A summer reading list published by the Chicago Sun-Times included multiple book titles that do not exist and quotes from fictional experts, prompting the newspaper to issue an apology and review its editorial policies.
The “Summer Reading List 2025” appeared May 18 in “Heat Index”, a weekend supplement distributed with the newspaper. Of the 15 recommended titles, only five were real, according to a report by 404 Media that was later confirmed by NPR, The Guardian, and The Verge.
Several entries listed fictional books attributed to real authors, including Isabel Allende and Andy Weir. One description introduced Allende’s Tidewater Dreams as “a multi-generational saga set in a coastal town where magical realism meets environmental activism.” Another entry, The Last Algorithm by Weir, described a programmer discovering a sentient artificial intelligence manipulating global events. Neither book exists.
Other listed works, such as Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury and Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, were legitimate.
The newspaper supplement also featured unrelated articles that included false attributions. A lifestyle piece about hammocks quoted “Dr. Jennifer Campos, professor of leisure studies at the University of Colorado,” a person who could not be identified. Another story on summer food trends referenced “Dr. Katherine Furst, a food anthropologist at Cornell University,” who also does not appear to exist. An article cited in Outside magazine also could not be located.
Marco Buscaglia, a freelance writer whose byline appeared on the content, acknowledged in an interview with 404 Media that he used artificial intelligence to help write the pieces and failed to verify the material.
“I do use AI for background at times but always check out the material first,” Buscaglia said. “This time, I did not and I can’t believe I missed it because it’s so obvious. No excuses. On me 100%.”
According to Victor Lim, vice president of marketing and communications at Chicago Public Media, the content in question was provided by King Features, a syndication service owned by Hearst that has supplied material to the newspaper for years.
“Historically, the paper has not applied editorial review to outside inserts,” Lim said. “We are updating our policy to require internal editorial oversight of such content.”
The Sun-Times said the reading list was not part of its newsroom’s editorial output and apologized to readers. In a statement, the paper said, “Much to our disappointment, books that don’t exist were recommended on this list. We intend to do everything possible to prevent this from happening again.”
The newspaper also announced that subscribers would not be charged for the affected edition, the section would be removed from its digital platform, and future supplements would clearly label third-party content.
Similar issues have surfaced at other U.S. media outlets. Last week, The Philadelphia Inquirer published a summer reading guide that also included fictional book titles. In a statement to Axios, publisher and CEO Lisa Hughes confirmed the use of AI-generated material and called it “a violation of our own internal policies and a serious breach.”
Other incidents involving AI-generated editorial content have occurred at Gannett and Sports Illustrated, where third-party vendors were responsible for publishing inaccurate or fabricated content.
