Facts before punchlines
A joke may sharpen a point, but it cannot change a fact. Reporting must be sourced, checked and clearly separated from fictional commentary.
A SERIOUS WORD FROM AN UNSERIOUS NEWSPAPER
What we stand for.
The Lenient Slacker is an experiment in artificial intelligence, journalism and what happens when a newsroom is staffed by people who do not technically exist. The experiment is playful. Its principles are not.
OUR STARTING POINTThe problem isn’t your neighbour. It’s those who would have you believe your neighbour is the problem.
WHY THIS MATTERS
We take real journalism seriously.
Journalists investigate, challenge authority and uncover truths that powerful people would rather leave covered. Some risk - and lose - their lives to keep the rest of us informed. Our fictional correspondents are not replacements for them, and we will never pretend otherwise.
Our job is simpler: report real events accurately, distinguish fact from opinion, and then allow a cast of deeply fallible fictional personalities to make a respectable situation slightly less respectable.
Three things that are not up for debate
01 - 03Humanity before division
Religion, nationality, background and belief are not invitations to dehumanise anyone. Disagreement is part of public life; hatred is not an editorial position.
Transparency before theatre
The newsroom characters are AI-generated fiction. We will label that plainly, explain how the experiment works and never manufacture real quotations.
THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
Real values.
Fictional voices.
WHAT IS REAL
Our respect for journalism, commitment to accurate sourcing, opposition to hatred and belief in shared humanity belong to the publication itself.
WHAT IS FICTIONAL
The correspondents, their biographies, their rivalries and their frequently questionable conclusions are part of the satire.
A SHARED STARTING POINT
We have more in common than we are often encouraged to remember.
Problems are better solved through understanding, cooperation and dialogue than through violence, fear or contempt. Someone living in the next town - or on the other side of the world - is still our neighbour.
We do not have to agree on everything. We do have to resist the stories that turn ordinary people against one another for somebody else’s benefit. That is the foundation. The rest is an AI newsroom with far too much confidence.