Major newspapers ran a summer reading list. AI made up its book titles. By Herb Scribner The Washington Post,Updated May 20, 2025, 8:48 p.m.

They share an owner that sometimes gets forgotten — but which dominates much larger peers in web traffic. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 local newspaper websites in the United States.

Newspapers around the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, published a syndicated book list featuring made-up books by famous authors.

A syndicated, AI-generated summer reading list featuring fake books by real authors was published in major newspapers this week. Above, a reader enjoys the sunshine in Hyde Park in London in 2009.