"First, to the extent that these types of sites continue to proliferate and possibly replace traditional local news organizations, the partisanship that has com

"First, to the extent that these types of sites continue to proliferate and possibly replace traditional local news organizations, the partisanship that has come to characterize our national-level journalism could increasingly characterize our local journalism, potentially amplifying the political polarization that is already affecting the country, and potentially undermining effective self-governance at the local level. In future research, we hope to explore whether these partisan sites produce misinformation more often than their more traditional counterparts. If that is the case, it could have significant implications for well-informed local self-governance." They are aware of that, but are also aware that local news is different and could exasperate things in terms of misinformation.