Wyoming newspaper editor apologizes after reporter caught fabricating quotes, writing stories through AI



A fledgling reporter in Wyoming resigned from his job and his former employer issued an apology after a rival outlet discovered that the reporter had been using AI to help write his stories.

Aaron Pelczar, 40, began working for the Cody Enterprise in early June, having no prior journalism experience. By August 9, he had resigned after allegedly admitting to CJ Baker of the Powell Tribune that he had used an AI tool to generate some of his writing, including quotes that were either fully made-up, misattributed, or combined with other statements.

'Obviously I’ve never intentionally tried to misquote anybody.'

Baker spoke with Pelczar and Enterprise editor Chris Bacon last Friday after finding that some of Pelczar's articles used unnecessarily lofty words or language that would otherwise be inappropriate in news pieces.

"This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of human behavior, even in the most serene settings," read part of an article Pelczar allegedly composed about a deadly shooting in Yellowstone National Park last month.

Perhaps even worse, a June 26 article announcing that Larry the Cable Guy had been chosen to be the grand marshal of the Cody Stampede Parade apparently included a sidebar writing tip.

"The 2024 Cody Stampede Parade promises to be an unforgettable celebration of American independence, led by one of comedy’s most beloved figures," the article said. "This structure ensures that the most critical information is presented first, making it easier for readers to grasp the main points quickly (emphasis added)."

When Baker confronted Pelczar about the issues, Pelczar more or less confessed, telling Baker it "could be the case" that he used an AI program when writing some of his pieces. He declined to name the particular program he may have used.

Pelczar reportedly told Baker that he had pulled some "all-nighters" since taking the job and found that AI tools "give color and context" to stories.

"I hate to say it’s the future, because it’s the now," Pelczar said, according to Baker.

"Obviously I’ve never intentionally tried to misquote anybody."

While speaking with Baker, Pelczar claimed he would "correct" any errant quotations and "issue apologies" for them. He also noted that he hoped his missteps would not reflect poorly on the Enterprise.

"They’re taking what I bring in at face value," he insisted.

Shortly following the meeting with Baker, Pelczar resigned from the Enterprise.

On Monday, Enterprise editor Chris Bacon issued a mea culpa, taking responsibility for not conducting better oversight of his employee's work.

"I apologize, reader, that AI was allowed to put words that were never spoken into stories," Bacon wrote.

Bacon insisted that "the buck stops" with him and that it was his "job" to identify the fabrications. He also promised to "do better" in the future.

Bacon did not name Pelczar in the editorial, chalking up the falsified quotes to the mistakes of "a hurried rookie reporter that trusted AI."

Thus far, Bacon has unearthed AI-generated quotes from seven people who told Bacon they never spoke with Pelczar. Among them is Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R).

"In one case, [Pelczar] wrote a story about a new OSHA rule that included a quote from the Governor that was entirely fabricated," Michael Pearlman, a spokesman for the governor, said in an email.

"In a second case, he appeared to fabricate a portion of a quote, and then combined it with a portion of a quote that was included in a news release announcing the new director of our Wyoming Game and Fish Department."

In another instance, Pelczar's article about a liquor store manager who allegedly embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars contained an alleged statement from store owner Brandon McArtor. In Pelczar's reporting, McArtor called the allegations against the manager "incredibly disheartening," even as no other outlet reported a quote from McArtor.

McArtor told Baker he never spoke with Pelczar. "Those are words that I very well could have said," McArtor explained, "but they are not what I said."

"Journalism needs to be transparent and needs to be accurate."

In an interview with the New York Post, Bacon seemingly acknowledged that the AI fabrications in Pelczar's pieces were remarkably sophisticated. "They’re very believable quotes," he said.

Enterprise publisher Megan Barton called AI "the new, advanced form of plagiarism."

"Plagiarism is something every media outlet has had to correct at some point or another," she continued. "It’s the ugly part of the job. But, a company willing to right (or quite literally write) these wrongs is a reputable one."

Pelczar did not respond to message left by the AP, the Post reported.

