A Case Study: The relationship between a candidate and a ‘pink slime’ news network

The objective of the “newspapers” that landed on Illinois voters’ doormats ahead of the midterm elections were far from subtle. They wanted to see Gov. J. B. Pritzker replaced by Republican challenger Darren Bailey.

Carrying names such as ‘West Cook News’ and ‘Chicago City Wire’, the publications imitated the familiar appearance of local newspapers and promised “Real data, real news”. They were, in fact, a product of Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which is part of a wider network of pro-Republican sites that has been scrutinized for exploiting the local news crisis by “using partisan newspapers to launder advocacy.”

Incumbent Gov. Pritzker labeled the papers the work of “racist political consultant”, in reference to Dan Proft, a prominent conservative activist and one of LGIS’s founders. Pritzker’s spokesperson dismissed the papers as “Republican propaganda”, while the Democratic Party of Illinois sent mailers warning voters not to be fooled by the newspapers, describing them variously as “phony”, “fake” and “not real”.

Darren Bailey, by contrast, spoke glowingly of the “newspapers’” output. During an interview with Proft – who is also a conservative talk show host and chair of the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, which supported Bailey – he said

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