The Sift: Special issue: Pink slime quiz

December 1, 2025

Artificial intelligence Journalism

An educator's guide
to news literacy

Dec. 1, 2025

Hi friend of news literacy,

Welcome to this special “pink slime” issue of The Sift!

If you’re a longtime subscriber, you may be familiar with past newsletter quizzes we’ve featured on artificial intelligence, wellness and science claims, and fact-checking red flags.

Today’s Sift features a new quiz on pink slime journalism, a term for politically motivated websites and publications masquerading as genuine local news. We hope this quiz helps you and your students learn about this pernicious trend in partisan deception.

Hit reply or use this form to share questions or comments about this special issue.

Sincerely,

The Sift team

In this issue

Special issue: Pink slime quiz

An illustration of a computer with the front page of a web site. Pink goo is dripping over the site to represent pink slime.

Pink slime “news” sites pose as standards-based local news organizations but are published by partisan groups seeking political gain.

Pink slime looks like legitimate news sites

Lake County Gazette. Southern Wisconsin Times. The Copper Courier.

These publications may sound like legacy, standards-based newspapers, but they’re actually mimicking legitimate local news. While pink slime has been around for years, with the advent of AI technology it’s never been cheaper or quicker to produce realistic looking “news” websites that bypass journalism standards and ethics.

These sites are known as “pink slime news” — a term borrowed from the food industry to describe a meat by-product used as an additive or filler. It’s an apt analogy for these kinds of phony news websites that use institutional sounding names to pass off politically motivated articles as real local news. A NewsGuard study last year found that they now outnumber legitimate local news sites.

Here’s what to know about pink slime networks:

They fill the void in news deserts. The decline of local news organizations has resulted in over 50 million Americans living in news deserts, or areas with one or no local news sources, according to research from the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University.
They pose as legitimate news organizations. Pink slime sites are designed to deceive people into thinking they are real journalism and are providing reporting that aspires to be accurate, fair and in the public’s interest. They choose names that sound legit, and are designed to fit the conventions of news, complete with mastheads and fake reporter names.
They are increasingly AI-powered. Partisan groups that publish pink slime sites have taken advantage of AI technology and automation to crank out politically motivated “filler” articles more quickly and cheaply than ever before.
They lack original reporting. The “news” published by these groups is generally not original reporting, but rather repackaged statements and press releases from campaigns or political advocacy groups on either side of the partisan divide. They also routinely repackage publicly available information like government meeting agendas.

Tips for spotting pink slime:

Do a quick search. Don’t assume that a newspaper or website with a name that sounds like a real news organization really is one. Poynter recommends doing lateral reading to investigate who runs the site and what fact-checkers have to say about it.
Check the “About” page. Be aware that the "About" page might have details about who funds the site, but many deceptive websites — including some pink slime "news" sites — aren't transparent about their funding or use their "About" page to double down on misleading information. Keep in mind that some pink slime sites may name select standards that resemble those of a credible news outlet but are not fully transparent about their funding or partisan motivations.
Check bylines. Can you confirm that the names on stories belong to real people? Look for a byline and additional reporter information such as photos, bios, and social media accounts.
Identify editorial standards. Do the site’s stories seem impartial, fair and accurate? Do the reporters gather information from multiple credible sources? Do they fairly represent more than one political point of view? Is there an obvious and overwhelming partisan slant? (See the News Literacy Project resources below for further guidance on journalism standards.)

🗒️ Note: See Poynter’s “An illustrated guide to ‘pink slime’ journalism” for more tips on detecting pink slime sites.

⭐ NLP Resources:

Poster: “Seven standards of quality journalism”
Infographic: “Is it legit?”
Activity: “Which is Legit?” (Checkology® virtual classroom)
“Practicing Quality Journalism” (Checkology)
Dig Deeper: “What are “pink slime” sites and how are they different from credible news?”

🔗 Related:

“Website that mimics local news spends thousands on political ads” (Capital News Service)
“Study: People Often Trust Fake Local News Sites More Than Real Ones” (Yale University)

Pink slime quiz

Test your students’ knowledge of "pink slime news" publications using this six-question quiz. They may take the quiz individually, in small groups, or as a class. Students may refer to the News Literacy Project's “Seven standards of quality journalism” and “Is it legit?” infographics to help answer the questions.

Note: Clicking on questions and answers will take you to the interactive Google Form quiz, where students may submit responses and get feedback for answers.

QUESTION 1

Which of these are characteristics of credible, standards-based journalism? Choose two.