CNET (November 2022present)

CNET

(not part of original row)
source type	foobar (not part of original row)
publisher	Fooland (state-funded media) (not part of original row)
classification	Generally unreliable: Editors show consensus that the source is questionable in most cases.

Concerns over CNET's advertiser-driven editorial content remain unresolved. Separately, in November 2022, it began deploying an experimental AI tool to rapidly generate articles riddled with factual inaccuracies and affiliate links, with the purpose of increasing SEO rankings. CNET never formally disclosed its use of AI until Futurism and The Verge published reports exposing its actions. An AI tool now announced to be paused wrote more than 70 finance-related articles and published them under the byline "CNET Money Staff", over half of which received corrections after mounting pressure. In August 2024 CNET was purchased by Ziff Davis, which may mean that the reasons for considering it unreliable may no longer apply.

Prior discussions

Please add links to other significant discussions. When in doubt, read and rely on the discussions themselves, rather than the simple summary.

• WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 398#Beware: CNet running AI-generated articles, byline "CNet Money"
• WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 453#CNET and ZDNET are now under Ziff Davis ownership. Should they get a new chance or continue be considered too unreliable?
• WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 485#CNET’s Reliability Status Should Be Reconsidered Ten Months After Ownership Change

• Simple summary of prior discussions: TBD

Notes

References

Original table row for comparison

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Perennial sources

Source	Status (legend)	Discussions			Use
		List	Last	Summary
CNET (November 2022 – present) WP:CNETWP:CNET 📌		2024  2025	2025	Concerns over CNET's advertiser-driven editorial content remain unresolved. Separately, in November 2022, it began deploying an experimental AI tool to rapidly generate articles riddled with factual inaccuracies and affiliate links, with the purpose of increasing SEO rankings. CNET never formally disclosed its use of AI until Futurism and The Verge published reports exposing its actions. An AI tool now announced to be paused wrote more than 70 finance-related articles and published them under the byline "CNET Money Staff", over half of which received corrections after mounting pressure. In August 2024 CNET was purchased by Ziff Davis, which may mean that the reasons for considering it unreliable may no longer apply.	1