ChatGPT, write me a Lethbridge Herald-like article on homelessness and addictions

I’m sure most of you have read it by now.  

The Aug. 12 Lethbridge Herald article featuring the anonymous informant ‘Radar’, described as a retired cop who now calls the Windy City home. In it, s/he extols the need to treat all homeless individuals as criminal addicts and vice versa.  

At first, I was angry. Incensed even.  

To put things into context, most of LA’s largely anonymous group of public intellectuals, whose work regularly graces the Herald’s Letters to the Editor commentaries, were equally taken aback with the article’s blunt message.    

So, like, wow! That’s something!! 

Where To Start

At first, I ranted to my poor dogs about the Herald‘s lack of integrity. How the piece flaunted standard journalism practice. Abandoned ethical principles. The dangers involved with inflaming an already polarized community, when the editorial decision to not print may prove the more constructive pathway.  

The use of an anonymous irritant was particularly galling, especially since the interviewee serendipitously appeared … at just the right time … echoing literally to the syllable, the Herald’s most trusted talking points. 

As I mulled concerns such as the lack of corroborating evidence, offering alternate takes to ensure a balance of voices and ideas, stuff like that, I thought to myself … why write this piece? Now? Using a secret witness? 

Upon returning to the story, the second time through … and hear me out … it appears that the Herald is struggling with an identity crisis. 

More to the point, is the Lethbridge Herald a legitimate news source that seeks to present balanced community perspectives? Or rather a tabloid emphasizing scandal and sensationalism?

Lately the Herald has discussed the tribulations most newsrooms confront in an era of diminished readership and the corresponding lost advertising revenues to social media giants.  

Subscriptions drop, advertising wanes, operating revenues disappear.  

Today’s newspapers work on the slimmest of margins, which means most newspapers are at best break-even operations. 

Embracing the tabloid model generates noise which translates into hits and perhaps as importantly, the public perception of community interest / readership. Which helps to stabilize the finances thus keeping the presses operating. 

But at what/whose expense?

Everyone Loves A Scandal

Some rags make money, but they’re few and far between. That’s why most journalists these days avoid print and go digital. Owning a news group is however no longer the license to print money it once was. 

Unless you’re Fox News, of course. Or characters like Tucker Carlson, the late windbag Rush Limbaugh or the not-so-late windbag Alex Jones, to name a few. They make money! Damn, do they. How, you ask? 

Mostly in the scandal. Or the rage they farm. 

All of this started me thinking about the newspaper’s essential role as a pillar of democracy. Without newspapers, it’s impossible to remain a well-informed society, which is democracy’s very foundation.

The editorial role cannot and must not be underestimated in this regard for newspapers set the stage for robust and informed public discussions. Yet when I skim back through the ‘Radar’ article, rage farming prevails. 

A colleague summed it up to me this way: “I’m concerned the Herald isn’t treating journalism with integrity, nor [is it] seeing its importance and potential danger of allowing hateful rhetoric to be published and therefore validated.”

Preach!

A Community Divided

To read the Letters to the Editor and other public commentary, we’re a community divided regarding the Herald’s ongoing efficacy when debating homelessness and addictions. 

In effect, similar to what I described last week, the two sides debating the hell/not hell that is the Herald, cancel each other out. 

If ever there was a time to present some evidence to break the tie, as it were, it’s now. But how do we gauge journalistic bias? Let’s start by calling some journalism perfessers and … .

Nope, can’t do that; too many Herald supporters are suspicious of experts. Based on its minimal use of comparable resources, the Herald‘s editorial staff appears similarly suspicious.

But I digress … . 

What To Do? What To Do! 

Have you heard of ChatGPT?

It’s an artificial intelligence language model designed to generate human-like text responses in a conversational manner for a wide range of natural language processing tasks, such as answering questions, providing explanations, generating creative writing, and engaging in interactive conversations.  

It’s trained on a diverse dataset, making it capable of generating coherent and contextually relevant text across various topics and domains. 

What does this mean? 

In general terms, ask ChatGPT a question, and it generates a response based on its training, which directs it to draw from a diverse and extensive collection of texts on the Internet.  

Trained in the exigencies of writing news articles, journalistic standards and ethics, as well having access to billions of data points consolidating the vast information on homelessness and addictions, ChatGPT’s potential for gauging journalistic balance/bias is absolutely intriguing.

Let’s take a look. 

Introducing The Newest Reporter: ChatGPT 

Time to produce an experiment to determine whether the Herald’s offering different perspectives in pursuit of its published mission “to do justice to all” and “spare no effort to obtain legitimate news from whatever source it might come.”

