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Well, this is a fake news article if I ever saw one. I went and looked at my region. In fact what we actually have are conservative and left leaning local news

Well, this is a fake news article if I ever saw one. I went and looked at my region. In fact what we actually have are conservative and left leaning local news and content aggregator sites. I don't see what the problem is here; I've used both, and it's not like they're "masquerading" as anything but left and right leaning local news and content aggregation sites. They're no more "hyperpartisan" than society at large is, and the paranoid characterization of them as something sinister is in itself more disturbing than the content on them. Having local news of any kind is nice! It would be nice if they were extremely non partisan, but then, nothing else is anyway, so I'll take what I can get.

cryptoz 6y ago
You call it fake news but offer no substance to your claim, while the article discusses in great detail how they reach their conclusions. They even say, > We suspect many of the local sites are not based in or actually operating within the communities they serve. Timpone had previously operated “local” news sites using content produced by writers based in the Philippines and using fake bylines. But identifying these locations gives a sense of who the operatives who fund them are targeting with their content. But you say "Having local news of any kind is nice!" but is it really? What if that 'local news' is written by people on the other side of the world who are lying about their credentials? Is that still nice to have, good local news? Either way, this article is clearly not 'fake news'.
AaronFriel 6y ago
If I am reading your comment correctly, and please correct me if I'm wrong - This article is fake news because you don't agree with their analysis, not because there's something factually inaccurate? and You welcome the creation of "local news" sites which are overwhelmingly partisan, typically obscure their ownership and sourcing of stories, do not actually hire local journalists, and some have been shown to be fronts for purely partisan organizations or even disinformation campaigns by foreign powers designed to divide Americans[1]. and You believe these outlets are in fact preferable to genuine local news organizations - public radio, local papers, broadcast television (Sinclair and some other national operations aside) - or even nothing at all? I think given the chance, I'd take nothing at all over a concerted disinformation campaign whose purpose is to overwhelm my availability heuristic and yours as well. [1] - https://www.npr.org/2018/07/12/628085238/russian-influence-campaign-sought-to-exploit-americans-trust-in-local-news https://www.npr.org/2018/07/12/628085238/russian-influence-c...
- scottlocklin 6y ago
  The article is, as is usual for "nitwit 'expert' analyzing something happening online" is basically hyperventillating clickbait insinuating hysteria rather than anything remotely resembling analysis. I told you what I did: I went to the local news sites on the map for my locality, and clicked on one of each. They were fine! I've used them both before when they turned up in organic search, and found them helpful for local news and events. It's insanely obvious they're partisan; you'd need a lobotomy to not notice this. I would rather that they weren't so partisan, but meanwhile, it's nice to know about local events and get some local news. I encourage you to do the same rather than uncritically regurgitating the nonsensical "news" -or, worse, parsing it into the insane conspiracy theory that FSB is behind the Maine Beacon's article on youth detention centers[1] or the NH Business daily's article on Don Bettencourt's political positions[2]. Your "interpretation" of my above statement is ... interesting, and rather ungenerous to say the least. [1] https://mainebeacon.com/advocates-renew-call-to-empty-long-creek-after-16-year-old-contracts-covid/ https://mainebeacon.com/advocates-renew-call-to-empty-long-c... [2] https://nhbusinessdaily.com/stories/539820493-donald-bettencourt-pledges-to-support-congressional-term-limits https://nhbusinessdaily.com/stories/539820493-donald-bettenc...
  - godelski 6y ago
    > It's insanely obvious they're partisan; So it is fake news... because... it is what they said it was? They are claiming that there are hyper-partisan news sites and you seem to be agreeing. I'm not sure I follow how that makes it fake news.

cryptoz 6y ago

You call it fake news but offer no substance to your claim, while the article discusses in great detail how they reach their conclusions. They even say, > We suspect many of the local sites are not based in or actually operating within the communities they serve. Timpone had previously operated “local” news sites using content produced by writers based in the Philippines and using fake bylines. But identifying these locations gives a sense of who the operatives who fund them are targeting with their content. But you say "Having local news of any kind is nice!" but is it really? What if that 'local news' is written by people on the other side of the world who are lying about their credentials? Is that still nice to have, good local news? Either way, this article is clearly not 'fake news'.

AaronFriel 6y ago

If I am reading your comment correctly, and please correct me if I'm wrong - This article is fake news because you don't agree with their analysis, not because there's something factually inaccurate? and You welcome the creation of "local news" sites which are overwhelmingly partisan, typically obscure their ownership and sourcing of stories, do not actually hire local journalists, and some have been shown to be fronts for purely partisan organizations or even disinformation campaigns by foreign powers designed to divide Americans[1]. and You believe these outlets are in fact preferable to genuine local news organizations - public radio, local papers, broadcast television (Sinclair and some other national operations aside) - or even nothing at all? I think given the chance, I'd take nothing at all over a concerted disinformation campaign whose purpose is to overwhelm my availability heuristic and yours as well. [1] - https://www.npr.org/2018/07/12/628085238/russian-influence-campaign-sought-to-exploit-americans-trust-in-local-news https://www.npr.org/2018/07/12/628085238/russian-influence-c...

scottlocklin 6y ago
The article is, as is usual for "nitwit 'expert' analyzing something happening online" is basically hyperventillating clickbait insinuating hysteria rather than anything remotely resembling analysis. I told you what I did: I went to the local news sites on the map for my locality, and clicked on one of each. They were fine! I've used them both before when they turned up in organic search, and found them helpful for local news and events. It's insanely obvious they're partisan; you'd need a lobotomy to not notice this. I would rather that they weren't so partisan, but meanwhile, it's nice to know about local events and get some local news. I encourage you to do the same rather than uncritically regurgitating the nonsensical "news" -or, worse, parsing it into the insane conspiracy theory that FSB is behind the Maine Beacon's article on youth detention centers[1] or the NH Business daily's article on Don Bettencourt's political positions[2]. Your "interpretation" of my above statement is ... interesting, and rather ungenerous to say the least. [1] https://mainebeacon.com/advocates-renew-call-to-empty-long-creek-after-16-year-old-contracts-covid/ https://mainebeacon.com/advocates-renew-call-to-empty-long-c... [2] https://nhbusinessdaily.com/stories/539820493-donald-bettencourt-pledges-to-support-congressional-term-limits https://nhbusinessdaily.com/stories/539820493-donald-bettenc...
- godelski 6y ago
  > It's insanely obvious they're partisan; So it is fake news... because... it is what they said it was? They are claiming that there are hyper-partisan news sites and you seem to be agreeing. I'm not sure I follow how that makes it fake news.