Chevron exploits news deserts in the Permian Basin, where it pumps much oil, with propaganda disguised as news

Map detail with county-level data from "The State of Local News 2022" with an overlay of the Permian Basin in green

"The dire state of local journalism in the U.S. has been well documented in recent years, as the closure of hundreds of local newspapers has created American 'news deserts' where people struggle for information on local politics and happenings," Adam Gabbatt writes for The Guardian, picking up an Aug. 18 report by Molly Taft of Gizmodo. "It has also created openings for companies and political groups to swoop in, serving up a mixture of local news and propaganda, with the latest being Chevron, in Texas’ news-starved – and oil-rich – Permian Basin."

Logo, from banner on home page

The Permian Proud site, launched in August, does say it's sponsored by Chevron, "but at first glance, the sponsorship seems like a benevolent grant," Gabbatt writes. "On Wednesday, Permian Proud’s front page included stories about an upcoming air show and a storytelling workshop – typical local newspaper fare. But interspersed with news of livestock sales and processions is a series of stories lauding Chevron’s achievements in the Permian Basin." The "news" stories are written by PR-firm employee Mike Aldax, who's written for a Chevron-funded site in California since 2014.

The site says, "Our focus will be on news and information that makes us all proud to live here. Permian Proud will highlight and uplift such efforts, not just for its community partners, but for anyone wanting to get the word out to the public on local events, fundraisers, initiatives and more."

The site is a milder, corporate example of "pink slime journalism," named for the beef additive, which has flourished in recent years to exploit growing news deserts to spread disinformation, often about politics and politically relevant topics. Such sites are more often funded by conservatives than liberals. "Locality Labs and Metric Media, both operated by the same ex-journalist, have opened hundreds of 'news' sites, which purport to represent local communities, since 2019," Gabbatt reports. "The sites, which include the Great Lakes Wire and the Illinois Valley Times, masquerade as local news outlets, but in reality are funded by Republican and conservative groups."