AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism

By Ryan Haas (OPB)
Dec. 9, 2024 9 a.m.

Silicon Valley’s latest hot technology is being used to further degrade the news available to Oregonians

If you believe the internet, in his first month at the Ashland Daily Tidings, reporter Joe Minihane skied the slopes of Mount Ashland, ate at 15 restaurants in Roseburg, hiked the Owyhee Canyonlands in Malheur County, took in Autzen Stadium and Multnomah Falls, and visited the Neskowin Ghost Forest on the Oregon Coast. ... And sure, more than 1,200 miles of travel to write 10 stories in a month might seem excessive for a local outdoors reporter who was new to his Southern Oregon job, but who could argue with his output? ... Minihane could.


U.K.-based journalist and author Joe Minihane poses inside Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., during a vacation to the city. Minihane had his identity stolen by fraudulent articles posted to the Ashland Daily Tidings website in 2024
Joe Minihane / Contributed

“I mean, the bylines are just bizarre because they’re on topics a) of which I have no understanding and b) I’ve been to Oregon once in my life for a very, very lovely holiday in Portland,” the United Kingdom-based writer told OPB.

The Ashland Daily Tidings — established as a newspaper in 1876 — ceased operations in 2023, but if you were a local reader, you may not have known. Almost as soon as it closed, a website for the Tidings reemerged, boasting a team of eight reporters, Minihane included, who cranked out densely reported stories every few days. ... And those reporters were covering a lot more than local news. They dove into Oregon’s fentanyl crisis (“Measure 110 might be in for a repeal”), homelessness in Eugene (“All In Lane County homeless program delivers impressive results”), and the food scene in Portland (“The fourth best burger in the U.S. is in Portland”) — essentially any issue that might draw attention from Oregonians.

The reality was that none of the people allegedly working for the Ashland Daily Tidings existed, or at least were who they claimed to be. The bylines listed on Daily Tidings articles were put there by scammers using artificial intelligence, and in some cases stolen identities, to dupe local readers. ... “It seems quite terrifying,” said Minihane, an actual journalist and author who learned he had his identity stolen after OPB contacted him. “I have friends who live in Portland, but I’ve never been to another part of the state, so I just don’t know quite how it came to pass.”

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