Worth a long read.
https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/hundreds-of-pink-slime-local-news-outlets-are-distributing-algorithmic-stories-conservative-talking-points.php
I have not been seeing those "local" news sites as much in the SERPs lately. I always assumed it was just spamming for ad dollars (which maybe is mostly what it was), but spamming as a sort of Trojan Horse network of political ideology is as depressing as it is brilliant.