Hundreds of ‘Pink Slime’ Local News Outlets Are Distributing Algorithmic Stories and Conservative Talking Points
Yet another fake news noise machine network revealed ahead of the 2020 elections, watch your sources.
The Lansing State Journal’s story highlights Metric Media’s intent to launch hundreds of such sites to “fill the void in local communities.” And, while Metric Media hasn’t been embroiled in controversies like its sibling organizations, the Journal’s story quotes Matt Grossmann, director of Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, who said, “many [articles] on [Metric Media site The] Lansing Sun appeared to be right-leaning.”
Using multiple network analysis tools, we found at least 450 websites including the ones identified by previous reporting. There are dedicated networks with anywhere between five and forty sites per state in eleven states. Additionally, every state in the US (and Washington DC) has a dedicated “business daily” (e.g. Michigan Business Daily, Utah Business Daily), and there are several international “business daily” websites (e.g. Toronto Business Daily, Mexico Business Daily, Manila Business Daily) as well. These are augmented by several single-subject sites (e.g. American Security News, Tobacco Newswire, Farm Insurance News), and community sites that aggregate events, news, and business services information (e.g. Metro East Today, Wilton Review, Palmerton Guide).