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1. Embed this notice
   Rich Felker (dalias@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 24-Aug-2026 20:58:05 JST Rich Felker

   RE: https://mastodon.social/@fesshole/117133227212830855

   I wish the folks using slop images to illustrate their blog posts and similar understood this too. It signals to us that it's not going to be worth our time to read.

   • Embed this notice
     0xC0DEC0DE07E8 (c0dec0dec0de@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 24-Aug-2026 22:24:30 JST 0xC0DEC0DE07E8

     in reply to

     @dalias AI? More like “eh! I hate this”

   • Embed this notice
     Rich Felker (dalias@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 24-Aug-2026 22:26:06 JST Rich Felker

     in reply to

     • 0xC0DEC0DE07E8

     @c0dec0dec0de AI = BU AI

   • Embed this notice
     Rich Felker (dalias@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Aug-2026 09:30:38 JST Rich Felker

     in reply to

     • lieven

     @thisislieven Covering the topic is important, but can you trust the content to actually be researched and not (at least partly) confabulated?

     Even if you can trust that now, will you be able to in the future?

     Is covering the topic but casting doubt on the veracity of true reporting about the topic a net social good or social harm?

   • Embed this notice
     lieven (thisislieven@c.im)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Aug-2026 09:30:39 JST lieven

     in reply to

     @dalias There's an independent journalist who's doing really good work and I love reading it. He's one of the very few covering a particular topic so vehemently and without favour.

     Since a while he's using AI images for almost everything he writes. It so diminishes the value of everything he does.

     I honestly don't know what to do with it. It bothers me to no end but I also think he's doing genuinely good, important, writing.

   • Embed this notice
     lieven (thisislieven@c.im)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Aug-2026 09:42:53 JST lieven

     in reply to

     @dalias Yes, I absolutely do trust him. I have extensive knowledge on this topic myself so I can fact check frequently. I know he's not particularly liked among the people he covers because he is so good at what he does while getting public support from other independent media folk and some former politicians for that exact same reason. I have his book as well which is incredibly well researched and has about 30 pages with verifiable footnotes.
     He's also been at it for about 20 years.

     There's nothing to question when it comes to his writing. More generally, I am really critical whose voices I'm willing to give my time and take seriously.

     I just think he doesn't see the harm and considers it an acceptable way to also visually get the point across.

     That makes it so difficult. He's not a nefarious actor even by a long shot.

   • Embed this notice
     Rich Felker (dalias@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 25-Aug-2026 09:42:53 JST Rich Felker

     in reply to

     • lieven

     @thisislieven Yeah, the question I'm asking though is this:

     Even if *you* are able to trust him because you know enough about the topic to fact-check and find him reliable...

     ...what effect does it have when other people, who don't have access to that knowledge, see his reporting alongside imageslop?

     Does it harm not just his credibility with them, but also the perceived truthfulness of the facts of the issue he's reporting on?