As local newspapers began disappearing over the last 20 years, a new kind of paper was invented. They look like traditional local newspapers, but many of the articles are commissioned by conservative groups and are carefully crafted political messaging.
It is called pink slime journalism, named after the cheap meat byproduct sometimes used as filler in processed meats that are then passed off as higher-quality meat. Yup, it’s just as disgusting as it sounds.
Republican political campaigns and partisan advocacy groups pay for stories, providing instructions on who should be interviewed and what should be written. The aim is to deceive readers who think they’re seeing a traditional paper. These rags can be found in local communities all over the country. There’s one here called the DeKalb Times.
Pink slime journalism is an example of this endless race to the bottom where it’s ok to say anything to get votes. We see it everywhere -- from the lowly campaign postcards, to the Wild West of social media, to the highly partisan tv programming pretending to be actual news.
None of this is new. What’s new is the scale, which grows as technology and brazenness strip away boundaries. One accelerant was the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision to remove many election funding restrictions.
There’s little we as individuals can do to stop any of this. But we can look critically at what comes in the mail and pops up on our screens, always aware that it may not be what it seems.
I’m Deborah Booth and that’s my perspective.
