"Pink-slime journalism is not local journalism, but defined as content used to push partisan agendas rather than inform the public. The publishers are often unknown, with no affiliated media outlet, or identified authors or editors. These websites may publish works created by artificial intelligence, not real journalists, according to the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. The rise of fake news in recent years, particularly political content, has blurred the line between trustworthy and illegitimate journalism."
"Although this kind of content came to the public eye increasingly during the 2024 election, a recent Yale study found citizens continue to trust fake local news sites over legitimate news organizations. The algorithmically created local news sites don't have "about" pages, bylines or other demonstrations of credibility, but the study found participants still preferred websites in alignment with their own biases. Legitimate news sites also generally have ads on their webpages, whereas the AI sites do not."
Pink-slime journalism produces partisan content disguised as local news to influence audiences rather than inform them. Publishers are often anonymous and sites commonly lack bylines, about pages, editors, or verifiable contact information. Some sites use artificial intelligence to generate articles instead of employing real journalists. Algorithmically created sites frequently avoid webpage ads and instead rely on social media promotion and paid political advertisements. A Fredericksburg outlet named Dogwood Daily Dispatch launched in July 2024 and displays local, state, and national pages without identified contributors. A Yale study found many citizens still prefer news sites aligned with their biases and may trust fake local sites over legitimate organizations.
Read at WHRO Public Media
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]