Suncoast Searchlight launched this past February with the goal of bringing rigorous local investigative reporting to greater Sarasota, Fla. As of last week, the nonprofit publication had four full-time staff reporters and two editors breaking stories about communities across Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. In recent days, though, the small newsroom has become a flashpoint for the ethics of using generative AI to edit stories without disclosure.
On Tuesday, November 11, all four reporters at Suncoast Searchlight sent a letter to the nonprofit’s board of directors accusing their editor-in-chief, Emily Le Coz, of using generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, to edit stories and hiding that use from staff. The letter stated that Le Coz’s use of these tools introduced hallucinated quotes, a reference to a nonexistent state law, and other factual inaccuracies into multiple reporters’ story drafts. After reporters questioned her about the edits, they say she did not immediately disclose her use of AI tools but instead claimed she’d made the errors herself.
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