THE EDITOR OF the Irish Times has apologised for a “hoax” article published by an unknown contributor on Thursday and said that the paper had breached the trust of its readers.
The newspaper had confirmed yesterday that it initiated a review over the publication of an article which said that using fake tan was “problematic” after the identity of the writer was revealed to be fake.
‘Irish women’s obsession with fake tan is problematic’ was published online under the byline ‘Adriana Acosta-Cortez’, who claimed in the piece to be a young Ecuadorian woman living in Ireland.
After it was discovered that a photo accompanying the byline may have been generated by AI the Irish Times removed the article from its site on Friday.
A statement released on the Irish Times’ website today by editor Ruadhán Mac Cormaic said that the company had “fallen victim to a deliberate and coordinated deception.”
“Less than 24 hours after publication on our digital platforms, The Irish Times became aware that the column may not have been genuine,” the statement read.