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United States Politics

Salon: Republicans Are Launching Fake Local News Sites To Spread 'Propaganda' (salon.com) 539

"The Tennessee Star claims to be the 'most reliable' online local paper in the state," reports Salon. "In fact it's just a GOP front." An anonymous reader quotes their report:
An investigation by the fact-checking outlet Snopes found that several new local news websites are actually being launched by Republican consultants whose company is funded in part by the candidates the sites cover. Politico first reported last year that Tea Party-linked conservative activists Michael Patrick Leahy, Steve Gill and Christina Botteri were behind the "Tennessee Star," a website that purported to be a local news website but mostly posted content licensed from groups linked to big Republican donors. Snopes discovered that the trio has since launched similar sites in other battleground states ahead of the 2020 elections: the Ohio Star and the Minnesota Sun...

The group behind the sites does not appear content with just three outlets. According to Politico, Leahy has purchased domain names associated with Missouri, New England, the Dakotas, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, most of which are electoral battleground states that will be vital in 2020.

Kathleen Bartzen Culver, who heads the Center of Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told Snopes that political operatives are free to launch their own news platforms, but it's a problem if they are trying to deceive readers into believing the sites are nonpartisan local news. "I have no problem with advocacy organizations creating content that reinforces the positions they take on public policy issues on the left, right or center. The issue comes in when they're not transparent about that advocacy," Culver said... "The information sphere is so polluted right now that the average citizen has trouble telling what is real and what is not," Culver told Snopes. "I find that very troubling within a democracy."

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Salon: Republicans Are Launching Fake Local News Sites To Spread 'Propaganda'

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  • by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:09AM (#58251726)
    One that goes back to our oldest elections, though I think those papers were mostly focused on slandering opponents.
    • by Archtech ( 159117 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:22AM (#58251828)

      It's 148 years since Mark Twain wrote this highly relevant satire:

      "Running for Governor"

      http://twainquotes.com/Galaxy/... [twainquotes.com]

      Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Isn't there some legal requirement to label such publications?

      I don't live in the US but whenever I see US political ads there is a note on screen and usually in voice over noting who made/paid for it.

      Looking at these sites they all use the same template and none of them mention who the owner is.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:09AM (#58251730)
    for the party the coined the term 'fake news' (and 'alternative facts'), the Republicans seem to generate more of it than the rest of the world combined.
    • by nucrash ( 549705 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:17AM (#58251782)

      Ironic that they use projection?

      As with Donald Trump's hiding of his grades when asking for Obama to show his, yeah, that's a conservative trait.

      • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @09:46AM (#58252948) Homepage Journal

        It's not a *conservative* trait. Philosophical conservatism -- that is to say skepticism of Utopian schemes -- has a long and honorable history. Projection is a *radical* trait, which is why radical groups tend to splinter and break down when they're under pressure -- e.g. when they gain power and have to get things done. As their underlying differences are unmasked, they turn on each other ruthlessly.

        Conservative *branding* isn't the same thing as conservatism.

      • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @10:33AM (#58253346)
        It's an old Soviet tactic that was borrowed and perfected by a GOP operative named Karl Rove. Take whatever your faults are and accuse your opponent of them. It puts them on the defensive and distracts from you and your problems. It wouldn't work if we had a media that wasn't owned lock, stock and barrel by mega corps but, well, we do.
      • by Kyr Arvin ( 5570596 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @03:56PM (#58256290)

        As with Donald Trump's hiding of his grades when asking for Obama to show his, yeah, that's a conservative trait.

        Or the President, who has spread memes from Stormfront, saying that the Democrats are the party of antisemitism.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      for the party the coined the term 'fake news' (and 'alternative facts'), the Republicans seem to generate more of it than the rest of the world combined.

      That's like giving Apple credit for inventing the smart phone, or Edison for inviting the light bulb.

      Trump may have popularized the expression "fake news", but it was already beginning to gain a foothold several years before he ran for President. He took a phrase he liked and ran with it.

      "Alternative Facts" however- that's ALL the Trump Whitehouse, they came up with that one.

      • by aitikin ( 909209 )

        "Alternative Facts" however- that's ALL the Trump Whitehouse, they came up with that one.

        I thought it was Orwellian [wikipedia.org] in nature?

    • by bigdavex ( 155746 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @08:36AM (#58252420)

      The term "fake news" wasn't invented by Republicans.

      • by gtall ( 79522 )

        ...just implemented by FOX.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Anyone who thinks the Republicans coined the term "fake news", needs to watch this youtube video [youtube.com].

  • I'm confused slashdot editors, which is it Russian Internet trolls or Republican internet trolls are manipulating elections.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:16AM (#58251772)

    This has nothing to do with nerds. Nor is it news...
    Salon is the biggest piece of shit masquerading as journalism out there right next to Mother Jones and The Daily Stormer. Who gives a rat's ass what they think?
    Do better, /.

    • by xpiotr ( 521809 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @08:38AM (#58252436) Homepage
      It's here because it matters.
      Fake News sites like this, gives troll accounts a "valid" source to point too.
      So when ever "references needed", this will be the answer.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Yep, it's an effective online debating tactic too. It forces you to waste time and effort debunking the site or building a case against it. And then they just move on to calling you part of the legacy fake media and an idiot for taking the blue pill.

    • You clicked. And you even commented. And you got modded up, meaning more clicks and even better, lots of user engagement.

