The former editor-in-chief of the NRC has been suspended by publisher Mediahuis following revelations that he used AI to write multiple newsletters.
Peter Vandermeersch confirmed that he used AI language models to help craft his newsletter while serving as ‘Journalism and Society’ Fellow at Mediahuis. An investigation by the NRC found that 15 of the 53 pieces he has written since taking the role in October 2025 contained fake quotes.
“Even I, with all my years of experience and knowledge, fell into the trap of hallucinations,” Vandermeersch wrote in a statement.
The 65-year-old was at the helm of the NRC for nine years before taking over as CEO of Mediahuis Ireland, which owns the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent and other media outlets.
In October, he stepped down to serve as a “thought leader” which included “exploring the responsible use of AI in newsrooms.”
Dubai
Last week, Dutch newspaper Telegraaf was forced to correct an article after investigative outlet Bellingcat revealed a story about evacuation flights from Dubai contained an interview with a person using an AI generated photo.
The March 5 story headlined “Dutch people in the Middle East feel abandoned by the government” included interviews with several Dutch people who said they had been unable to leave the UAE following the outbreak of hostilities.
“Tamara Harema” told the paper that she had, together with a group of Dutch people, had chartered their own plane to leave the Middle East. “The first plane is already full, so we’re organising a second flight. Stranded travellers can contact us,” she is quoted as saying.
However, Bellingcat could find no such flight and the photo of Harema appeared to be AI generated.
The newspaper eventually updated the article to remove the photo.
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