MEDIA & ETHICS
TRENDS
Global Trust in News Media Hits New Lows
A sweeping Pew survey finds rising alarm about misinformation—and growing doubt that traditional news outlets can be trusted to fight it.
EXPLORE
VIOLATIONS
VIOLATIONS
The Death of the Byline: How AI Avatars Are Replacing Real Reporters in a Crisis of Credibility
From fabricated personas and stock-photo journalists to full-blown local “news” sites run by bots, the rise of AI-generated reporting is upending trust in the press—revealing just how easy it is to fake the Fourth Estate.
VIOLATIONS
Carly Sitzer Disavows Distractify Role Amid Fake Byline Fallout
Carly Sitzer is now claiming she left Distractify in 2023—despite still being listed as the site’s editor as of April 20 this year. The only thing disappearing faster than digital attribution is journalistic accountability.
VIOLATIONS
Carly Sitzer’s Distractify Under Fire After “Fake Reporter” Byline Scandal
After a bigoted article written by Jennifer Farrington was met with public criticism, Farrington’s name disappeared and was replaced by a fake “reporter.”
TRENDS
TRENDS
Global Trust in News Media Hits New Lows
A sweeping Pew survey finds rising alarm about misinformation—and growing doubt that traditional news outlets can be trusted to fight it.
TRENDS
Media Move to Prioritize Balance Over Bias
Media owners are coming to recognize that their reporters have been writing with bias for years—and are taking action to correct their publications.
TRENDS
BBC and Reporter Issue Self-Congratulations for Finding a Story
What used to be considered Journalism 101—find and tell a story—has become so rare that it results in a first-person victory lap by a BBC reporter. Media consolidation has broken journalism.
MAGAZINE
THE POSSE OF LUNATICS
Recently, a handful of not so self-respecting journalists ran with apocryphal tales on the Church of Scientology. Even the most cursory comparison from one bit of reportage to the next reveals an unmistakable similarity one to the next. For each drew their sources from the same small cadre of ex-Scientologists. Those individuals are the subject of this
publication.
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