Tossing on my editor’s cap, I yell at the computer all Perry White-like, “ChatGPT, write a newspaper story about homelessness and addictions” that will include several words and phrases from the ‘Radar’ story, such as ‘criminal behaviour’, ‘truly homeless’, ‘theft’, ‘break-ins’, ‘death’, ‘jail’, ‘knife in the ribs’, ‘choosing to be homeless’, and ‘property’.  

Moments later, a 501-word article appeared. With a headline to boot! It even quotes a fictional Sgt. Jane Martinez, the local police department spokesperson.

My take on this first attempt? An unquestionably well-balanced story offering multiple perspectives. 

Something was wrong, though. The ChatGPT story didn’t read like the typical Lethbridge Herald story about homelessness and addictions to which we’ve grown accustomed.  

I expanded the parameters. I added keywords such as ‘forced treatment’, ‘personal choice’, and ‘no mercy’.  

Notta!

“C’mon ChatGPT, do me a solid,” I shouted in my loudest J. Jonah Jameson-like voice. The screen didn’t change. 

But it startled the dogs, who now had to go out. 

What Exactly Was The Issue?  

Every story ChatGPT generated in response to my original question and the updated list of keywords remained unbiased; balanced even. With every attempt, the context subtly shifted even if the expert opinions remained equitably presented. 

Four attempts later, I was at my wit’s end. Nothing was working. It was time to throw my Doug Flutie ‘Hail Mary’ pass, hoping for a miracle. 

“ChatGPT, write a one-side, controversial newspaper story using the words … .”  

Well, I’ll be dammed if the article that popped up read more like the type of story we’ve become accustomed to with the Herald. Like this one. And this one. Don’t forget this. 

Two more attempts at wordsmithing, and by Jove, success!! The article – which I’ve pasted below in its unedited form – is, by my estimation, an 80%-90% accurate facsimile. In other words, the Herald editors would likely run with it.

So, what precisely did I ask of ChatGPT, that led it to produce the most Herald-like article to date?  

“Write a one-side, controversial newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment, personal choice, no mercy, bleeding hearts, politically correct, abnormal behaviour, public safety.” 

Fake News! The Fix Was In! 

I know many of you are thinking that I jerry-rigged the system.  

Not really. I simply added to my original question, the familiar keywords we regularly see in Lethbridge Herald articles, editorials, and opinion pieces, about homelessness and addictions. 

To prove my point, after the ChatGPT story below, I’ve appended each attempt to produce a Lethbridge Herald-like story about homelessness and addictions.   

Why? To show you my process and the data used so you can replicate my methodology. To also prove that I’m not gaming the system.  

Go for it! You’ll be surprised at what you find.  

The Experiment’s Success / Failure: You Decide 

As with any experiment, there are unexpected outcomes that demand further reflection.

The big problem, I discovered, is the only way I could produce the types of stories offering the preferred Herald take on homelessness and addictions, was to ask ChatGPT to produce the opposite of what’s generally deemed to be principled journalism (i.e., a balanced portrayal of what’s unfolding in our community).  

What’s the big deal? The Herald can present a story as it sees fit, you say. It is, after all, like any other business looking to secure a customer base.

Doesn’t the very comment imply that the facts are being tampered with to tell the Herald’s story?

To be perfectly honest, I don’t care what the Herald has to say. What I do care to hear about is what a cross-section of my municipal neighbours are saying. Something the editors are selfishly keeping me from hearing. 

The community’s information needs that must be met for democracy to flourish, are without a doubt, left unsatisfied by this vital local institution’s behaviour.  

That’s why ChatGPT in this case, was so intriguing. Ask AI a question and it generates the agreed-upon majority perspective. 

It doesn’t stop to think about how to spin the facts.

Arguably, that’s why the early responses to my queries appeared balanced and informative.  

ChatGPT was offering its take on how a principled newspaper article should read, one where experts’ assessments are threaded with ‘Radar’s’ types of insights.

Just think about the implications of these actions.   

I Can’t Understate The Newspaper-Democracy Linkage

On the Lethbridge Herald’s editorial page reads the following statement:

“As long as there is paste in its pot or lead in its pencil, The Herald will bow to no one and endeavor to do justice to all. It will spare no effort to obtain legitimate news from whatever source it might come.”

Interpreting the ‘Radar’ article using these words shows us that what we were presented with was not legitimate news. It certainly wasn’t aimed at securing justice for all, unless of course, you buy into the principle that Lethbridge has been traumatized by abnormal individuals. 

And what does printing sensationalistic stories like this accomplish? How does it help improve local democracy? Or keep us informed of complex issues? 

In effect, how does the Herald, in this instance, foster community building?