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Liberal media concern-mongers about conservative businessman's acquisition of the Baltimore Sun



David D. Smith, executive chairman of the media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcast Group, has purchased the Baltimore Sun from the investment firm Alden Global Capital for an undisclosed sum. While the acquisition may greatly benefit Maryland's biggest newspaper, given the Republican owner's business acumen and his pledge to invest in it, liberals are nevertheless miffed because Smith is not a fellow traveler.

Fresh off characterizing scalping as white colonist practice and leftist plagiarism as a "conservative weapon," the Associated Press concern-mongered about Smith's "very specific political background" and "what the 187-year-old publication could become" now that the Sun is back in the hands of a local owner for the first time in nearly four decades.

Among the reasons the AP provided to fear the direction the Sun might take under Smith was his foundation's past donations to Project Veritas, "which is best known for making hidden camera stings on media and liberal figures."

The AP indicated further that the Sun might dare to criticize Democrats, noting that a Sinclair-owned Fox Station in Baltimore "frequently airs coverage blaming the city's Democratic mayor, Brandon Scott, for gun violence and failing schools."

Smith has also had the audacity to help finance a successful effort to impose term limits on Baltimore officials, reported the AP.

"As a lifelong Baltimorean and reader of the Sun, I believe that a free and fair — unbiased — press is critically important," Jim Shea, a failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate, told the liberal publication. "I hope that The Sun will not be controlled by those who want to spread their own partisan views."

The AP wasn't the only liberal outfit hyping concern about the acquisition.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik similarly raised the alarm about the purchase, intimating that just as Sinclair-owned television stations have supposedly been "pulled in a conservative direction" under Smith's direction, the Sun will also.

"I don't think that was any accident," said Folkenflik, a former Sun writer. "David Smith has given a lot of money to Republican candidates over the years and also to very conservative causes, including right-wing outlets like Project Veritas of those gotcha videos and Turning Point USA, which is really a far-right advocacy group."

The Baltimore Banner, the nonprofit Stewart Bainum launched following his failed bid to acquire the Sun in 2021, ran an article this week entitled, "Meet The Baltimore Sun's New owner: the conservative TV mogul who embraces controversy and profit."

In an ostensibly accusatory framing, the article alleged that in a meeting with his new employees, Smith doubled down on his 2018 suggestion to New York Magazine that print media has become "so left wing as to be meaningless dribble which accounts for why the industry is and will fade away."

The Washington Post joined in the pearl-clutching, playing up Smith's admission that he hasn't bothered to read the Sun in 40 years and making sure to platform former Sun executive editor Tim Franklin's concern over "whether [Smith] will use the Sun to advance his ideological agenda."

To flesh out what his agenda might be, Jeff Bezos' newspaper referenced the David D. Smith Family Foundation's donation of $121,000 in 2018 to the parental rights group Moms for America" as well as the two donations it made to Project Veritas prior to James O'Keefe's departure, which amounted to a combined $536,000.

The Post also claimed that whereas the local news industry "has usually aspired to strike a nonpartisan tone," Smith's "Sinclair has drawn criticism for integrating conservative and right-wing commentary, frequently on hot-button national topics."

Franklin prophesied that if the paper adopts "a rigid, ideological, conservative direction," the paper could suffer in the heavily blue region.

The New Republic suggested the acquisition might have consequences for black Democrats.

"Smith's takeover could mean the paper will soon be forced to mime changes at Sinclair-bought local stations, focusing on negative coverage of the state's Black leadership, including Governor Wes Moore," said the leftist blog.

David Simon, creator of the HBO series "The Wire," which depicted a fictionalized version of the Sun, joined other leftists in bemoaning the acquisition online, claiming that those who elected not to subscribe to the Sun's middling far-left competitor "are simply complicit."

According to the Sun, Smith bought the paper along with the Capital Gazette Papers in Annapolis, Carroll County Times, Towson Times, and other weeklies and magazines in the area because of their focus on local news.

Sinclair made clear in a statement obtained by Axios that it "has no involvement with the transaction."

