The seemingly legitimate news article, which several people sent to me and was shared on social media by many more, carried a stunning headline: “The Ghost Paper That Ate Alabama: How a Media Startup Killed 47 Weekly Newspapers and No One Noticed.” Too bad this must-read story turned out to be the most inaccurate AI-generated reporting of all time. The untrue June 25 article about a (non-existent)…
USA soccer fans show their allegiance prior to the u.s. win over australia in seattle on june 19. The first clue to my cluelessness about the current popularity of professional international soccer among Americans was the grandkid wearing a Lionel Messi shirt. He’s 9. That popularity is abundantly obvious right now as media coverage of the World Cup is everywhere, maybe bumping your favorite sport…
photo illustration created using chatgpt You’ve read here previously about the growing use of artificial intelligence to produce print/online news stories, but we need to also talk about its use in producing sports stories because, whoa, it’s so much more widespread in that area. This is happening for both valid and absurd reasons: Valid: Every geographic coverage area has teams in so many sports…
PHOTO BY MARKUS WINKLER “College journalism programs are failing to prepare students for the workforce.” “Journalism programs are decades behind.” “If you’re a student considering journalism, I’d skip that degree.” Well, ouch. In a written commentary that spurred a lot of debate in journalism circles a few months ago, the top editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com leveled these…
screenshot from cnn’s april 10 investigative story into then U.S. Rep. eric Swalwell. it got results. Many press haters who like to point to errors and bias have added an even more cutting criticism in recent years: irrelevancy. It’s a fair question, as readership, viewership and staff size at newspapers, TV and radio stations, and magazines have plummeted . Recent national political campaigns…
the excellence in broadcasting network was the name of the NATIONAL radio network created IN 1988 by rush limbaugh, a HIGHLY POPULAR conservative talk show host who LIKED TO BASH “THE LIBERAL MEDIA.” Politically right-wing media figures and organizations don’t always see everything the same way, as we’re witnessing now in their public bickering about the wisdom of the Iran war. But a constant,…
image by gerd altmann I hate to see reality ruin a key subplot in Hulu’s hit show The Bear. The fictional Chicago restaurant, and many real restaurants, goes to great lengths to try to identify the covert reviewers who can make or break the business. That is becoming increasingly unnecessary, however, as more news organizations flabbergastingly decide that their reviewers will no longer try to…
By force of habit that started with the first Gulf War in 1991, many longtime TV viewers turn to CNN whenever the U.S. engages in war. It is happening again now with coverage of war in Iran. CNN has the worldwide resources and experience to provide credible*, continuous live coverage of wars (though neither CNN nor any other Western network has a reporter in Iran). (Update 3/5: As of today, CNN…
Because the ivory tower of academia repels reality, I’m going to intrepidly and unapologetically ask: “Why the heck can’t a billionaire owner operate a newspaper at a loss forever?” Jeff Bezos, who savaged his Washington Post by laying off 300 people last week, could offset five years of the Post’s most recent annual loss of $100 million with the money he makes in a single week , Peter Baker of…
DON LEMON INTERVIEWS A MEMBER OF CITIES CHURCH IN ST. PAUL ON JAN. 18. THIS IS PART OF A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY, ACCORDING TO A GRAND JURY INDICTMENT. President Donald Trump has occasionally referred to news reports that he didn’t like as “illegal.” That’s a dream. But he’s trying to make that dream come true. In yet another attempt to frighten the news media, the Trump administration has…
the 60 minutes story that bari weiss held for a month, angering staff, appeared on sunday. After President Trump’s November interview with 60 Minutes, he and new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss met for the first time and – you should sit down – kissed each other on the cheek. Weiss’ journalism continues to kiss him on the cheek. Since starting the editor position in early October – a hire by…
from nick shirley’s very bad youtube investigation of somali child daycare centers in minneapolis. Top-notch journalism demands training and high-level skills. Creating a piece of basic journalism demands only the smartphone in your pocket. Two major news stories in Minneapolis in the past two weeks show that “citizen journalism” – sometimes called “participatory journalism” – can both reveal…
Here’s a change of pace on The Arenblog – just for fun. Try this interactive, 45-clue crossword puzzle with a journalism theme. All clues relate to journalism in some way. A journalism background will help, of course, but I think anyone who pays attention to journalism can do this. There’s an “Assist” feature at the top right if you need it (it’s a light bulb icon on mobile). Because I chose a…
When the person of interest in the Brown University shooting went free, multiple national news organizations scrambled to remove his name from published stories that were based on confidential sources. Too late. Life ruined. For anyone who has ever been falsely accused in public, or had an old misdeed or embarrassment that wound up in a news story, the internet can be a never-ending reminder. But…
UPDATES: Successful fundraising allowed both magazines to publish editions under new names in April 2026. Fundraising for possible future editions was under way. The Office of Student Media began work on creating a new magazine. In May 2026 a judge ruled in favor of UA in a lawsuit against the discontinuation of the original magazines. Some of the students cried. After all, the staffs of two…
donald trump has publicly used all of these words against female reporters. (EDITED ILLUSTRATION from ORIGINAL BY MOHAMED HASSAN) I don’t know Mike Hlas, a sports columnist for the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, though we overlapped in Iowa journalism for a few years in the early ‘80s. I do know that it’s tremendously sad, and foolish, for the new owner of his newspaper to lay him off after 44…
On the final play of last Sunday’s Houston-Jacksonville NFL game, with his team leading by one point, a big, fat Houston defensive lineman grabbed a fumbled ball out of the air and started lumbering toward the end zone. Here’s the thing: His decision to score rather than go to the ground turned thousands of sports bettors from winners into losers (and vice versa, too). My question is: Why do…
__________________________________________________________________________________________ UPDATE (Nov. 2): Indiana University reversed itself and announced the return of IDS print editions, including general news stories. The former student media adviser has sued IU, claiming violation of free speech rights and seeking reinstatement. IU’s chancellor stated that none of IU’s previous actions were…
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION CREATED WITH CHATGPT While everyone knows of the national media organizations that have altered their journalism for political reasons, it’s equally alarming when this happens in smaller places around the country. Like Alaska. And Memphis. Four journalists at two Alaska newspapers resigned Sept. 29 after an online story about a local vigil for Charlie Kirk was temporarily taken…
this man was not who he claimed to be. But cnn figured that out too late. THE PALACE SAYS NO ONE NAMED ANNE SIMMONS EVER WORKED THERE. Oh what must thousands of Royal Family fans around the world have thought when they realized – gasp – that Kate Middleton’s morning beauty routine actually isn’t five easy steps. Multiple outlets in the UK and the US published the princess’s hair and makeup secrets…