The odds are now better than 50-50 that if you see a news website purporting to cover local news, it's fake.
According to a new analysis by disinformation watchdog NewsGuard Technologies, so-called "pink slime" websites now outnumber the number of daily local newspapers in the United States. Pink slime websites present themselves as independent local news outlets but are instead funded by partisan groups, which is not disclosed. The nickname is a reference to the meat-based filler that was supposedly added without a label to ground beef products.
The analysis shows at least 1,265 pink slime websites as of June 2024. That's compared to 1,213 daily newspapers left operating in the U.S., according to Northwestern University's Local News Initiative.
"With traditional newspapers disappearing at a rate of two and a half per week, pink slime sites are rushing in to fill the void. Consequently, millions of Americans are left without legitimate local coverage," the report noted.
NewsGuard says a tipping point was reached after it identified a network of 167 news sites operating as part of a sophisticated pro-Russia disinformation network. The sites use innocuous names like "The Boston Times" and "The Miami Chronicle," and are apparently owned or at least operated by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida deputy sheriff who fled to Moscow after being investigated for computer hacking and extortion, according to the report.
"The sites, 64 of which are posing as local news outlets, spread false narratives serving Russian interests ahead of the U.S. elections," NewsGuard said. "The network is the first apparent crossover of its kind between so-called 'pink slime' sites, artificial intelligence, and Russian disinformation."
NewsGuard's analysts are also tracking pink slime sites run by partisan groups on the left and the right, including, among others, Metric Media, Local Government Information Services, Courier Newsroom, The American Independent, and States Newsroom.
"All of these sites, including those part of the Dougan network, receive low ratings from NewsGuard for failing to adhere to basic journalistic standards, warning readers to proceed with caution," the report noted. "The partisan networks often provide little to no information about their political agenda, posing a major risk to readers who may be unaware of the websites' goals: to sway public opinion, typically before an election."
The analysis also found that similar tactics are being used in print. Residents of battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio, have been targeted by partisan old-school print newspapers disguised as independent local news since early 2024, according to the report.