Triple M Adelaide falsely identifies Advertiser journalist Dylan Hogarth as alleged criminal on the run
Adelaide’s top-rated radio show has apologised after mistakenly naming an Advertiser journalist as being on the run from cops - but won’t say if AI was used in its reporting.
Adelaide’s top-rated brekky show has apologised after falsely identifying Advertiser journalist Dylan Hogarth as an alleged criminal on the run from police, but will not confirm if AI was used in its news report.
Multiple Southern Cross Austereo news bulletins on Triple M and SAFM on Friday morning mistakenly named Mr Hogarth, 36, as a man who allegedly struck police with a hammer before escaping police custody on Thursday night.
Earlier in the morning, Mr Hogarth had filed a report for The Advertiser about a police hunt for the wanted man, who is also 36 and has not been named by police.
The breaking news journalist became aware he had been named as the alleged fugitive when he received text messages from friends on Friday morning.
Mr Hogarth then tuned into Triple M Breakfast with Roo, Ditts & Loz and heard himself named on the bulletin again.
The program is Adelaide’s top-rated radio show, having smashed its competitors in the November ratings survey. Its bulletin did not credit The Advertiser as the source of its story.
“I copped quite a few text messages. Some rather humorous, some really worried about whether I was on the run from police,”Mr Hogarth said.
“Are you on the run? Did you escape a hospital? Things of that nature. People were concerned about what I might have done, and where I might be.”
The reporter said he had not yet considered whether he would seek compensation from Triple M.
Responding to a Roo, Ditts & Loz call-out asking listeners what they have had stolen, Mr Hogarth texted into the station.
“What I had stolen was my identity it seems,” he wrote. “I am Dylan at the Tiser, a journo who wrote about the man on the run, not the man who is on the run like your news bulletin said.”
A spokesman for Southern Cross Austereo said “several news bulletins” across Triple M 104.7 and SAFM had incorrectly named Mr Hogarth as the alleged criminal.
“SCA sincerely apologises to Dylan for the error,” he said.
The spokesman would not say whether AI was involved in writing the bulletins.
SCA’s use of AI to create news bulletins was reported by Media Watch in November.
“As soon as SCA became aware of the error, a correction and apology were broadcast on air,” the spokesman said.
“SCA understands the importance of quality localised news coverage, and is committed to undertaking an internal investigation into this error.”
He would not say who voiced the bulletins and it remains unclear whether they were voiced by a human.
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Originally published as Triple M Adelaide falsely identifies Advertiser journalist Dylan Hogarth as alleged criminal on the run