"I'm in the news business because I believe ... we have an absolute responsibility to serve the public interest," said Smith. "I think the paper can be hugely profitable and successful and serve a greater public interest over time."

"We have one job," added Smith. "To tell the truth, present facts, period. That's our job."

Smith has been critical of the "mainstream media" in town for neglecting issues that actually "affect everybody," especially corruption in government.

Trif Alatzas, the paper's publisher and editor in chief, suggested holding the region's politicians and elites to account has "been part of Baltimore Sun Media's DNA for generations. We look forward to working together to make our organization even stronger."

Smith reportedly indicated he will be joined in the Sun venture by conservative commentator and nationally syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams.

— (@)

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FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show An Israeli Newspaper’s Depiction Of Barack Obama?

The image is from a Belgian newspaper

Local newspaper takes on Big Tech: Lawsuit says Google and Facebook 'conspire to monopolize and dominate the digital media space'



Critics of Big Tech have repeatedly accused online giants of abusing and dominating smaller news outlets, conservative voices, and any site or app that might be seen as competition.

Now one local West Virginia newspaper is facing down a couple of tech Goliaths and taking them to court.

The Pulitzer-Prize winning Charleston Gazette-Mail filed a lawsuit claiming Big Tech companies Facebook and Google are working together to manipulate the digital advertising market, Fox News reported Thursday.

The owner of the Gazette-Mail, Doug Reynolds, told Fox News that his paper's lawsuit alleges that the two companies "conspire to monopolize and dominate the digital media space."

Asked what's hurting papers like his, Reynolds answered, "The newspaper industry over the last 10 years has been making this transfer to digital media, and what we found is, as we've gone into this world, that Google and Facebook make the rules of the game, they control the whole environment. They compete against us for advertising dollars, and then they get to keep score in the end."

He noted that the U.S. has seen more than 200 newspapers close, which threatens local journalism. In order for small news outlets to survive, they have to be able to finance themselves in the digital sphere, but "in the current arrangement, that's not going to be possible."

Reynolds wants an open and even playing field so outlets can find ways to be paid for without interference from Big Tech companies.

Asked about nonprofits financed by businesses like Google and Facebook designed to prop up local newspapers, Reynolds was skeptical.

"We can't have a system where businesses and our journalism is [sic] dependent on us writing good things about Google and Facebook," he said.

"It has to be independent," Reynolds continued. "It can't be just on their good will whether we survive or not."

Fox News said it reached out to Google and Facebook for comment. Facebook did not respond, while Google said it is not commenting on this case.

GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik calls newspaper 'heartless' over post mocking her as 'childless'



A New York-based newspaper published a post mocking Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as "childless" this week, prompting the congresswoman and her husband to issue a joint statement condemning the characterization as "hateful, abusive, and heartless."

What are the details?

The Times Union out of Albany posted a "work of fiction" presented as a made-up script Stefanik might deliver to first graders at a school visit, making fun of her throughout.

The paragraph that drew the ire of Stefanik read:

I see that there are only a few of you in class today, and I just want to assure you that there is nothing to be afraid of. That's why I am not wearing a mask. Because Kung Flu is a socialist hoax, a term that will mean more to you when you grow up and have children of your own. I myself am childless because I am a rising star in the Republican Party, and family planning is possible by way of the contraception paid for by my excellent taxpayer-provided healthcare plan.

The congresswoman and her husband, Matt Manda, responded with the following statement:

"As a young married couple, we have developed a thick skin over many years as we have become accustomed to repeated sexist smears in media coverage. However, the Times Union's decision to publish an article that mocked us as 'childless' is a new low and is truly heinous and wildly inappropriate. This shameful statement is not only inherently sexist, but also hateful, abusive, and heartless. The Times Union publisher, editors, and staff have clearly let the paper's standards sink so low that they have chosen to embrace sexist scum and content under the masthead. They should be ashamed.

We not only require a complete retraction, but we also demand an immediate public apology and explanation as to how this was allowed to be published in the Times Union and who will be held responsible and accountable.

