This repository contains datasets related to partisan local news. In 2019, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University launched a research project to trace the use and provenance of local news sites created and operated with the purpose of exercising influence, be it on the electoral front or to promote the program of corporates or special-interest groups. Multiple such networks have spawned since then, both on the left and right. This includes:

• the Metric Media network
• the Star News network
• the Courier network
• the American Independent network
• the Local Report network

This repository is an attempt to create a single resource for anyone interested in this new normal. We intend to keep this up-to-date not just with research from the Tow Center, but also with findings from other journalists and researchers. To begin with, we intend to curate two datasets here:

• a list of domains for each network
• photographs of physical papers as and when we find them

This repository isn't complete — it's a work-in-progress and best-effort. For example, for some physical papers, we find only a page or two posted on social media, which we pull in here. We attempt to track the other pages, but we might not always be successful. For some networks, we might not have all the domains.

As and when we find new resources, we'll update the relevant datasets accordingly. We'll link out to the relevant sources and provide credit where appropriate. The structure of the repository is as follows:

• datasets/physical-papers/<network>/<publication>/<date> contains photographs of each page of a given physical paper for a given publication on a given day. This directory will also have an additional file called source.json which will simply highlight where we sourced the pages from.

• datasets/domains/<organization>/domains.txt will keep track of a list of domains associated with each network. As an when we find new domains, we'll update this list — the older versions will still be available in version control.

See something missing? Think we should add something? Have copies of papers that you'd like to share? Please get in touch with us here or create a pull request.

If you use this dataset, please tell us about it here.

If you use this data, please cite the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University and link to this report.