Deepfake Detection Software vs Porn Attack on a Journalist

German investigative reporter Patrizia Schlosser, who reports on the far right, was targeted with deepfake porn. Her face, grafted onto explicit content, spread as retaliation for her journalism. This is how you silence a reporter in 2025.

How it worked

Attackers used her public appearances as training material. Journalists are high-exposure targets: press photos, TV clips, all training data. The fakes were distributed to humiliate her and, not coincidentally, to discredit her reporting. The site MrDeepfakes was linked to the ecosystem hosting this material. Attackers pick targets who cannot easily hit back. A lone reporter fits the bill.

It is a deliberate tactic now: deepfake porn as a weapon against women journalists. The goal is not just humiliation. It is to make the cost of reporting too high.

Detection angle

Deepfake detection software can rapidly confirm the content is synthetic, which is the first thing a targeted journalist needs: proof it is fake, fast. Wondering what tools help newsrooms verify whether media is AI-generated? An AI deepfake detection tool in every newsroom's kit, plus takedown workflows that do not require the victim to beg platforms.

Newsrooms: protect your reporters like you protect your sources. That means detection tools, legal support, and a plan. Schlosser kept reporting. Not everyone will. That is the point of the attack. It does not need to stop every journalist. It just needs to make enough of them quit.