We are grateful to the thousands of constituents who have encouraged and prayed for us over the years. Thank you for your kind words and best wishes. Like millions of families, we hope and pray that we will be blessed by becoming parents."

What happen to the 'blog' post?

Fox News reported that "blog has since been removed from the Times Union website," but it remains on the personal site of one of the joint authors.

The Times Union editor and vice president Casey Seiler told the outlet in a statement:

"The Times Union has for years hosted a series of community-generated blogs covering a range of topics. They are not edited by Times Union staff, but are expected to meet a set of civility guidelines. A post that recently appeared on one of these sites was brought to our attention, and, upon our review, we felt it did not meet those guidelines. We pulled it down immediately along with all earlier posts on that blog."

Photographer for major paper says protesters ordered him 'no more pictures,' threatened to destroy his equipment — and it appears he obeyed



Antifa and other violent left-wing protesters and rioters say they're against fascists. But we've seen time and time again through their behavior that they're truly the fascists. One look at what went down in Minneapolis on Thursday night is a prime example.

What happened?

A staff photographer with the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper wrote that protesters in ordered him to take "no more pictures" and threatened to steal and destroy his equipment if he didn't fall in line:

Protesters chanting “no more pictures” as they march along S. 4th Street along US Bank Stadium. An organizer just c… https://t.co/p3UspIunhv
— Aaron Lavinsky (@Aaron Lavinsky)1600999046.0

"Protesters chanting 'no more pictures' as they march along S. 4th Street along US Bank Stadium," Aaron Lavinsky wrote. "An organizer just came up to me demanding I turn my cameras off. She threatened to snatch my camera [from] me if I didn't comply."

And in the end it appears Lavinsky did just that.

"Folks, I'm backing off," he added in a follow-up tweet. "Multiple people threatening to take and break my cameras. Been berated most of the night by a small group of organizers and anarchists."

Lavinsky send subsequent messages noting that while some protesters were fine with him being there it's "unfortunate that not all value the free press."

My journalism colleagues in the Twin Cities are doing important work, and while I know we're far from perfect, mos… https://t.co/lLXCBdTevA
— Aaron Lavinsky (@Aaron Lavinsky)1601005925.0

Here's one of the videos Lavinsky recorded for the Star Tribune's story:

Police and protesters facing off as MPD clears a barricade from South 4th Ave in downtown Minneapolis. @StarTribune https://t.co/lfuEFM0EK8
— Aaron Lavinsky (@Aaron Lavinsky)1600996829.0

The paper's piece — for which Lavinsky shares a byline — noted that Minneapolis police faced off with about 100 people who "gathered ... to protest local and national issues."

Besides "no more pictures," the Star Tribune said other chants included, "No justice, no peace, kill all the police" and "Die, Donald Trump."

Lavinsky's run-in with the mob was documented in the story as well: "Some protesters shouted at a Star Tribune photographer, telling him to stop taking photos and threatening to take cameras away. They chanted, 'No more pictures,' as they walked."

How did folks respond to the photographer's tweets?

A couple of commenters seemed sympathetic to the protesters:

  • "This is for their own safety," one commenter wrote. "You can actually endanger them by creating video/photo evidence."
  • "Yeah dude you need to make sure you don't accidentally photograph someone in an identifiable way," another commenter said, soon adding that "you could cause a lot of problems for them including death."

But it seems most responders weren't happy with the fascist threats:

  • "Be safe," one commenter implored. "Is the @StarTribune still going to call this a peaceful protest? Or are they going to call a spade a spade for once?"
  • "Fascist liberal bastards," another commenter wrote. "What is happening in Louisville, Portland, Seattle, New York, and Washington DC is Joe Biden's America. This is what will happen nationwide if Biden is elected."
  • "What more proof is needed that these are not protests," another commenter added. "In a real protest the protestors want video to spread their message. Only people that plan on criminal activity demand videos be shut off. #MAGA2020."
  • "We can't back down. This is what Communism looks like," another commenter said. "What next? We will be told what books we can read and which ones we can't? Checkpoints? Guard tower's?? We fought to hard against the Soviets to have it end up in our own country. We need to wake up!!!