Hacker News with Generative AI: Media

White House stunned as Hegseth inquiry brings up illegal wiretap claims (theguardian.com)
The White House has lost confidence in a Pentagon leak investigation that Pete Hegseth used to justify firing three top aides last month, after advisers were told that the aides had supposedly been outed by an illegal warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) wiretap.
An AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers (npr.org)
Some newspapers around the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer have published a syndicated summer book list that includes made-up books by famous authors.
The Difference Between Downloading and Streaming (danq.me)
What’s the difference between “streaming” and “downloading” video, audio, or some other kind of linear media?
Alan Yentob Has Died (wikipedia.org)
Alan Yentob (11 March 1947 – 24 May 2025) was a British television executive and presenter.
The 44 Year Old Computer Magazine That Changed Everything [video] (youtube.com)
Return to the Text (2022) (im1776.com)
It’s no coincidence that the modern understanding of propaganda can be traced back to the use of new technological media in the era of the World Wars.
Muzzling Media Matters (status.news)
What began as Elon Musk’s personal vendetta against Media Matters has now escalated into a full-blown government-backed campaign, with Donald Trump’s FTC launching a probe into the non-profit group.
FTC investigates media watchdog over Musk's X boycott claims, document shows (theguardian.com)
The US Federal Trade Commission has demanded documents from Media Matters about possible coordination with other media watchdogs accused by Elon Musk of helping orchestrate advertiser boycotts of X, according to a document seen by Reuters on Thursday.
"C" Is for Censorship: PBS Cuts 'Art Spiegelman' Doc (documentary.org)
Twelve days before Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse (2024) was set to broadcast on April 15 across PBS stations nationwide as part of its strand American Masters, the filmmakers were told that a 90-second sequence—which shows the famous artist discussing an anti-Trump cartoon he created for the 2017 Women’s March newspaper—would be cut from the documentary.
A Major Newspaper Publishes a Summer Reading List–But the Books Don't Exist (honest-broker.com)
Critics aren’t perfect.
The Philosophy of Byung-Chul Han (2020) (newintrigue.com)
In the 1980s, there were a series of writers who challenged the way people thought of the then-growing popularity of colour television and news media.
Will Writing Survive A.I.? This Media Company Is Betting on It (nytimes.com)
Dan Shipper, the founder of the media start-up Every, says he gets asked a lot whether he thinks robots will replace writers. He swears they won’t, at least not at his company.
At Least Two Newspapers Syndicated AI Garbage (theatlantic.com)
At first glance, “Heat Index” appears as inoffensive as newspaper features get. A “summer guide” sprawling across more than 50 pages, the feature, which was syndicated over the past week in both the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, contains “303 Must-Dos, Must-Tastes, and Must-Tries” for the sweaty months ahead.
EU startups fail because their press refuses to hype them up (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Chicago Sun-Times confirms AI used to create reading list of nonexistent books (theguardian.com)
Illinois’ prominent Chicago Sun-Times newspaper has confirmed that a summer reading list, which included several recommendations for books that don’t exist, was created using artificial intelligence by a freelancer who worked with one of their content partners.
At Least Two Newspapers Syndicated AI Garbage (theatlantic.com)
At first glance, “Heat Index” appears as inoffensive as newspaper features get. A “summer guide” sprawling across more than 50 pages, the feature, which was syndicated over the past week in both the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, contains “303 Must-Dos, Must-Tastes, and Must-Tries” for the sweaty months ahead.
Chicago newspaper prints a summer reading list. The problem? Books don't exist (cbc.ca)
Violence on TV: what happens to children who watch? (umontreal.ca)
Boys exposed to violent screen content in the preschool years were more likely to become antisocial and violent themselves a decade later, in their mid-teens, a new study shows.
The Onion's Ben Collins Knows How to Save Media (vanityfair.com)
The NBC News reporter turned CEO sits down for a long talk about his “weird and awkward” last year at the network; his girlfriend, congressional hopeful Kat Abughazaleh; and how he turned The Onion around: “Write a bunch of unprintable headlines.”
Chicago Sun-Times publishes made-up books and fake experts in AI debacle (theverge.com)
The May 18th issue of the Chicago Sun-Times features dozens of pages of recommended summer activities: new trends, outdoor activities, and books to read. But some of the recommendations point to fake, AI-generated books, and other articles quote and cite people that don’t appear to exist.
Newspapers Are Recommending AI-Hallucinated Novels (countercraft.substack.com)
Over the weekend, the Chicago Sun-Times—a storied and award-winning newspaper and longtime home of Roger Ebert—published a summer reading list. Almost all the books were fake.
Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books (arstechnica.com)
On Sunday, the Chicago Sun-Times published an advertorial summer reading list containing at least 10 fake books attributed to real authors, according to multiple reports on social media.
Chicago Sun Times used AI for its (fake) summer reading list (reddit.com)
U.S. ISPs Want Retrospective Immunity in Pirate Site Blocking Bill (torrentfreak.com)
At a recent Senate subcommittee hearing, the Motion Picture Association reiterated the need for a pirate site blocking regime in the United States. Behind the scenes, lawmakers and stakeholders appear to be progressing towards an agreed-upon position. One of the main roadblocks, according to Senator Coons, is that Internet providers are seeking retroactive immunity as part of a 'deal'.
Promise to Kill DEI, and Trump's FCC Will Approve Anything (gizmodo.com)
Any time a major acquisition occurs, it’s standard for regulatory agencies to want to secure some promises before giving it the green light. Verizon’s recently approved purchase of Frontier Communications for $20 billion is no exception, but the concessions that Brendan Carr, Donald Trump’s pick to head the Federal Communications Commission, was able to secure are a little… different. Carr gave the green light to consolidate the industry once Verizon promised it would stop caring about workforce diversity.
Urge Congress to Save Public Media Like PBS (protectmypublicmedia.org)
Public media is facing multiple serious threats. The Administration has proposed eliminating federal funding in its annual budget request, issued an Executive Order to block support for PBS and NPR, cancelled grants that support the creation of children's educational programming, and plans to claw back funding approved by Congress.
Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News (teenvogue.com)
Alec Karakatsanis's new book Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News criticizes how the media covers — and enables — policing.
Our narrative prison (aeon.co)
How is it that we live in an era of apparently unprecedented choice and yet almost every film and TV series, as well as a good many plays and novels, have exactly the same plot?
How can traditional British TV survive the US streaming giants (bbc.co.uk)
Just before Christmas, in a private dining room in the upmarket Charlotte Street Hotel in the heart of London's Fitzrovia area, the BBC's director general gathered some of the UK's leading TV creatives and executives for lunch.
A MAZE. / Berlin – 14th international games and playful media festival (amaze-berlin.de)
A MAZE. / Berlin is an international festival for independent and arthouse games to explore the world and culture of playful media.