’s sources, track record and motives, there’s a solid chance you’re getting played.
Say what you will about "legacy" institutions like the Orlando Sentinel. None of the news stories you read here are generated by AI or paid sponsors. You may not agree with everything I write. But it's all original. And it's all sourced. Most of the time, I include hyperlinks to the court filings, bill drafts and public records I reference, so you can check them yourself.
Perhaps more significantly: I'm just one small part of a much larger mission - one of about 40 people whose only goal is to produce quality, original journalism.
Most of my colleagues spend their days and nights covering school board meetings, digging through court records, attending theatrical performances and reporting from the sidelines of high school basketball games.
The only "agenda" these veteran journalists have is providing dedicated coverage of a community in which we all live and care about. And most people know this, because we've been doing it for 150 years.
I don't think the cardinal sin with "The South Florida Standard" was relying on artificial intelligence. The most grievous transgression came from the human beings involved - who issued instructions to produce fiction. (And sloppily repackaged, legitimate reporting produced by other outlets. The goal, said one expert, seemed to be to improve the reputations of people or institutions with shady backgrounds by including their names in more authoritative-sounding “news” articles.)
Just because a site is new doesn’t mean it can’t be impressive. Most of the ones I cited above for doing real investigative work (the Trib, Seeking Rents, Politico,Question Everything) are staffed by career journalists who are bringing seasoned experience to new mediums.
There's an age-old expression: "Consider the source." We all know it. But somewhere along the way, many people stopped doing it.
Savvy news consumption demands aggressive curiosity, constant source-checking and even further research. Because, if you're just mindlessly consuming and regurgitating perspectives, you're not really a news consumer. You might just be a pawn.
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