VOA News | Friday, June 21, 2024 
In US, fake news websites now outnumber real local media sites

Fake websites masquerading as news now outnumber legitimate local news websites, with Russia playing a leading role in their proliferation, say media analysts. Research by disinformation watchdog NewsGuard shows a surge in “pink slime” websites. Known for publishing low-quality content or disinformation, the sites take their nickname from a meat byproduct used as a filler. The producers of such sites are generally partisan entities or those producing clickbait content for maximum profit, says NewsGuard. The watchdog said the use of technology and generative AI has allowed for an increase in production of fake sites. NewsGuard’s editor for AI and foreign influence, McKenzie Sadeghi, told VOA the numbers are a grim development that could pose a threat to press freedom and the U.S. presidential elections. It contributes to the already declining trust in online media, she said. “The number of these sites have increased in size and scope and sophistication,” Sadeghi said. “We now find that the number at 1,265 has surpassed the number of daily local newspapers in the U.S., which is a bit alarming.” Data from the Medill Local News Initiative, run out of Northwestern University’s Journalism School, shows the number of legitimate local news sites in the U.S. at an historic low of 1,213…Read more