The Republican Governors Association this week was caught creating its own news website that critics are comparing to Pravda, the infamous Soviet propaganda newspaper.
The Associated Press reports that the RGA's new Free Telegraph website consists of stories that paint Republican governors in a positive light, while simultaneously slamming Democrats. What makes the website particularly shady, notes the AP, is that it initially contained "no acknowledgement that it was a product of an official party committee whose sole purpose is to get more Republicans elected."
The website has drawn criticism even from some fellow Republicans, who worry about blurring the lines between actual news sources and purely partisan operations dedicated to keeping a select group of politicians in office.
"It’s propaganda for sure, even if they have objective standards and all the reporting is 100 percent accurate," Republican communications veteran Rick Tyler told the Associated Press.
And David Turner, the spokesman for Democratic Virginia gubernatorial nominee Ralph Northam, said that the GOP was trying to "create their own Pravda" with the website, which has frequently used its platform to attack Northam's candidacy.
After an inquiry by the AP, the RGA decided to put a disclosure on the Free Telegraph's homepage acknowledging its ties to the Republican Party.