Newspaper giant Gannett to close ReviewedAmazon, the company’s product review site, will shut down effective Nov. 1, according to sources familiar with the decision. The site offers recommendations for a wide range of products from shoes to home appliances and employs journalists to test and review products, raising questions about whether the work is actually produced by humans.
“After careful consideration and evaluation, Reviewed “We have made the decision to close the business and we are extremely grateful to our employees for providing consumers with trusted product reviews,” Reviewed spokesperson Lark Marie Anton said. The Verge By email.
But in recent days the site has come under scrutiny, sometimes by unionized employees. Reviewed Staff publicly accused Gannett of publishing AI-generated product reviews on its site. Staff noticed that the articles in question had a strange, stilted writing style, and that the purported authors of the articles did not appear to have a presence on LinkedIn or other platforms. Some questioned whether the articles were genuine. In response to questions, Gannett said the articles were created by a third-party marketing company called AdVon Commerce, and that the original reviews did not include proper disclosures. Gannett, however, denied any AI involvement.
As The Verge It was reported last fall, Reviewed The content is from the same company that caused a similar uproar. Sports Illustrated, A very similar product review was published by a freelancer. However, Sports Illustrated, The evidence that AI was involved was clear: a photo of the author’s face was for sale on an AI image website. Sports Illustrated While the authors’ names are indeed not real, Adbon claims that it has guaranteed the company that the content is written by real people.
but, The Verge An investigation into Advon revealed that the company posted mass amounts of marketing content across the web, some of which was generated by AI, according to former employees. Advon CEO and co-founder Ben Pfau has a long history of using his media connections to land news deals, often crafting elaborate marketing schemes to line his own pockets. Advon marketing content appeared everywhere, from small blogs to outlets such as: Us Weekly and Los Angeles Times. Depending on The VergeIn response to the report, Pfau issued an emailed statement saying the company “[s] Publishers use affiliate revenue to run their newsrooms and cover salaries,” he said, adding that Adbon offers “human-only, AI-enhanced and hybrid solutions” to clients who hire it.
Anton did not reveal the reason for the closure. I reviewed it. Product reviews are often seen as a lucrative business for publishers, as they attract readers looking for buying advice on search engines and can generate revenue when readers buy products from the articles. Associated Press Other media outlets have announced similar ventures. But even the content that has historically benefited news publishers is vulnerable to changes in Google search, where most of their traffic comes from. Some independent sites say they’ve seen a steady decline in search traffic, and Google’s shift to AI search tools threatens to further eat into their revenues.
Trade union member Reviewed The company has had multiple limited strikes after reaching an impasse with Gannett management, most recently in July when employees said they were going on a temporary walkout and were being asked to take on additional work with an adjustment in compensation. Gannett said Reviewed Will you be offered a new role within the company or will you be laid off?
