You would think that a local newspaper would have to rely on local reporters, who live in the towns they cover.
You would think that when you see a byline in the paper, the name you see is real.
You would think..but that is not what is happening in several major cities around America and soon, in Canada.
Journatic is a company that newspapers hire to take care of some of the mundane reporting tasks that suck up time and resources from downsized papers. Now we know, Journatic has also used fake bylines. See Poynter.org backgrounder.
Learn more:
This American Life went inside the company:
Aim for the Heart: Writing, Reporting, Photojournalism, Producing, Ethics and Resources for journalists 