Partisan News Sites Outnumber Traditional Newspapers Ahead of Midterm Elections

'Pink slime' outlets, which are often backed by partisan groups, have been identified as outnumbering US newspaper sites, according to researchers. These sites, which present themselves as local news outlets, are particularly active in battleground states ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Many of these sites are funded by political action committees, such as the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), which reportedly launched the North Carolinian site in July. The North Carolinian has been noted for its focus on opposing Democrat Roy Cooper's campaign for US Senate and supporting his Republican opponent, Michael Whatley. SLF has spent between $34,700 and $46,715 on promoting articles from the site on Meta platforms, achieving at least 3.6 million views, as reported by NewsGuard. The proliferation of these 'pink slime' sites is raising concerns about their impact on public trust in traditional media. NewsGuard has identified 21 new pink slime outlets launched this year, bringing the total to 1,179, while only 937 daily newspapers are currently operating in the US. Experts warn that these sites can mislead news consumers, as many may not recognize their partisan agendas. The rise of such outlets coincides with a decline in local newspapers, with over 212 counties in the US classified as 'news deserts' lacking local news sources. The ease of producing content using AI tools has contributed to the growth of these sites, which some experts describe as 'pseudo-journalism.'