Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Daily Beast reports:
The Grand Canyon Times isn’t a traditional newspaper. It’s part of an opaque media organization that recycles right-wing news articles across a network of hyperlocal-sounding news websites, which are padded out with press releases. As the 2022 midterm elections approach, conservative campaigns have tapped the network to send realistic-looking (and unsolicited) newspapers to voters in critical districts.
In publications like the Grand Canyon Times, the line between newspaper and political advertisement can be porous. At least two print editions of the paper, reviewed by The Daily Beast, contained disclaimers that described the contents as “paid for by the Saving Arizona PAC.” The PAC, which supports Masters’ Senate campaign, has received more than $13 million from conservative billionaire Peter Thiel.
In 2020 the New York Times reported:
The network is largely overseen by Brian Timpone, a TV reporter turned internet entrepreneur who has sought to capitalize on the decline of local news organizations for nearly two decades. Editors for Mr. Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job.
The assignments typically come with precise instructions on whom to interview and what to write, according to the internal correspondence. In some cases, those instructions are written by the network’s clients, who are sometimes the subjects of the articles.
Internal documents show how much influence the clients have. “The clients pay us to produce a certain amount of copy each day for their websites,” said one “tool kit” for new writers. “In some cases, the clients will provide their own copy.”
A conservative media network is sending local-looking papers to homes in Arizona and Illinois to push MAGA candidates like Blake Masters.
You can thank Peter Thiel. https://t.co/NRhGObmAMO
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) October 11, 2022