Dozens of "local news" sites are coordinating content on election administration.
Published: September 13, 2024
Summary: Several dozen sites that present as local news outlets across all 50 states are publishing nearly identical content on election administration. The most recent example is about the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and we assess similar coordinated campaigns on other election administration issues could pop up throughout the fall 2024 election season. Election administrators should take note of these outlets and be aware that even though the content on these sites appears to be locally originated, it may be part of a broader national coordinated campaign.
***Important Note***
The content below is best viewed on a laptop/desktop because of the large number of articles.
Background: The purpose of this report is to make election administrators across the country aware of the ongoing and coordinated nature of the content on these sites related to election administration. The roughly 50 sites are part of nearly 1,200 similar "local news" sites run by Metric Media, according to a two part Columbia Journalism Review investigation published in 2021 (part one and part two).
Coordinated Content: The sites publishing the content have local sounding names such as "The Grand Canyon Times," "The Great Lakes Wire," and the "Peach Tree Times." While much of the content is nearly identical across all of the articles, several elements including the titles, images, by-lines, and content such as "according to an analysis by [INSERT LOCAL NEWS OUTLET NAME]" are all unique to each article making them appear as local journalism.
More Information: If you have questions or would like more information, please reach out to aaron@socialscout.llc.
First coordinated articles on ERIC appear in May 2023.
**Nearly all 50 states (except Arizona, New York, and Texas) saw articles between May 7, 2023 and May 13, 2023. Virginia had two similar articles posted during this time.
June 2024 - Second tranche of nearly identical coordinated articles on ERIC are published.
July 2024 - Third tranche of very similar articles are published.
More Information: If you have questions or would like more information, please reach out to aaron@socialscout.llc.
