Readers!
I’m still in Italy but we’ve got some AI-related freelance news, so let’s hop to it.
According to a report in the PressGazette, Wired and Business Insider were among six publications that ran stories this year by “Margaux Blanchard,” a fake freelancer who made up stories with AI. Wired, which is published by Conde Nast, realized it when they tried to pay the writer; Business Insider did after that PressGazette story on their ran. Not in that piece, but it appears that Muckrack, which scrapes the internet to makes profiles for journalists without our consent for the sake of selling our information to PR people, also had a page for her, but it’s since been taken down (you can demand them to take down your profile, even if they say they can’t. They can. I know because I made them).
Editors at The Atavist and The Dispatch said they’ve been pitched by this “person” specifically, but also in general that they’re being deluged with AI-fomented pitches. These editors use AI detectors, so they’re onto this bullshit (mostly).
I used to say that if you did two things, you’d be ahead of the pack when it comes to freelance writing:
- Turn in clean copy.
- Turn in clean copy on time.
So now I’ve expanded it to three:
- Turn in clean copy.
- Turn in clean copy on time.
- Don’t use the lying plagiarism machine.
It’s not so hard, is it?
I’ll also add my now usual caveat that Conde Nast and Business Insider are not blameless. Conde Nast agreed to a partnership with OpenAI in August 2024, and Business Insider laid off 21% of its staff because they thought they didn’t need them, due to AI. So while the editors are not at fault, their management has perpetuated the fiction that AI is a good thing for journalism. They’re not without blame here (fun fact about Business Insider making a deal with the devil: after the layoffs, the company gave employees a list of books to read to help with their journalism. The books were were fake. Because why? AI).
In other AI-related news, 95% of AI pilots are failing, according to MIT. The stock market is starting to detect what a lot of us have been saying, which is that AI is a bubble, not unlike the dot-com one. And that’s not getting into AI psychosis, or how the technology is an environmental disaster. I know a bunch of journalists who have gone all in on AI and/or left their jobs to become consultants for AI companies to try to convince us to use it. I don’t wish them a ton of luck (see: lying plagiarism machine; mental health crises; draining the world of water), but I hope they’re prepared for what’s coming.
And if you’re one of those journalists reading this now and think “wow, that’s harsh,” well…reality usually is.
Recent Bylines
“Impact is Inevitable,” UMass Boston Beacons Magazine
[If you’re worried you haven’t seen many bylines here, never fear. I’ve been working on an ongoing content project that is not bylined, which is fine by me because I like the work and it pays well! It’s a client I got through my April marketing sprint, which keeps paying off.]
What I’m Reading
- Circe by Madeline Miller. I know everyone liked this novelization of Circe and the Greek Gods, but try as I might, I just couldn’t get into it. It happens, even to someone like me who absolutely went through ha Greek God phase in middle school. Also, any book in English I buy here is from a UK publisher, and the design on them is just not as good! The text is squished together too tightly.
What I’m Watching
- The Yogurt Shop Murders. Yes I know I watch too much true crime but this four part series is really well done, taking great care for everyone involved. It also shows why you NEVER TALK TO COPS WITHOUT A LAWYER. Ahem.
- Sister Boniface Mysteries (season 1). Sister Boniface was a character from my beloved Father Brown, who has a show of her own, set in a fake town in the 1960s. Like many UK shows set in this time period, it’s a “mystery of the week,” but also is the lasting effects of World War II (Sister Boniface has a PhD in chemistry and was a code breaker at Bletchley Circle). Every time I’m in Europe, it’s a reminder of how those scars still aren’t healed in 2025, and certainly not in the time period in which the show is set.
Nail Polish of the Week
FINALLY the blister on my finger has almost cleared (I’ve gone through so much magnesio solfato i.e. Epsom salt), so I went with Around the Bend by Essie, the one pink shade I brought with me.
Until next time!
Jen A. Miller (she/her)
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