(presidentialwire.com)- Axios revealed on Thursday that a media outlet run by Democratic operatives is inserting articles into other pop-up websites presented as local news sources to win support among voters in competitive areas before the November midterm elections.
According to Axios, dozens of local news websites operating under the auspices of Local Report Inc. have sprung up in the previous year to support Democrats and attack Republican candidates. The American Independent, a “progressive journalism” outlet created by Democratic financier and operative David Brock, the creator of the left-wing watchdog Media Matters for America, often contributes articles to these websites.
Additionally, Matt Fuehrmeyer, a former research director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as well as for former senators Al Franken and Harry Reid, serves as president of The American Independent. Jessica McCreight, vice president and executive editor of the American Independent, most recently held the position of senior vice president at Democratic consulting firm Three Point Media after working in communications for the Obama White House.
The Daily Caller News Foundation discovered that websites run by Local Report sometimes even accidentally publish the names of other publications that are a member of Local Report’s network. The Bucks County Standard, Milwaukee Metro Times, Mecklenburg Herald, and Northern Clark County Herald are among the websites maintained by Local Report that nearly solely publish writing by American Independent authors.
For instance, a writer who works as a “digital content writer” for the American Independent is included in the Mecklenburg Herald article “Out of the 100 Counties in North Carolina, Only 4 Counties are Above the National Average in Gas Prices.”
The DCNF discovered that not all pieces submitted to Local Report outlets had bylines.
According to corporate documents, Local Report was incorporated in Tallahassee, Florida.
According to Nathan Brand, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, “Democrats’ policies are so unpopular and so out-of-touch that they have to develop a whole network of propaganda sites to attempt to mislead voters.”
Stories that appeared in Local Report sources were pushed by the Democratic parties in Georgia and Michigan. The connection between the American Independent and Local Report is unknown.
According to McCreight, Local Report and the American Independent have a “co-publishing arrangement.” The organization in charge of editing Local Report web pages is unknown.
