Staff from the digital news outlet Ashland.news carried these picket signs in support of local news in Ashland's 2024 Fourth of July parade. The outlet's editor, Bert Etling, used to work for the Ashland Daily Tidings, a local newspaper that closed in 2023. That paper's former website has now been taken over by AI-generated content.
Jenn Chávez / OPB
Almost every day, new articles are being posted to the website of the Southern Oregon newspaper Ashland Daily Tidings, founded in 1876. At least…that’s what it looks like. But here’s the thing: the newspaper closed down two years ago.
So, what’s the deal with dailytidings.com? Why do all the articles posted there seem vaguely familiar? And who are the reporters the website claims are writing them?
OPB managing news editor Ryan Haas has been trying to find out and stumbled upon something unexpected. At the center of it all is artificial intelligence and the hope that Ashland readers who once trusted the newspaper won’t notice the difference.
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