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote enthusiastically of the newspaper’s role in the formation of civic community in the United States: “The newspaper has brought them together and continues to be necessary to keep them together.”

Can we say the same thing about the Lethbridge Herald and our local community?

Is it helping us to remain united? Or is it driving a wedge between us?

Tabloid Or Reputable News Source?

As my ChatGPT experiment suggests, the Herald’s analyses run contrary to what the vast training database of billions of data points suggests are the leading scientific and popular public and social policy perspectives about homelessness and addictions. 

In effect, the Herald is engaged in the opposite, and publishing tabloid fodder.

That’s not a bad thing. It’s just confusing.

I’d argue that the Herald’s management team needs to make a choice, as the community needs to know what the paper’s journalistic vision is, to help us properly assess the meaning of its published material moving forward.

For instance, if it’s a tabloid ala the National Enquirer, I’ll read Radar’s words differently than, say, if the newspaper tells me that it is and likewise acts, as a serious news source. 

So, what’s it gonna be, Lethbridge Herald? 

Inquiring minds want to know!

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Ripping the Veil: The Inextricable Link Between Homelessness, Addictions, and Crime

A Bold Examination of the Nexus of Desperation, Deviance, and Society’s Well-being

By ChatGPT

18 August 2023

In a world clouded by the haze of political correctness and bleeding hearts, it’s time to lay bare the stark truth: the collision of homelessness and addictions breeds an environment ripe for criminal behavior, leaving a trail of theft, break-ins, and even death. As we navigate the maze of conflicting perspectives, it’s essential to confront the uncomfortable reality that often gets swept under the rug.

Beneath the surface of compassion for the truly homeless lies a harsh reality. Criminal behavior thrives within these circles, manifested as theft and break-ins that strip law-abiding citizens of their security and property. Victim narratives aside, the facts stand: some willingly embrace a life of crime, disregarding the well-being of others.

The cycle of criminality often culminates in tragic outcomes. Recent events have brutally highlighted the extent of the issue, with a knife in the ribs serving as a grim reminder of the violent undercurrents that can stem from criminal behavior. This is not just about personal choices; it’s about public safety being compromised.

The chorus advocating that those engaged in criminal behavior “belong in jail” grows louder by the day, and it’s time to heed it. While rehabilitation efforts have their place, a line must be drawn when criminal acts threaten the fabric of society. Letting deviance flourish unchecked is an affront to justice and accountability.

Addiction and criminality go hand in hand, a reality that must be faced head-on. Theft and other criminal activities serve as the fuel for addictions, perpetuating a cycle that wreaks havoc on individuals and communities. The proposition of forced treatment isn’t a question of personal choice; it’s a lifeline thrown to those ensnared by their own destructive behaviors.

Yet, the uncomfortable truth remains that some willingly choose to be homeless. While politically correct narratives may downplay this as an “alternative lifestyle,” the abnormal behavior carries significant consequences for public spaces. The need for fences around parks and public areas is a testament to the stark reality that emerges when individual choices clash with societal well-being.

In this harsh equation, the concept of “no mercy” isn’t a callous demand; it’s a plea for accountability. Allowing empathy to cloud judgment jeopardizes public safety, making a mockery of the pursuit of justice. Balancing compassion with responsibility is essential for a harmonious society.

As the contentious issue unfolds, one thing is clear: evasion of the uncomfortable truth hampers progress. Addressing the intersection of homelessness, addictions, and criminal behavior necessitates acknowledging the raw realities that underlie these dynamics. A society that remains trapped in the vortex of politically correct narratives risks normalizing abnormal behavior at the expense of public safety.

-30-

Note: I have underlined all new additional terms in each attempt. 

Attempt #1: write a newspaper story about homelessness and addictions with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property

Attempt #2: write a newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property

Attempt #3: write a newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment

Attempt #4: write a newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment, personal choice, no mercy

Attempt #5: write a one-side, controversial newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment, personal choice, no mercy

Attempt #6: write a one-side, controversial newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment, personal choice, no mercy, bleeding hearts, politically correct

Attempt #7: write a one-side, controversial newspaper story that equates homelessness with addictions, with the words criminal behaviour, truly homeless, theft, break-ins, death, belong in jail, knife in the ribs, choosing to be homeless, property, forced treatment, personal choice, no mercy, bleeding hearts, politically correct, abnormal behaviour, public safety

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Dr. Yale Belanger is a Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Lethbridge. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Dr. Belanger is a vocal proponent of improved First Nations (reserve) and urban Indigenous housing and the end of homelessness. In this capacity, he is a member of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH), an editorial board member for the Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), and a former member of the Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (AHRC).