Top Catholic officials in several dioceses say they have no ties to right-wing political mailers disguised as religious newspapers that end up in residents’ mailboxes.
The fake newspapers, with names like Wisconsin Catholic Tribune, are part of a massive national effort, funded by conservative megadonors, to spread partisan information under the guise of news. It is often known as ‘pink slime journalism’.
“This direct mail piece, which is political in nature, is not a publication of the Church in Madison or Wisconsin and the publishers are not authorized in the Diocese of Madison to present their content as Catholic,” Bishop Donald Hying of Madison said in a statement speech. statement.
Wisconsin’s other dioceses released similar statements distancing themselves from the mailers.
ProPublica recently traced the Wisconsin Catholic Tribune and other similar publications masquerading as Catholic newspapers in key swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania to Metric Media, a network of more than 1,200 politically supported sites across the United States.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also recently reported on the approximately two dozen publications associated with Metric Media that claim to be Wisconsin news outlets, including the Milwaukee City Wire, the Madison Reporter and the Waukesha Times. The newspapers typically have no named authors and are barely reported, often repeating a politician’s post or press release on social media. Articles have appeared with false or misleading information about the crime rates of undocumented immigrants, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ stance on reparations and more.
The so-called “Catholic” outlets affiliated with Metric Media have not updated their websites in months. Most stories have no byline. Most of the articles on the Wisconsin site are simply lists of Mass intentions — names of the people for whom each Mass is said — for various Wisconsin parishes for a week in July.
Some articles in the Catholic Tribune mailers focus on abortion, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Donald Trump, and and culture war issues. ProPublica reports that other headlines refer to “gender reassignment mutilation operations” on Wisconsin children and “Haitian illegal aliens.”
Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism lists in its database of Metric Media channels eight publications disguised as Catholic newspapers: in Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, as well as a national newspaper called “American Catholic Tribune.” “
Republicans seek Catholic votes, even if there is no real bloc
Republicans have sought to mobilize conservative Catholic voters in battleground states ahead of November’s presidential election. Vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance visited Waukesha on Sunday with the goal of winning over Catholic voters.
More: JD Vance visits crucial Waukesha County to encourage Catholics to vote for Trump
Although Catholics are important because of their large numbers, it is generally accepted that there is no true Catholic bloc. About half — 52% — of Catholic registered voters identify with Republicans, and 44% identify with Democrats, according to the Pew Research Center. Hispanic Catholics tend to lean more Democratic, while white Catholics tend to lean more Republican.
Even on social issues, Catholics are divided. When it comes to abortion, for example, only one in 10 agree with the Church’s teaching that it should be illegal in all cases, according to the Pew Research Center. And while immigration is a major election issue, a recent national survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate found that it does not decisively move Catholic voters one way or another.
In a Facebook post, the Catholic Conference of Wisconsin, the policy advocacy arm of the state’s five dioceses, acknowledged that the fake newspaper mailers were political in nature and said it is not affiliated with them. The conference also referred Catholics to the voter guide. The Catholic Church in Wisconsin does not endorse candidates or parties, but can “draw attention to the moral and religious dimensions of public issues,” according to its published election guidelines.
Here are the names of the legitimate Catholic newspapers affiliated with each diocese in Wisconsin:
Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter covering religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Conservative political mailers posed as Catholic newspapers
