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Journalism of Courage
A summer reading list for 2025, published in a few US-based newspapers, has become a cautionary tale for journalism and publishing industries in the era of artificial intelligence, portending a crisis of credibility.
The Hearst Newspapers-owned content syndication service, King Features, had curated and circulated the reading list in question, which appeared in several prominent regional outlets, including The Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The catch? Most of the books didn’t exist, and some were falsely attributed to celebrated authors. The listicle recommended 15 books, of which only five were real—the remainder were AI hallucinations.
The article, ‘The heat index: your guide to the best of summer’ listing non-existent books appeared in a special section of the Chicago Sun-Times May 18 (Sunday) edition. Among the fabricated titles were Tidewater Dreams that was touted as Chilean American novelist Isabel Allende’s “first climate fiction novel,” and The Rainmakers, described as a futuristic novel on water scarcity wrongly attributed to Pulitzer Prize-winner Percival Everett.
Initially published without a byline, the list was later traced to freelance writer Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI tools in compiling the content. In a statement to NPR, Buscaglia took full responsibility: “Huge mistake on my part and has nothing to do with the Sun-Times. They trust that the content they purchase is accurate and I betrayed that trust. It’s on me 100 percent.”
In a formal response, the Sun-Times said: “To our great disappointment, that list was created through the use of an AI tool and recommended books that do not exist,” the paper said. “We are actively investigating the accuracy of other content in the special section.”
While the Sun-Times prides itself on being “deeply focused on telling the stories of this city,” the paper acknowledged that it supplements local journalism with syndicated content from partners such as King Features. According to their statement, the AI-generated list entered print without editorial review or disclosure of its third-party origin.
King Features, for its part, confirmed that the freelance contributor violated its AI policy. “We are terminating our relationship with this individual,” the syndicate said. “We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement.”
The incident comes at a particularly precarious moment for the Sun-Times, which announced earlier this year that 20% of its staff had accepted buyouts amidst ongoing financial strain. As newsroom resources shrink, publishers increasingly lean on syndicated materials — a trend that has made room for AI-generated fillers to slip through the cracks.
“This should be a learning moment for all journalism organisations,” the Sun-Times wrote. “Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.”
The backlash among readers and book professionals was immediate. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a user Maria A Karamitsos, wrote: “Reason #847 why newspapers need real journalists & not AI. AI will out the nail in the coffin for print media for sure. I want human-generated content only! ‘How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers.”
The Sun-Times has since removed the section from its e-paper and announced that subscribers will not be charged for that edition. New editorial safeguards are also being introduced, including internally reviewing all third-party licensed editorial content, labelling third-party features, and a reassessment of its relationships with national content partners.
As AI tools become more accessible and media organisations face both technological disruption and economic headwinds, the boundaries of authorship, editorial oversight, and reader trust are being tested.
