Using AI like ChatGPT, I provided a few basic facts and asked it to write a news story based on those facts. Then, I asked it to rewrite the same story, but with a slant that made the criminal appear to be the hero.
This exercise clearly demonstrates how easily stories can be framed or “slanted” to fit a desired narrative. It also highlights just how simple it is today to create the appearance of a legitimate media outlet, even when the underlying content may be shaped to influence opinion rather than present balanced facts.
Two drastically different news stories emerge from the exact same set of facts, which story is right and which is wrong. Apply this to our everyday news and how it may affect and shape our opinions of what is happening in the world or our own local politicians. It is astounding what power words have in shaping the very world we live in. From impeachments to recalls, words matter especially in news media and how they are expressed have a huge impact on our lives. Yes, content matters in a news story but be careful as content with a slant is what drives the narratives that any given media wishes to push whether it be truthful or not.
Always look for facts, evidence before assuming your source of information is the truth. Ensure the source is not feeding your preferred outcome but actual truth. Avoid outlets that use sensationalized headlines to catch your attention. So many news outlets these days do not supply facts and evidence or simply include the facts that feed their preferred narrative.
Facts that were supplied to ChatGTP:
Given these facts write a news story: Jane robbed bank. Chris took from Jane’s stolen bank money. Pete reported Chris for stealing from Jane.
Written story from ChatGTP with Jane as the criminal:
Title: “The Informant”
Jane had always been the quiet type. No one expected her to walk into First National Bank with a ski mask, a duffel bag, and a pistol. But that Tuesday morning, she did just that—calmly demanding the money, slipping away with nearly $150,000 before police even arrived.
The city buzzed with the news. Jane vanished, but not for long. Within a week, she resurfaced—without the mask, but with a new car, designer clothes, and a suspiciously well-stocked apartment. She wasn’t subtle, but then again, she never intended to be.
Chris, her old friend and occasional drinking buddy, noticed the sudden change and put two and two together. One night, while visiting Jane’s place, he spotted a stash of cash loosely bundled in a shoebox under her bed. Jane was in the shower. Chris didn’t hesitate. He pocketed a thick wad—maybe $5,000—and disappeared before she even turned off the water.
Chris thought he was clever. Until Pete got involved.
Pete wasn’t close with Jane or Chris. He was more of a mutual acquaintance—the kind who shows up at parties uninvited and always seems to know too much. When Pete heard Chris bragging about the money he’d swiped from “a certain bank robber,” Pete raised an eyebrow and made a call.
Not to Jane.
To the police.
Chris was arrested for possession of stolen property. During questioning, he rolled over immediately, claiming, “I didn’t rob the bank! I just took some cash from someone who did!”
Jane was arrested the next day.
Pete? He got a reward for helping solve the case.
But not a lot of friends afterward.
Request to ChatGTP: Write the same story making Jane a hero
Title: “Jane’s Justice”
It wasn’t greed that drove Jane to rob the bank—it was desperation. After months of watching her neighborhood decay under the weight of corruption and poverty, and after her little sister was denied life-saving treatment because their insurance “didn’t cover it,” Jane made a choice.
First National Bank wasn’t just any bank. It was where the city’s most powerful slumlords and crooked officials funneled their money. Jane had done her homework—dug into the ledgers, followed the paper trail. What she found was enough to make her sick: stolen rent relief funds, laundered campaign money, payouts for evictions and backroom deals.
So she robbed the place.
Not to get rich—but to give it back.
Jane hit the vault and vanished, redistributing the stolen funds into anonymous envelopes: to families facing eviction, to clinics that helped without asking for insurance, to schools that hadn’t seen a new book in years.
Chris, an old friend who’d fallen on hard times, found out what she’d done. But he didn’t share her motives. One night, while Jane was out making her last delivery, Chris snuck into her apartment and lifted a stack of the remaining cash—enough to disappear on.
But he didn’t disappear fast enough.
Pete, a nosy neighbor with a strong sense of right and wrong, had seen Chris leaving and sensed something was off. When Chris started flashing cash around town, Pete reported him—believing Chris had stolen from someone who’d stolen for the right reasons.
The police arrested Chris for possession of stolen money. Under pressure, he gave up Jane’s name.
Jane was taken in—but her community didn’t turn on her.
When the full story came out—of the corruption, the stolen aid, the families she helped—Jane became something else entirely: not just a bank robber, but a symbol.
She didn’t ask for forgiveness.
But she earned something close to it.
Conclusion:
Stick with the facts and avoid anything that does not presents the facts – so you yourself can decide. Rely on sources that present clear, verifiable facts, and be cautious of those that do not. It is essential to make informed decisions based on evidence rather than emotion or bias. Ask yourself, is this source of information giving me facts or is it giving me my preferred outcome. Words matter and how they are expressed have a huge impact on how we view the outside world and our decisions that may affect our lives and that of others.
