Let’s take a moment to remember Jordan Parker, who for the past year had been one of North Carolina’s most productive journalists. With as many as eight stories a day, he (it? they?) published community news for a website called “Hey Durham” that states it is “Proudly Made in Durham, NC.”
These articles lacked original reporting. They were instead rewordings of recent local coverage from outlets like The N&O and WRAL. And Jordan Parker appears to be fictitious. There is no record of a Triangle journalist with that name. And after I reached out to “Hey Durham” on Wednesday to ask about the potential AI byline, the website within an hour removed the name and replaced it with “Hey Durham” underneath all its headlines.
The outlet, whose creator is hidden in website registration filings, did not respond to my questions…