Irish Times editor apologises for 'breach of trust'

The Irish Times has removed an article on fake tan from its website.

The Irish Times' editor has apologised to its readers for a 'breach of trust' after an opinion article on its website was found to be a hoax created, at least partially, using artificial intelligence.

The article, entitled 'Irish women's obsession with fake tan is problematic', and purporting to be written by 'Adriana Acosta Cortez, a 29 year old healthcare administrator', was published on Friday. 

The article suggested that Irish women's widespread use of false tanning products was cultural appropriation and thus offensive to people of colour. Minority activists in Ireland and elsewhere have previously made this argument. 

Follow-up articles published on radio station Newstalk’s website were also taken down on Friday evening.

Within 24 hours of publication, social media users were querying the authenticity of the author, suggesting the byline picture of a blue-haired Latin American woman had been created by artificial intelligence. 

'Blue hair' is a pejorative term used by far-right actors to describe "aggressive, unpleasant" feminists. 

The article was removed while checks were carried out on its authenticity and has now been removed permanently.

Editor's message

In a message to readers on the newspaper's website on Sunday, Irish Times editor Ruadhán Mac Cormaic said the article was "a hoax; the person we were corresponding with was not who they claimed to be. We had fallen victim to a deliberate and co-ordinated deception".

The purported author had engaged over a number of days with the relevant desk, making edits to the copy and providing a picture and personal information, he said. 

"We do not take this lightly".

"It was a breach of the trust between The Irish Times and its readers, and we are genuinely sorry."

"The incident has highlighted a gap in our pre-publication procedures," he said. 

"We need to make them more robust — and we will. It has also underlined one of the challenges raised by generative AI for news organisations. We, like others, will learn and adapt."

He said the newspaper would continue to make space for new writers, including those from under-represented communities, in line with its founding principles.