      /. does two things: Advertisement and User Generated content. Both rely on clicks. If you want this stuff to go away stop clicking on it.
  • by Munky101 ( 1830652 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:17AM (#58251786)
    When did slashdot become a politics site where propaganda sources are allowed like salon? Np, we do not want this in our nerd news. Keep this crap on twitter.
    • /. is the only place I go for news.
      • by e3m4n ( 947977 )

        mostly the same here. If only because they do NOT censor. The mod points might get abused a bit but overall I can see every post by simply adjusting the filter. I get to see multiple points and arguments. I get to see things I had not considered. Of course sometimes I see just parroting of talking points, which is sad because this site does not appeal to facebook morons. We've all read 1984, some of us a very long time ago. We should always be prepared to discover we have been the victims of double-think. I

    • When did slashdot become a politics site where propaganda sources are allowed like salon? Np, we do not want this in our nerd news. Keep this crap on twitter.

      There's been the occasional politics piece on Slashdot for at least a decade or more. This isn't new.

  • Look if these sites were satirical in nature, it'd be one thing. But these "news" sites are proclaiming to be actual journalistic news organizations. But they're more or less mouthpieces supported by and for prominent Republicans in their area. They exist to push an ideology. This is disturbing and the fact that after 2016's Fake News debacles, you'd think either party would be rather adverse towards creating yet more fake news. I'm disappointed in the Republican party...
  • by satan666 ( 398241 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @07:41AM (#58252006) Homepage

    Why are political news on Slashdot all of a sudden? Actually there has been an increase of this garbage. I don't give a fuck if you are Republican, Democrat, anarchist, whatever, don't post your garbage here. Fuck off already.

  • This story just came up for me and the first (chronologically) 20 posts are about how we can't trust the mainstream media and how the Republicans deserve a voice. I guess this is how a country ends, in a tidal wave of propaganda screaming about "both sides!"

  • This open info-warfare suggests that the endgame of American democracy is at hand, finally we'll see a resolution.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Maybe Salon doesn't know this but it been like FOREVER that CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, etc are all in bed with the democrats. Clinton or Obama says something and the media forwards it on as truth but if Bush or Trumps says something they are suddenly obligated to "fact check" and doubt everything the say and filter it to the people with "the Republican is claiming that allegedly water is wet and the sky is blue but we have some political pundits here who disagree with those outrageous claims".

    • by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @08:01AM (#58252158)

      Maybe Salon doesn't know this but it been like FOREVER that CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, etc are all in bed with the democrats. Clinton or Obama says something and the media forwards it on as truth but if Bush or Trumps says something they are suddenly obligated to "fact check" and doubt everything the say and filter it to the people with "the Republican is claiming that allegedly water is wet and the sky is blue but we have some political pundits here who disagree with those outrageous claims".

      If the Republican's want people to stop accusing them of lying and fact checking everything they could, you know, try to stop lying.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Ogive17 ( 691899 )
      You sound like a 6 year old that got busted for doing something wrong and using the excuse "well Billy did it first!"...

      Fox News makes my skin crawl. I don't ever watch MSNBC. I visit CNN but typically avoid any political story (which can be hard).

      Trump is a lying SOB.. anyone still in denial is a moron. He is likely the worst human being that we've ever put in a federal position. He doesn't give a shit about America, he cares about Trump and money. Well, maybe he cares a bit about America becau
  • Naturally (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Koby77 ( 992785 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @08:09AM (#58252218)
    Of course, if a bunch of Democrats get together and put together a biased newspaper, then it's okay?
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ScentCone ( 795499 )

      Of course, if a bunch of Democrats get together and put together a biased newspaper, then it's okay?

      It's not just OK, it's virtuous! The dems might as well just go ahead an launch a newspaper actually called The Virtue Signal.

    • Of course not, if Democrats did something similar they should be called out too. This has less to do with the political party at fault and more to do with the fact it's happening at all. So, if you've got any examples of stuff like what's listed in the article, feel free to call them out.

  • The economics of news journalism is already completely broken and getting worse. Advertisers desperate to get readers' attention turn to obtrusive animated ads that only serve to annoy. News sites desperate for revenue permit this, even though it makes their pages basically unreadable. It's true even for sites that charge subscription fees, like NY Times. The only ad-free, readable sites are those supported by people or governments with a political ax to grind and a point to make. It's a perfect storm
  • You better go out and get it yourself!

    At this point, I don't think ANY of the news sites are that trustworthy, reliable or honest. Print journalism is dying a slow, painful death because nobody is really interested in paying for newspaper or magazine subscriptions anymore. Everyone has gotten used to trying to obtain the news online for free. (What's that? A paywall is in the way? Well, time to find one of those browser extensions that helps you bypass it! Can't do that? Ask someone else to copy/paste th

  • Salon is going to lose a lot of readers by publishing something so contrary to blindly held beliefs of their readership.
  • All the major news companies have strong political biases of their own.

    Nobody is free from bias. There is nobody you can trust to be the "fact checker" or enforcer.

    And this has always been true; it's just much more obvious in the internet age.

  • by Zorro ( 15797 ) on Monday March 11, 2019 @09:47AM (#58252958)

    Is Full On Venezuela Communist Now?

  • This story definitely belongs on Slashdot. It involves how technology is being used to spread news, factual or not. Journalism with integrity requires that the reader be able to fact-check the news being shared. It requires that the reader have some degree of certainty about who the author is. If these websites are tantamount to political ads then the implications need to be considered. While the internet loves anonymity, in a democracy, we find it important to disclose political ads. This is why, on televi

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