Morning, y’all! Welcome to fall, officially. Today marks the autumnal equinox, when the sun hits at the equator and day and night are the exact same length. Now it’s only a matter of time before the highly disorienting “What do you mean it’s still dark outside, it’s 7 a.m.!” season.
Let’s get to it.
COLLEGE PARK PHOTO DUSTUP IS PART OF WORRYING AI TREND
No, College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom was not photographed kissing a man who isn’t her husband.
- A recent photo that made the rounds on social media and sparked vulgar abuse is “99.99999%” likely AI-generated, according to a Georgia Tech expert.
- The photo was posted on a city-related Facebook page next to a photo Broom says is likely real, of her making small talk with a man during a City Council retreat in January.
- The gendered backlash spilled offline into a recent council meeting and is inflaming political divisions within College Park.
It’s especially bad for women
- Digital fakes are a very present problem in the world of politics. Just ask U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, whose campaign ads have featured fake, AI-generated video and speech of U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
- However, experts say such digital fakes disproportionately target women, often with sexualized images.
- A 2024 study identified tens of thousands of instances of AI-generated, non-consensual “intimate imagery” depicting 26 members of the U.S. Congress and Senate. Twenty-five of the 26 politicians were women.
🔎 READ MORE: Broom image part of a much bigger political drama in College Park
How to spot fake images
If you see a photo that looks shocking, unbelievable or politically incendiary, take a breath. It’s a good opportunity to do some journalism.
- Pause any reactions. Don’t share it or comment. Do your research first.
- Take a good look. There are a lot of great tutorials on how to spot manipulated images. Sometimes, the flaws are obvious if you look closely. For the fake Broom image, the Georgia Tech expert noted the people in the background of both photos (the real and the fake) were in the exact same positions, and the image of a football game on a TV is the same.
- Cross-reference. What outlets are reporting on the photo? What online spaces are sharing it? Does the context make sense? Do you know where the photo came from? What are other people saying about it?
There’s no perfect way for a layperson to discern whether a photo is manipulated, especially when bad actors also pull other tricks, like using older images or videos and claiming they’re from more recent, unrelated events. Gotta stay on your toes.
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THE PARAMOUNT-WBD MERGER IS ON AGAIN
The controversial megamerger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is on track again after a coalition of states sued to block the deal between two of the biggest media names in the country.
The deal means a lot to us in Georgia because WBD has a major presence in Atlanta, and the state is, of course, a big player in the TV and film industry.
Details of the deal:
- Paramount will increase the amount of current film production in the U.S. from 5% to 40% if California and New York pass an uncapped film incentive and Congress passes a federal incentive. Georgia has already had such an incentive for more than a decade.
- The deal also requires the creation of a board to ensure the editorial independence of CNN and CBS News.
The Georgia of it all
- Georgia got caught up in the merger struggle this summer when Paramount’s CEO threatened to move the company out of California to another state, like Georgia. That doesn’t seem a likely outcome now.
- For WBD and CNN employees based out of Atlanta, the settlement brings assurance that CNN won’t be sold off in the deal. There’s still likely to be big, painful changes.
🔎 READ MORE: A great FAQ on the whole thing from the AJC’s Savannah Sicurella
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🍔 The operator of 314 Wendy’s restaurants in 15 states filed for bankruptcy after Wendy’s tried to terminate its franchise agreement due to alleged millions in unpaid fees. That includes 44 locations in Georgia.
🐘 Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is still not playing nice with GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson. However, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon ended his seeming ambivalence of Jackson and joined the billionaire on the campaign trail this weekend.
⚖️ Georgia will receive nearly $100 million from a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta over social media dangers to children. Two behavioral health experts who lead Voices for Georgia’s Children say that money should go toward protecting and healing children in mental health distress.
WHAT IS A DOUBLE-DOUBLE?
The WNBA is in the final week of regular-season play, and the Atlanta Dream are eyeing postseason glory.
They beat the New York Liberty last night and are thisclose to nabbing one of the top playoff spots.
The Dream also won big against the Chicago Sky in their last regular-season home game this weekend. During that game, Dream star Angel Reese hit her 31st double-double. That’s impressive, but it’s also where my passable knowledge of basketball came to a screeching halt.
Apologies to the ball knowers, but to everyone else, let’s learn together!
- Think of a double-double like double-“double digits.”
- There are five main statistical categories for every player in every game: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.
- A “double-double” is when a player gets 10 or more ticks in two of these categories, showing versatility and high performance.
While we’re talking Dream, we can’t forget Allisha Gray, the pride of Sandersville, Georgia.
AJC basketball reporter Lauren Williams paid a visit to the town that helped raise an Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star.
NEWS BITES
Falcons will start Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback next game
Yes, we suffered without him, but props for him taking his time to heal after an ACL tear 10 months ago.
Netflix cancels Atlanta-produced ‘Sweet Magnolias’ after five seasons
The show may be ending, but margarita nights are forever.
A good way to get rid of all of the reusable bags around your home
How do they keep multiplying?? They were supposed to reduce the number of bags we use, not have babies and set up a nest in the corner of the pantry.
ON THIS DATE
Sept. 22, 1961
Here’s how to get over those teen-age problems. How can you make good grades — or even study — when worry is gnawing at your mind like a little gray mouse? … Teen-time is not all happiness and hotrods. (Continued on page 17, column 1) If your big worry contains your own inadequacy … THINK SOMETHING OF YOURSELF. You’re important. … There is a baby born in Georgia every 5 ½ minutes … Yet each one of them has a personality different from every other baby ever born since there has been a world.
This invigorating excerpt was written by then-Director of Information at the State Department of Education Bernice McCullar. “Teen-time” is over for most of us, but the advice still stands. THINK SOMETHING OF YOURSELF!
ONE MORE THING
I fully expect at least one person to email me irritated that I didn’t know what a double-double was, or that I admitted I didn’t know something when I could have looked it up behind the scenes and pretended I did.
Where’s the fun in that?! You don’t know things until you learn them, after all. Learning is a joy and a privilege and a lifelong, everyday pursuit. Plus, it’s even more fun when shared with friends.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.