Illinois news site’s heavy coverage on Republican senator questioned

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Brian Timpone runs the network with the assistance of conservative personalities

The pay-for-play network of news sites 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.

Times linked Mr. Timpone’s operation to Chicago radio personality Dan Proft and two sitting Republican officeholders who “paid Mr. Timpone’s companies $55,000 over the past three years, according to state and federal records. During that time, the Illinois sites have published overwhelmingly positive coverage of her, including running some of her news releases verbatim.”

Based on its analysis, the pay-for-play network of sites “looked like typical news outlets that covered their communities. But a political action committee controlled by Mr. Proft paid Mr. Timpone’s companies at least $646,000 from 2016 to 2018, according to state campaign finance records.”

Mr. Timpone did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him by phone or email, or through a note left at his home in the Chicago suburbs. Many of his executives also did not respond to or declined requests for comment, according to Times.