Episode 302: It's Not Cheating. It's Leveraging Available Tools To Optimize Your Workflow.

Episode 302: It's Not Cheating. It's Leveraging Available Tools To Optimize Your Workflow.

From Blocked and Reported by Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal

April 6, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

Jesse and Katie discuss recent AI scandals in publishing and the ethical implications of using AI in writing.

This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss a string of recent AI scandals in publishing: the Shy Girl debacle, Matt Goodwin's hallucinated data, Alex Preston's plagiarized book review, and more. Plus, controversy ensues when Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle admits to (gasp) using AI in her process. Watch Thin Skin (2023) - Free Movies | Tubi Mia Ballard on Her Horrific Feminine Rage Novel - Bookstr A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. - The New York Times I Was Deemed Unfit to Be a Mother - The New York Times New York Times Cuts Ties with Book Review Writer Over AI Use | Exclusive The illusion and delusion of Matt Goodwin | The Spectator Suicide of an author’s credibility | Ben Sixsmith | The Critic Magazine Matt Goodwin and Andy Twelves caught in fiery clash over author’s new book Suicide of a Nation AI didn’t write my book | The Spectator Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers - The Atlantic A billionaire, an AI supercomputer, toxic emissions and a Memphis community that did nothing wrong • Tennessee Lookout Journalism schools are teaching fear of the future: Letter from the Editor - cleveland.com This is a public episode. If…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jesse Singal, Katie Herzog

Topics covered

  • AI scandals
  • publishing
  • ethics
  • journalism
  • controversy
  • technology

Keywords

  • AI
  • publishing scandals
  • Megan McArdle
  • journalism ethics
  • Matt Goodwin
  • plagiarism
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Washington Post, The New York Times, The Spectator, The Atlantic, cleveland.com

Books & works: Thin Skin, Suicide of a Nation, A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared., I Was Deemed Unfit to Be a Mother, Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers

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