Overview
- The Times of London removed the story and apologized, saying a reporter was misled by someone falsely claiming to be the former New York mayor.
- Bill de Blasio called the published quotes fabricated and reaffirmed his support for Zohran Mamdani.
- Semafor reported the responses came from a Long Island wine importer named Bill DeBlasio, who said he used ChatGPT and never claimed to be the mayor.
- The fabricated critique that Mamdani’s policy “math” did not add up was amplified by the New York Post and shared by an Andrew Cuomo spokesman before the retraction.
- The incident has intensified scrutiny of newsroom identity checks and AI-shaped sourcing as early voting continues with Election Day one week away.