Another new/old editorial

Once again:

So what if it's biased, it doesn't cost us anything

If you’ve been reading our local papers this year, you may have noticed that the number of national and state articles from the Associated Press has been declining. Some days, our local newspapers carry only one or two articles from what is usually considered the standard for comprehensive and objective, national and state news. Depending upon how closely you read our Ogden papers, you may have also noticed that those AP spaces have been replaced by articles from something called The Center Square.

Yes, the locals are now using an additional source for news. The obvious question: "Is The Center Square a legitimate news source?" I don’t think so. Here is how Accountable Northwest described the news service:

The Center Square is a Chicago-based media group that writes articles about state and local government news, offering them to local newspapers for free. Their website claims to have reporters nationwide and a desire to compete with the Associated Press as a wire service. During their 2019 launch, they described themselves as a “non-profit, non-partisan, non-political, no-nonsense organization.”

In reality, however, The Center Square is the latest iteration of a far-right propaganda operation run by the Franklin News Foundation (FNN), a group bankrolled by Koch funds and controlled by members of the State Policy Network.

Yeah, they’re Koch-backed and nothing in its bylines or articles suggests that what you are reading comes from a very partisan source. So, how do they get away with it? Having read a number of these articles: (1) they mimic the AP style of presenting both sides of a controversy while using neutral language, and (2) they cite what looks to be reputable sources to support their points.

For instance, on Monday, the Intelligencer published the following article from The Center Square on page 6:

Ohio Property Tax Reform Remains in Holding Pattern

The article subtly supports what ought to be called Koch’s property tax plan for Ohio even though the name “Koch” does not appear anywhere in the piece. For sourcing, the article mostly depends upon two biased sources: Americans For Prosperity Ohio and the Buckeye Institute. (If you research them online, you'll find that the former exists to support Koch-backed legislation while the latter is described as a “right-wing advocacy group.”) For “balance,” the article does briefly note that Governor DeWine did veto the bill, and it does mention the Democratic Party’s reaction. The preponderance of the article supports the legislation, however.

So why is Ogden Newspapers (and others) using more of The Center Square while using less of the Associated Press? It's simple: the Associated Press costs money while the Center Square is free. (Given the Center’s bias, I think this was an easy decision for Ogden beyond saving money.)

So, how does Center Square make money? It doesn't; it is about propagandizing for a conservative, libertarian future that will make the Kochs and their buddies even richer. And this certainly looks like a win-win for both groups: the cost-cutting newspapers that don’t care about objectivity save money while the Kochs get their message out very cheaply. (By the way, it would not surprise me in the least if most of the articles, if not all, are AI generated.)

Finally, I hope you like reading Wheeling’s “newspapers” online. I believe that’s the future for Ogden Newspapers. Today, the Martinsburg Journal began its online journey. Here is its “big picture”:

The Journal is evolving to a "Weekly Print, Daily Digital" model that will better serve Martinsburg and the Eastern Panhandle for years to come.

The first change you will notice is that The Journal will deliver print papers only on Wednesdays, in a revamped and more locally focused weekly edition. This change begins the week of July 28, with the first edition of the new weekly coming out July 30.

So how long before The Intelligencer goes primarily or completely online? I’d set my over/under betting line at January 1.