AI-Generated “Newspaper” Misleads Washington County Residents with Fabricated News

A social media page posing as a long-standing local newspaper, “The Washington County Times,” is reportedly operating as an artificial intelligence-driven misinformation campaign. Despite presenting a vintage aesthetic and claiming a heritage dating back to 1780 (ten years before Washington County’s first newspaper The Washington Spy), the page is generating fabricated news, distorting public safety information, and misattributing photos, all without any official business registration in Maryland.

The operation appears to utilize AI text generators by feeding them real headlines and documents. The resulting articles are then presented in a format designed to mimic a traditional newspaper. This leads to several patterns of deception. One common tactic involves outright fabrication, where AI, when given limited information, generates plausible but untrue details. For example, a fabricated report about a defense contractor named First Breach included specific but false details about federal licenses and facility size, which official records contradict. Specifically, in their article covering defense contractor First Breach, the page claimed the firm held a federal “Type 23 explosives license (#23-MD-11788),” and operated out of a “4,500-square-foot vacant building.” However, the First Breach website shows the company operates an 80,000-square-foot facility, and makes no mention of an explosives license. The license number is not even a valid format, and should be in the format 9-AL-XXX-XX-XX-99999, according to the ATF.

Beyond simple invention, the AI-generated content distorts crucial public safety data. Following a fire on Chestnut Street, an official report from the State Fire Marshal’s Office detailed the discovery time, response duration, damage costs, and a critical finding about the absence of working smoke alarms. The AI-generated version of this event allegedly altered the timeline significantly, omitted key safety warnings regarding the lack of smoke detectors, and included fabricated emotional quotes from nonexistent neighbors, presenting a misleading narrative of the incident.

Data Point	Official Maryland Notice	Washington County Times
Fire Discovery Time	10:56 AM	5:45 AM
Fire Control Time	15 minutes	~1 Hour
Building Address	916 Chestnut St (Duplex)	100 Block
Quotes	None (Official Record)	Fabricated “Neighbor” Quote

In other instances, the page appears to recycle news from legitimate publications, presenting it as current. During this repurposing, AI formatting errors have surfaced, such as the erroneous inclusion of a dollar sign in a square footage measurement for a warehouse. To lend an air of authenticity, the AI-generated articles are often paired with stolen or AI-generated images that feature false attribution lines, implying collaboration with local businesses or public figures that never occurred. When challenged on the unauthorized use of a copyrighted photograph (which is believed to belong to Getty Images) and a likely fabricated statement by Derek Harvey, the page deleted the offending post quickly, without issuing a retraction of any manner. The likely fabricated statement claims Harvey said that the “FOIA emails raise important questions about the timeline of the proposed ICE detention facility.” There is no public record of Harvey making such a statement, and it’s highly unlikely that Harvey would make such a statement, given the context of the emails, and the fact that the emails were obtained under Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA), not the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The operation also appears to be functioning outside the bounds of Maryland business law. Despite the appearance of a paid publication with a cover price and a long historical claim, “The Washington County Times” is not registered as a business entity with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. This lack of registration, combined with a significant discrepancy in its claimed founding dates (1872 according to their logo versus 1780 according to their news posts), further highlights the operation’s lack of transparency and potential illegality. The page also lacks basic journalistic standards such as contact information, staff lists, or a corrections policy.

Residents are advised to be vigilant for signs of AI-generated misinformation. These include explicit disclaimers on images, a lack of verifiable contact information for the publication, the absence of legal business registration, and the presence of AI language glitches like repetitive text or incorrect unit measurements. Cross-referencing information with established local news outlets or official government agencies is also recommended to verify the accuracy of any dramatic or unusual reports found on social media.

Article by Ken Buckler, based upon information published by The Washington County Times Facebook page

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