Media
dot.LA Fired Its Newsroom. So Who Is Writing the News?
This is an opinion piece by Josh Popkin. In his view, dot.LA stopped being a real newsroom when it fired its editorial staff, and it now publishes what reads like AI-generated copy without telling readers.
What is dot.LA?
dot.LA is a Los Angeles tech news site created by Spencer Rascoff, alongside Sam Adams and Will Chockley. It started as a legitimate newsroom. In 2023, according to TheWrap, dot.LA fired its entire editorial staff. In my opinion, what it publishes today looks less like journalism and more like an AI content mill.
Who writes dot.LA’s articles now?
The recent articles I reviewed on dot.LA’s site are bylined Grace Lee. Her Muck Rack and LinkedIn profiles describe her as a Senior Product Designer in San Francisco. Neither profile describes her as a reporter or an editor.
This is the About section of her personal website:
Does that sound like a journalist? Why is a news site putting a product designer’s byline on its news stories? dot.LA has not explained it. My guess is that it’s cheaper than paying reporters. Readers deserve a straight answer.
Is dot.LA using AI to write its articles?
I think so, and dot.LA has never said otherwise. None of the articles I reviewed carry any disclosure about AI use.
I asked ChatGPT to assess recent articles bylined Grace Lee. On September 27, 2026, it estimated an 85–95% chance that AI was materially involved in drafting them, and that 50–80% of the first-draft prose likely came from AI. AI detection isn’t proof, and ChatGPT called its own number a subjective estimate. But try it yourself with any recent dot.LA article. I think you’ll come away with the same question I did.
Does dot.LA meet the journalism code of ethics?
In my opinion, no. The SPJ Code of Ethics, written by the Society of Professional Journalists, asks journalists to seek truth and report it, to act independently, and to be accountable and transparent with readers.
A site that fired its newsroom, runs news under a product designer’s byline, and says nothing about AI isn’t being transparent with its readers. When a publication won’t tell readers who is writing its stories or how they are written, it has stopped acting like a newsroom. That’s why I call dot.LA a fake newsroom.
What should dot.LA do?
Answer two questions publicly:
- Who reports and writes dot.LA’s articles today?
- Is AI used to write them, and if so, how much?
dot.LA is welcome to respond. I will publish its answer here in full.
What is Josh Popkin’s connection to dot.LA?
Josh Popkin was the target and victim of a misleading hit piece written by Kristin Snyder at dot.LA. Since the article came out, other news coverage has contradicted its claims. Read more: The dot.LA Story About Carter Agency Was Built on One Interview.
