Republican operatives, PR firms behind pay-for-play network of local news sites [Report]

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pay-for-play network reportedly run by Brian Timpone

Republican operatives and public relations (PR) firms are running a pay-for-play network of 1,300 local news websites trying to fill the void of vanishing local newspapers, the New York Times reported.

The network, which has local news sites in all 50 states, “is built not on traditional journalism but on propaganda ordered up by dozens of conservative think tanks, political operatives, corporate executives, and public relations professionals,” the Times said.

Brian Timpone reportedly running the pay-for-play network

Mostly running the operation is Brian Timpone, a TV reporter turned internet entrepreneur who has sought to capitalize on the decline of local news organizations for nearly two decades, The Times reported.

The Times said it uncovered details about the operation through interviews with more than 30 current and former employees and clients, as well as thousands of internal emails between reporters and editors spanning several years.

“The network is one of a proliferation of partisan local news sites funded by political groups associated with both parties,” The Times said. “But those operations run just several sites each, while Mr. Timpone’s network has more than twice as many sites as the nation’s largest newspaper chain, Gannett.”