It looks real enough, until you start reading the articles.
The โArizona Catholic Tribuneโ arrived in mailboxes across the state over the last week or so, confusing recipients and upsetting the Catholic Church.
The lead headline says โKelly Co-Sponsored Bill Bishops Call Most Unjust and Extreme...Ever Seen.โ The story was critical of Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, and almost all the content either supported Republicans, denigrated Democrats, or both.
Even state Senate Pres. Karen Fann appeared to be fooled into thinking that it was an official Catholic newspaper, not the partisan mailer that it is.
In a tweet Monday, she said, โArizona Catholic Tribune scores catholic congressmen. Mark Kelly and Greg Stanton = F Tom OโHalleran = D David Schweikert = A.โ
In fact, the publication has nothing to do with the Catholic Church, which rebuked it in a statement, noting that the use of the term โCatholicโ in the name without permission violates Church teaching and law. The Arizona Catholic Conference has its own publication, the Arizona Catholic Sun, and the church has a policy of remaining non-partisan.
The Arizona Catholic Tribune appears to be part of a network of more than 1,200 conservative websites and publications that have emerged in recent years, exploiting the decline of small local newspapers. Although the Tribune discloses almost nothing about its origins, the paperโs layout, headline style, bylines, slogan and content match those of the network run by Metric Media LLC.
โLaurie A. Luebbertโ is the byline above the story about Kelly and another front-page story. That name also appears on bylines of stories in the New Mexico Sun, the Lansing (Michigan) Sun, the Old North News, the Houston Daily and the Minnesota Catholic Tribune, among other sites. If she really exists, she is extremely productive.
Many Metric Media publications bear the slogan โReal data. Real news.โ The slogan of the Arizona Catholic Tribune is โReal data. Real value. Real news.โ Thatโs also the slogan of the Grand Canyon Times, a similar publication distributed in Arizona, which acknowledges being published by Metric Media.
โMetric Media was established to fill the void in community news after years of decline in local reporting by legacy media,โ says an explanation on the Grand Canyon Times website. โThis site is one of hundreds nationwide to inform citizens about news in their local communities.
An investigation by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism and Columbia Journalism Review found that advocacy groups have paid for coverage in these news sites.
They reported, โThis network acts as a convergence of special interests for free-market advocates, multiple political action committees, the fossil fuel industry, a politically motivated Catholic group, and a group propagating notions of election fraud.โ
Brian Timpone, one of the main stakeholders in Metric, has long worked to create low-cost, automated journalism. A 2012 episode of the radio program This American Life exposed how his previous company used fake bylines, fake quotes and plagiarized content.
There are also left-leaning publications that have attempted to fill the same void left by disappeared local newspapers. The Copper Courier in Arizona, for example, is part of Courier Newsroom, a network of publications established by a former Democratic operative that has often pushed Democratic candidates.
The lead headline at the Courierโs website Thursday: โBlake Masters Threatens โGridlock,โ Government Shutdown Over His Racist Immigration Proposals.โ
The Metric Media network, though, appears to be much bigger than any other similar effort. The โArizona Catholic Tribuneโ was mailed from Kansas City, Missouri.
Tim Steller</&h6>
Who is Citizens for Sanity?
You probably have seen the large, often sarcastic ads in the pages of the Star. Or maybe you have caught the radio ads. In either case, Citizens for Sanity is spending big to mock leftists and Democrats in Arizona, thereby supporting Republicans. They do not, however, directly support specific candidates.
One ad in the Star, from September, said โDonโt be a racist, cisgender colonizer. Support Mark Kelly and keep our borders open.โ Thatโs the usual tone.
But who is Citizens for Sanity? In short, it appears to be a campaign effort by Trump administration alumni.
Open Secrets, a group that investigates money in politics, pointed out in a September article that three former officials in the Trump administration play key roles in Citizens for Sanity: Gene Hamilton, John Zadrozny and Ian Prior.
Those three also are involved in the America First Legal Foundation, which was established by Trumpโs hardline immigration advisor, Stephen Miller. That foundation has launched ads claiming the Biden administration is pushing โradical gender experimentsโ and โanti-white bigotry.โ
Tim Steller</&h6>
Early ballots flowing in
The Pima County Recorderโs office had received 175,492 early ballots as of Thursday.
Thatโs out of about 488,000 early ballots sent out, or about 36 percent of the total.
According to data analysis from the Arizona Republic, 1,051,655 statewide ballots have been returned so far โ 420,562 from Democrats, 381,998 from Republicans and 249,095 from independents or members of other parties.
The deadline has passed for voters to mail in early ballots and ensure they are received by the county recorderโs office in time to be counted by Election Day on Nov. 8. However, early ballots can still be dropped off at any of Pima Countyโs 15 early voting centers.
Early voting increased during the August primaries, with early ballots accounting for about 86% of total ballots cast in Pima County, up from 63% in 2020โs primary election, according to the county recorder.
The first drop of election results is anticipated to be released about 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Nicole Ludden</&h6>
Finchem gets international scrutiny
National and international news organizations continue to focus on Oro Valleyโs Mark Finchem as they cover Arizonaโs move toward election denialism.
On 60 Minutes Sunday, Finchem once again claimed fraudulent votes had been inserted into Pima Countyโs tally based on an anonymous email that said so.
โItโs an open question. I want to know, was there a possibility that this happened,โ Finchem said, before claiming proof.
He didnโt really have it, as reporter Scott Pelley noted.
The Guardian, too, has had an English-accented reporter chasing down Finchem. When he asked Finchem about why he had voted by mail 28 times if he thinks itโs an insecure way of voting, Finchem said he only started voting in person once he lost trust in the early balloting system.
Pressed on the issue, Finchem eventually got angry and said, โYou guys are frauds.โ
Tim Steller
Itโs the second time heโs had to shut them down in only a week. Veuerโs Tony Spitz has the details.
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