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A liberal political media operation run from Washington, DC and Florida is pushing left-wing stories in 51 different fake news channels to influence the outcome of November’s midterm elections, it is alleged.
The allegations came in a shocking new investigation by axios which was published Thursday.
The report claims that in the past 12 months, multiple new “news” websites have appeared across the country, all run by a company called Local Report Inc.
They report a wide variety of stories – but scattered everywhere are news items pushing Democratic lawmakers and policy.
Online records indicate that the Local Report was founded in Tallahassee, Florida.
The executive editor of the American Independent, the organization behind the websites, Jessica McCreight, pictured on her LinkedIn page
Previously, McCreight worked on former President Barack Obama’s communications team
The sites provide content from writers employed by another left-wing group, the American Independent. The Independent was founded by David Brock, known for other liberal endeavors such as Fox News watchdog, Media Matters for America.
Other contributors to the American Independent include Matt Fuehrmeyer, who previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and for disgraced Senator Al Franken, according to his LinkedIn page.
Franken’s son is also employed by the organization, as is former Senator Harry Reid’s son, the daily caller reported.
Before working as an executive editor of the American Independent, Jessica McCreight was part of President Barack Obama’s communications team, according to her LinkedIn page.
When asked about the connection between the American Independent and the Local Report, McCreight told Axios that the pair had a “co-publishing agreement,” adding that their content is “open source” and that they are a “partner.” were from Local Reports.
She also said: “There is widespread news that where local news outlets close, misinformation and misinformation grows.
“To meet this challenge, the American Independent has expanded to bring readers local, fact-based news and information on topics and issues affecting their communities,” McCreight continued.
The Axios report says the outlets are all located in states that are generally considered swing states in the November election, including Wisconsin, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado and Arizona.
Among the titles that are packed with content from American Independent contributors are the Milwaukee Metro Times, the Tri-City Record, the Bucks County Standard, the Mecklenburg Herald, and the Northern Clark County Herald.
The investigation said the websites are equipped with a certain amount of aggregated local news and sports coverage, accompanied by political commentary and biased news.
One of the articles currently running on one of the liberal sites questions conservative Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s candidacy for Nevada governor.
At the time of writing, the main story on the Northern Clark County Herald on Nevada’s website is: “Lombardo’s absence raises questions about suitability for the role of governor,” a jab at Republican governor candidate Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo.
While the Milwaukee Metro Times leads with an NFL preview and report on upcoming cold weather in Wisconsin.
A user has to scroll down to find a article accuses Republican Dairy State governor candidate Tim Michels of accepting donations from anti-LGBTQ organizations.
The biased articles make no mention of attempts to reach out to the state’s Republican Party or the gubernatorial campaigns of those involved for comment.
The websites are equipped with a certain amount of aggregated local news and sports coverage, accompanied by political commentary and biased news
A Republican strategist said of the plan: ‘Democrats’ ideas are so unpopular and so unattainable that they have to build a whole network of propaganda sites to try to mislead voters’
Funding for Media Matters for America comes from Democratic super PAC American Bridge.
The Daily Caller further notes that the Democratic state parties in Georgia and Michigan have promoted articles from the Local Report.
Speaking about the scandal on the website, Republican National Committee spokesman Nathan Brand said “Democrats” ideas are so unpopular and so unattainable that they have to build a whole network of propaganda sites to try to mislead voters. ‘
In 2020, a conservative-run company called Metric Media set up more than 1,000 news sites with a right-wing slant in the run-up to the presidential election. the Columbia Journalism Review.
Not to mention the growth of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, a strong right-wing network of television stations across the country known for presenting opinion pieces as news items.
newsguard, an organization that monitors journalistic standards referred to the American Independent’s actions as akin to “pink slime,” a reference to mysterious by-products in meats served at fast-food restaurants.