Mediahuis Suspends Journalist Over AI-Generated Quotes

Mediahuis, the publisher of the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent, has suspended one of its senior journalists, Peter Vandermeersch, after he admitted to using artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate quotes in his work. The suspension follows an investigation by the Dutch newspaper NRC, too owned by Mediahuis, which revealed that Vandermeersch published “dozens of quotes” that could not be verified.

Details of the Investigation

The NRC investigation found that in 15 out of 53 blog posts written by Vandermeersch, quotes attributed to various sources were demonstrably false. Seven individuals quoted by Vandermeersch confirmed they never made the statements attributed to them. The inaccuracies were discovered when an NRC journalist was unable to verify quotes used by Vandermeersch in his online publications.

Vandermeersch’s Admission

Vandermeersch publicly acknowledged his mistake in a Substack newsletter post titled “I am admitting my mistake.” He stated he used AI language models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Notebook, to summarize reports and subsequently relied on these summaries without proper verification. He admitted to “wrongly putting words into people’s mouths” and acknowledged that this was both careless and unethical. Eight of his articles have been removed from the independent.ie website and app as a result.

Mediahuis’s Response

Gert Ysebaert, Mediahuis group chief executive, issued a statement emphasizing that such practices are unacceptable. He affirmed the company’s commitment to reliable journalism and highlighted the importance of diligence, human oversight, and transparency when using AI tools. Ysebaert stated that Vandermeersch has been temporarily suspended from his role as a fellow.

Background on Peter Vandermeersch

Peter Vandermeersch held the position of Ireland chief executive of Mediahuis from 2022 to 2025, and prior to that, served as publisher of the Irish organization from 2019 to 2022. He assumed the role of Fellow “Journalism and Society” five months ago. Mediahuis has owned the Irish company, formerly known as Independent News &amp. Media, since 2019.

Implications for AI in Journalism

This incident raises critical questions about the responsible use of AI in journalism. Mediahuis has strict rules regarding AI usage, but this case demonstrates the potential for errors and the necessity of robust human oversight. The incident underscores the risk of “hallucinations” – instances where AI generates false or misleading information – and the importance of verifying all AI-generated content before publication.