A website called 'Voice of Aus' has been publishing AI-generated fake news stories about a WA shark attack victim and a Fremantle Dockers captain. The site, which also runs a Facebook page, is part of a growing 'pink-slime' journalism trend designed to make money from ads.
The article claimed shark attack victim Steven Mattaboni was on the phone with his wife moments before he was attacked. It said the alleged audio was 'now being reviewed by investigators' and had 'left thousands of people online in tears'. WA Police say it's completely false – no such call exists.
Another story claimed Fremantle Dockers captain Alex Pearce caused club ructions by refusing to wear an LGBT-themed armband, quoting him as saying 'Football is about competition, teammates, and supporters coming together for the game itself — not political messaging.' The quote contradicts Pearce's well-known advocacy for inclusion. A Fremantle Dockers spokesperson said they wouldn't entertain the claims. The AFL doesn't have a dedicated pride round – the Pride Game is typically between Sydney and St Kilda.
WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said she'd seen fake news about Pearce on Facebook. 'It said Nat Fyfe was giving money away to a charity, or Alex Pearce had received something before a game – it had 800 likes,' she said. 'It was completely false, but there's no way you could have guessed that when you first read it.'
Dr Anne Kruger, a digital media expert at the University of Queensland, said websites like Voice of Aus publish entire falsehoods to make money. 'The reason this exists is to grab attention from as wide a net as possible and turn that into money,' she said. 'The telltale signs are the over-the-top sensational, emotive headlines, often picking up on high-profile names that have a familiar sound.'
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is a repeat focus – an AI-generated image showed her draped in an Australian flag with the headline 'We believe Pauline Hanson can make our country great again. Do you agree?' A One Nation spokesman said the party wasn't affiliated with the website.
Dr Kruger said the site generates revenue through ads that don't even need to be clicked on – the point is to get people to skim and see advertisements. 'The best way to do that isn't through quality but through attention-grabbing and appealing to emotions or cheap thrills,' she said.
Many Facebook comments on Voice of Aus posts appear to believe the content. One post about former Brisbane Lions captain Lachie Neale's marriage break-up showed an AI-generated image of his wife Jules crying and quoted her speaking about the breakdown. Comments urged Neale to 'let it go' and 'stop talking'. Neale's team declined to comment, but it's understood none of the claims were ever made.
'In the past my main concern was that comments were being amplified by bots – and while this is still the case, more and more we see real people believing the posts and commenting,' Dr Kruger said. 'It's because we as people want to engage, to be part of something or take control – and we think this is a way to join, not knowing that we're just feeding a monetisation machine for people working behind websites in bad faith.'