News watchdogs report more 'pink slime' media sites, which can confuse readers and erode trust in local news

Pink slime can confuse and misinform readers.
(Graphic by Bill Miller, GBH Creative)

With its cluttered headlines and oodles of lower gas price offers, the North Boston News online website does its best to mimic a legitimate news organization. A deeper read of the site reveals articles written by nameless "staff" and stories credited to journalists who can't be found on the internet.

"North Boston News is one of a growing number of what journalist watchdogs are calling 'pink slime' journalism," report Phillip Martin and Nicole Dauphinee of GBH News, a PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts. These websites masquerade as local news websites, but their creators and funding stem from "partisan groups or hostile governments, largely with the help of automated services."

Most "pink slime" sites have titles that connect with the region they allegedly represent. "In Massachusetts, such sites include websites with names like the Bean Town Times, the Cape Cod Ledger and the Springfield Record," GBH reports.

In 2024, NewsGuard, a New York-based company that verifies information online, identified 1,265 'pink slime' outlets in the country. By comparison, there are only about 1,200 daily newspapers operating in the U.S.

A company called Metric Media owns North Boston News, along with "58 other websites that claim to provide community news across New England," Martin and Dauphinee explain. "The company says on its homepage that it has more than 1,300 sites across the nation, with an aim of giving 'every citizen a voice in their community.'"

But Metric Media doesn't seem to have any people for citizens to contact. GBH reports, "Nobody replied to GBH News’ emails requesting comment sent to the addresses listed on several of the 14 sites covering news in Massachusetts, including the North Boston News."

A quick look at the North Boston News doesn't tell a reader much about the area, but it does have repeated stories and jumbled jargon paired with political-looking photos. North Boston News and other sites like it can confuse people about what trustworthy, local news looks and reads like, which can erode overall trust in any media source.

Some organizations, like Newsguard, "are making efforts to better educate people about which webpages can be trusted. The information watchdog offers an online tool that helps readers determine the credibility of certain sites," GBH reports. "The app displays website trust ratings and scores next to links on search results and social media feed pages."