Wisconsin State Journal editor's note re: Brayton Lot story.
A story about development plans for a vacant downtown block that appeared on the front page of the Sunday, July 13, issue of the Wisconsin State Journal was removed Wednesday from the Madison daily newspaper’s website before being replaced by a “re-reported” story Thursday afternoon.
An editor’s note on the re-reported story states that the original “contained incorrect information and quotes that were created by an unauthorized use of AI, which does not adhere to the Wisconsin State Journal's editorial or ethical standards.”
Reached by email Thursday afternoon, State Journal editor Kelly Lecker said she was tied up in a meeting and could not talk. She referred Isthmus to Tracy Rouch, director of communications for Lee Enterprises, which owns the State Journal. Rouch did not immediately return a phone call.
Isthmus reached out to Audrey Korte, the reporter of the original story, by email Thursday afternoon and received this auto-reply: “Audrey Korte is no longer with Lee Enterprises.” Contact information for State Journal city editor Phil Brinkman was also listed.
In the original story, headlined “Final piece of the puzzle” in print and “2 redevelopment plans emerge for Downtown Madison's last vacant block” on madison.com, Korte detailed two proposals for Block 113. Better known as the Brayton Lot, the block bordered by East Washington Avenue and South Hancock, East Main and Butler streets has been targeted for redevelopment by the city for decades.
One section about “The Grove,” a proposal from Neutral, a Madison real estate development firm, outlined plans for a “food hall prioritizing minority-owned vendors” and a “community advisory board” that would shape the development’s public life. Neither of those features, nor the name “The Grove,” appear in Neutral’s proposal linked from a city press release listing the firms that responded to its RFP.
“It’s all wrong,” says Daniel Glaessl, Neutral’s chief product officer. No reporter had contacted the firm about the project before Isthmus reached out on Thursday afternoon, he says.
“We have not been contacted and we have not given any information,” Glaessl says.
Korte, a former Chippewa Herald reporter who started at the State Journal in May 2025, also quoted “Marcus Lee,” identified as the co-owner of “Capitol Grounds Café on East Main Street.” No such business exists on East Main Street or anywhere in Madison. Searches for Lee and Capitol Grounds on Google, LinkedIn, and other social media sites turn up no results, though there are restaurants with that name in Washington D.C., and Montpelier, Vermont.
The portion of the story outlining a proposal from Madison developer Curt Brink appeared to accurately reflect the document submitted to the city, but there is no mention in the article of a third proposal from a Minnesota firm, Tareen Development Partners.
In a June 15 column headlined “Misinformation hurts all of us,” Lecker addressed the need for news organizations to be transparent when making corrections.
“If something we’ve reported needs to be corrected or clarified as news develops, we’ll make that change right away and be transparent in the article about what was changed,” she wrote.
Plans for future uses of the Brayton Lot, both formal and informal, have made news in Madison for decades and the possibilities are widely discussed by planners, residents and the downtown business community. The long-empty public parcel represents a rare chance for city leaders to directly guide a development that could help address increased demand for housing. The city issued a request for proposals earlier this year with a deadline of July 9.
“There aren't many vacant lots left in Madison that can offer what this site does, whether it's access to transit, job opportunities downtown, or all of the food and entertainment options that are within walking distance,” says Jaymes Langrehr, public information officer for the Madison Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development. “The redevelopment of this block is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and city staff want to make sure we get this right.”
