Liberal-leaning 'Independent' newspapers in PA, MI and WI 'aimed at swaying voters': 'Co-opt the credibility'

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Liberal-leaning newspapers in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin run by the American Independent Foundation and other groups are "looking to further political agendas," the Washington Post reported. 

The American Independent papers "function as a sort of direct mail persuasion piece," according to the Washington Post, as local papers struggle to survive. 

"All of the reporting that we put in the papers is fact-checked and verified," Jessica McCreight, the executive editor of the papers and a former Democratic consultant, said. "It just so happens that it is Republicans doing bad things and Democrats doing good things."

McCreight told the Post that the American Independent have sent 3.2 million monthly newspapers to homes with moderate and progressive female voters in Pennsylvania. 

Closeup of two modern black and brown metal red flag mailboxes at single family home in residential suburbs with nobody and house in background (iStock)

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McCreight said they plan to test the influence her network of newspapers had on the midterm elections and hire more staff ahead of the 2024 elections. 

"It’s reminiscent of a bygone era," she told the outlet. "We want to build on that trust to keep this going for a long time to come."

The Post noted another network of papers, the Courier Newsroom, which was founded Tara McGowan, a former Democratic operative. 

McGowan told the Washington Post that her network of papers does not focus on election results.  

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John Fetterman, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic senate candidate, speaks during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. Photographer: Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images  (Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images )

She said her goal is "to protect and strengthen our democracy through credible, fact-based journalism that seeks to create a more informed, engaged, and representative America." 

Midterm races across the country are tightening as election day nears. In Pennsylvania's Senate race, John Fetterman held a slight lead over his Republican opponent Mehmet Oz, according to a Fox News poll from the end of September.  

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Voters fill out ballots in voting booths in the New York City election at a polling location in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

"In a time where trust in media and institutions are on a rapid decline, any media efforts that portray themselves to be something they are not in the interest of short-term political gain are doing more harm than good," McGowan said. 

Public confidence in newspapers has declined rapidly. Just 16% of Americans said they have a "great deal or quite a lot" of confidence in newspapers, according to a recent Gallup poll. Only 11% of Americans told Gallup they have a "great deal or quite a lot" of confidence in television news.