I shot the sheriff. But I didn’t shoot the deputy (h/t Bob Marley). You won’t read about it in the Philadelphia Inquirer or any news outlets because it didn’t happen. Nor will you read about Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s “record of accomplishment during her time in office.” The Inquirer reported:
Her first term in office has been bumpy, to put it mildly, as she has dealt with everything from whistle-blower lawsuits to a broken tax-sale system.
But Bilal has been telling a different story on her campaign website. It features dozens of favorable headlines attributed to local news organizations such as NBC10, CBS3, WHYY, and The Inquirer, all listing the dates of publication.
“This page,” the site proclaims, “highlights Sheriff Bilal’s record of accomplishment during her time in office.”
One snag: No one can seem to find any of the supposed news stories
For an office plagued by corruption and shady deals, spreading fake news and wasting taxpayers’ money on Deputy Sheriff Justice are “accomplishments.”
The Sheriff’s mascot gives new meaning to no justice (read: transparency and accountability), no peace from investigative journalists.
UPDATE: Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal wasn’t tripping; ChatGPT was hallucinating. The Associated Press reports:
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s campaign removed more than 30 stories created by a consultant using the generative AI chatbot. The move came after a Philadelphia Inquirer story on Monday reported that local news outlets could not find the stories in their archives.
Experts say this type of misinformation can erode the public trust and threaten democracy. Bilal’s campaign said the stories were based on real events.
“Our campaign provided the outside consultant talking points which were then provided to the AI service,” the campaign said in a statement. “It is now clear that the artificial intelligence service generated fake news articles to support the initiatives that were part of the AI prompt.”
