Consulting

Sink, or swim – the pink slime is coming

A tidal wave of pink slime threatens to submerge local journalism – and it just might be good news for your newspaper.

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Pink slime is every bit as appetising and nutritious as it sounds. It’s an additive from the processed food industry that isn’t quite meat, but is close enough that it can be added to beef up food products as a filling. In journalism pink slime is the content that looks like local news, even pretends to be local news, but is actually output from either totally artificial sites hoping to garner advertising, or worse, misinformation sites with their own hidden agenda. 

Can’t believe anyone would swallow something so clearly fake and distasteful? Think again.

This June the new watchdog NewsGuard published its regular Reality Check in which it reported that pink slime sites now outnumber genuine local news sites in the US. There are two sides to that.  One is the decline of local newspapers in the US, with the phenomenon of ‘news deserts’, whereby most counties only have one newspaper, which is often weekly, and 225 counties across the country don’t have a local newspaper at all. Last year over 130 local newspapers disappeared. 

While we don’t have to detail the menaces faced by the PQR in the Hexagone, we don’t have news deserts to the same degree, but that doesn’t mean that pink slime journalism isn’t coming our way.  That’s because the growth of generative AI means it has never been easier to create, and feed a pink slime news site. With the current polarisation of politics the threat from fake news sites with hidden agendas is very real.

So why do we think that could be good news for local newspapers?

Simple. When the cost of producing content is zero, only quality can stand out.

At Upgrade Media we have long stressed that the success of a local title depends on its skill in finding the audience in the formats and platforms they want, but doing so without undermining its own brand, voice, and authenticity.

Read our May 2024 newsletter: AI is coming to your newsroom, and it’s a good thing

Pink slime AI sites can spew out disinformation faster than we can counter it, but they can’t show reporters on the terrain, and talking to locals. The pink slime tide only reinforces the message that it has never been more important to get out and about, and to show that our journalists are in the community. Recognisable faces in recognisable places are the antidote to pink slime. There is always the pressure to produce ever more content as attention spans and production cycles both shrink, but quality local news needs to put the effort in to demonstrate its unique qualities, and its authentic local voice. That means coming up with content that is 

– more accessible

– more meaty

– more playful

– more visual

– more social

– more participatory

Not sure what that means in practice? Why not start here; join our Engagement Assistant initiative and test our prompts for fine tuning news, suggestions for better, SEO-optimised headlines, better formats, and interactive content. 

Because those that don’t learn to swim better risk being sucked under when the pink slime sweeps in. 


About Upgrade Media: Upgrade Media is a creative agency, strategy consultancy, training center and media transformation think tank, through its brand New World Encounters.

◾️ We work for media and communicating companies to accelerate their digital transformations, evolve their organizations, print and digital products, and also develop team agility.

◾️ Check out our Upgrade Media website to learn more about our projects and approach.

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