Author Rachael King at first called attention to the mistake on Bluesky Tuesday early morning. “The Chicago Sun-Times obviously gets ChatGPT to write a ‘summer reads’ feature almost entirely made up of real authors but completely fake books. What are we coming to?” King composed.

Far, neighborhood response to the list has actually been mostly unfavorable online, however others have actually revealed compassion for the publication. Independent reporter Joshua J. Friedman kept in mind on Bluesky that the reading list was “part of a ~60-page summer supplement” released on May 18, recommending it may be “transparent filler” potentially developed by “the lone freelancer apparently saddled with producing it.”

The staffing connection

The reading list appeared in a 64-page supplement called “Heat Index,” which was a marketing area not particular to Chicago. Buscaglia informed 404 Media the material was suggested to be “generic and national” and would be placed into papers around the nation. “We never get a list of where things ran,” he stated.

The publication mistake comes 2 months after the Chicago Sun-Times lost 20 percent of its personnel through a buyout program. In March, the paper’s not-for-profit owner, Chicago Public Media, revealed that 30 Sun-Times workers– consisting of 23 from the newsroom– had actually accepted buyout deals in the middle of monetary battles.

A March report on the buyout in the Sun-Times explained the personnel decrease as “the most drastic the oft-imperiled Sun-Times has faced in several years.” The departures consisted of writers, editorial authors, and editors with years of experience.

Melissa Bell, CEO of Chicago Public Media, specified at the time that the exits would conserve the business $4.2 million yearly. The business provided buyouts as it got ready for an anticipated expiration of grant assistance at the end of 2026.

Even with those pressures in the media, one Reddit user revealed displeasure of the obvious usage of AI in the paper, even in a supplement that may not have actually been produced by personnel. “As a subscriber, I am livid! What is the point of subscribing to a hard copy paper if they are just going to include AI slop too!?” composed Reddit user xxxlovelit, who shared the reading list. “The Sun Times needs to answer for this, and there should be a reporter fired.”

This short article was upgraded on May 20, 2025 at 11:02 AM to consist of info on Marco Buscaglia from 404 Media.