Short answer: MSN did remove a group of sensational Exemplore paranormal stories after a December 5, 2022 Futurism report, including headlines about a mermaid and Bigfoot. Futurism said the removals carried no retraction note. That documented episode does not, by itself, prove that Microsoft’s own AI wrote the stories or that MSN continues to publish comparable hoaxes today.
What MSN removed in 2022
Futurism reported that MSN had syndicated several Exemplore articles built around sensational paranormal claims. The named headlines were:
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- “Fishermen Catch Mermaid Creature in Their Nets”
- “Woman Films Bigfoot Jumping Out of a Tree in California”
- “Party Stops as Giant UFO Flies Directly Over It”
- “Mars Rover Appears to Catch ‘Dark Beast’ Roaming the Surface of Mars”
- “Someone Swears They Caught a Biblically Accurate Angel Floating in the Sky Over LA”
The report characterized the underlying grainy videos and the stories’ conclusions as bogus or not credible. It said MSN removed the articles after publication, without adding a retraction notice or other public documentation explaining the decision. Those details are Futurism’s account of that specific incident, not a statement from Microsoft about every article on the service.
Publisher versus platform: who actually made the stories?
MSN often distributes material from outside publishing brands rather than commissioning each article itself. Microsoft’s feedback FAQ says, “The content we publish – stories, galleries and videos – is created by thousands of the world’s best-known publishing brands.” The publisher logo above a headline identifies the creator, according to Microsoft.
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In the reported case, the mermaid and Bigfoot pieces were identified as Exemplore articles carried by MSN. The available reporting does not establish that Microsoft employees or Microsoft’s own AI generated them. Distribution on MSN and authorship by Microsoft are therefore separate claims.
What the evidence does—and does not—establish
| Question | What is established | What remains unproven |
|---|---|---|
| Were mermaid and Bigfoot headlines published on MSN? | Futurism reported that MSN syndicated the two Exemplore headlines in 2022. | The reports do not prove the events in the headlines occurred. |
| Were the stories removed? | Futurism said MSN removed the named hoax articles after its report. | No public MSN retraction or detailed explanation was documented in that account. |
| Did Microsoft’s AI write them? | The articles were attributed to a third-party publisher. | The reviewed sources do not identify Microsoft AI as the authoring system. |
| Does MSN still publish similar false stories? | Microsoft’s rules prohibit hoaxes and misinformation. | The available sources do not independently verify a continuing pattern of comparable false stories. |
What Microsoft’s current MSN rules say
Unreviewed AI content is prohibited
Microsoft’s MSN AI content policy states: “Unreviewed AI-generated content (AIGC) is not permitted on the MSN platform, and all partners must give a contractual guarantee that no unreviewed AIGC content will be ingested.” The policy still allows AI to help draft or create material when people provide substantial oversight and editing.
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The same policy bars using AI to rephrase already published material under another byline and bars high-volume rewriting that produces thin, unoriginal news. Microsoft strongly recommends disclosure of AI assistance, although the policy says disclosure is not currently mandatory. Suspected unreviewed AI content may be reviewed, demoted, or removed, and a partner may be suspended or terminated.
Hoaxes, clickbait and missing attribution are against the guidelines
MSN’s partner guidelines prohibit hoaxes, false information, propaganda, deliberate misinformation, misleading clickbait and sensationalist content. They also require clear credits and named sources for facts, quotations and opinions. These are written standards; their existence does not prove that every past violation was detected or handled consistently.
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Why a removal is not the same as a correction
Deleting a page limits its visibility, but it does not tell readers what was wrong, how the claim was checked, or whether other versions remain elsewhere. Futurism’s account specifically said the 2022 removals did not include a retraction note or other documentation. That is why the episode supports a criticism of inadequate transparency, while stopping short of proving a broader corporate policy to publish fake news.
Does MSN keep promoting “fake news garbage”?
The wording is an accusation about MSN’s present behavior. The documented 2022 incident shows that sensational, apparently unsupported stories reached the platform and were later removed. It does not establish that MSN continues to publish an equivalent stream today. A defensible current claim would require newer examples, preserved copies, identification of the publisher, and independent verification of the underlying facts.
Microsoft says MSN ranking uses signals including freshness, trend interest, publisher reputation and reader dissatisfaction with misleading or low-quality material. Content receiving negative signals may rank lower. Those mechanisms may reduce distribution, but they are not proof that every false article is stopped before publication.
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How to check a sensational MSN story
- Identify the publisher. Read the logo and byline above the headline; MSN may be the distributor rather than the author.
- Inspect the evidence. A blurry video, anonymous witness or extraordinary caption is not independent confirmation.
- Find named sources. Reliable reporting should identify who made the claim and what can be checked.
- Look for corrections. Compare the live page with archived copies and search for a correction or retraction from the publisher.
- Report an error. Microsoft says readers can use its feedback tool and include the headline or URL.
The fair conclusion
MSN did remove the mermaid, Bigfoot and other paranormal articles described by Futurism in December 2022, and the report said it did so without a public retraction. Microsoft’s current policies explicitly reject hoaxes, deliberate misinformation and unreviewed AI-generated content. But the evidence supplied here cannot establish that Microsoft’s own AI created those stories or that MSN is currently repeating the same misconduct. The strongest accurate description is a documented distribution and removal failure—not proof of an ongoing, verified campaign of fake news.
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