--- title: "Journalist Accuses Ohio’s Main Newspaper of Slapping Her Name on an AI “Express Desk” Article Without Her Knowledge, While She Was on Honeymoon" description: "A journalist accused Cleveland.com of publishing an AI \"Express Desk\" article under her byline without her consent, knowledge, or approval." date: "2026-09-08" modified: "2026-09-08" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/journalist-accuses-local-newspaper-ai-article" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai journalism" - "ai-generated content" - "Media" --- # Journalist Accuses Ohio’s Main Newspaper of Slapping Her Name on an AI “Express Desk” Article Without Her Knowledge, While She Was on Honeymoon ![A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and light highlights is wearing a pink sweater and looking at a newspaper with a confused or concerned expression. The background is softly lit with warm tones and features a paneled wall.]() A journalist has accused *Cleveland.com* — the online home of *The Plain Dealer*, Ohio's largest newspaper — of publishing an article under her byline without her consent, knowledge, or approval. The article was generated by the "Cleveland.com Express Desk," which "uses AI tools to assist in producing content" that the newspaper claims is "reviewed and edited by staff." In [an X post]() on September 7, *Cleveland.com* government reporter Kaitlin Durbin said that she'd been away on her honeymoon when her employer published the AI article under her name. The article — a local news story informing readers that the law director of Ohio's Cuyahoga County was stepping down — had nothing to do with her reporting, Durbin said, and she "did not write or review a word of it" before it was published. "Trying to understand how this story published with my byline last week while I was on my honeymoon. I did not write or review a word of it and it does not pull info from past reporting," Durbin wrote. "Does *Cleveland.com* think they just own my name now?" Reached outside of normal business hours, *Cleveland.com* didn't immediately responded to a request for comment. The [article has been updated]() to remove Durbin's name, and a correction notice has been added. "Note: This story has been updated to correct the byline," reads the correction. "A reporter's byline was added to the story in error." *Cleveland.com* [made waves]() back in February when its editor, Chris Quinn, [published a letter]() to readers in which he addressed *Cleveland.com*'s move to create an AI-powered news desk. The letter heralded AI as the "future" of journalism, and criticized journalism schools and job-seeking journalists for not going all-in on the tech. "Artificial intelligence is not bad for newsrooms," Quinn wrote in the letter. "It's the future of them." The editor further argued that AI was simply being used to expedite the work of real journalists, and would free them to do more reporting. Leila Atassi, editor of public interest and advocacy at *Cleveland.com* and *The Plain-Dealer*, [told the *Columbia Journalism Review*]() at the time that stories published by the newspaper's AI news desk would still be the "work of a real reporter." "It's real accountability," Atassi continued. "AI is the assistant, but it's not the journalist." The *Cleveland.com* story now carries no byline at all, so it's unclear whose reporting was used to generate the article. **More on AI and journalism:** *[Journalist Alarmed When He’s Fired, But Company Keeps Posting AI Slop Under His Name]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()