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Maine Senate Democrats Blast Fake News Sites Backed By Republicans

Mal Leary
/
Maine Public
Maine Senate President Troy Jackson at a news conference on Tuesday.

Maine Senate Democrats are vowing to introduce legislation next year that would require the identity of the funders behind intentionally biased news websites be publicly disclosed.

Senate President Troy Jackson says the public is being misled by stories on some websites that attack Democratic candidates, but fail to disclose that the content is paid for by Republican groups. He promises legislation in the new session.

“Who is funding it, where is it even coming from and making sure there is a number people can reach out to the site,” he says.

Jackson points to the Maine Examiner, a website owned and operated by Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, as an example of biased and distorted news. Savage does disclose his ownership, unlike several sites including the Maine Business Daily, which the New York Times reports pays freelance writers to submit negative articles about Democratic candidates across the country. Savage did not respond to a request for comment.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.