Over the past year, Appalachian State University has received several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from a publication known as the High Country Times, which is identified as part of a network of “pink slime” websites. These requests have sought details on employee compensation, records related to the board of trustees, and course syllabi. Pink slime journalism is a term for low-quality, often AI-assisted reporting frequently tied to lobbyists, special interest groups, and political parties, characterized by political motivation and disinformation.
The High Country Times is owned by Metric Media LLC, a major network operating over 1,200 such publications, with 47 reportedly active across North Carolina, including sites like the Greensboro Reporter, Chapel Hill Review, and North Triangle News. Metric Media is one of many organizations flooding taxpayer-funded universities with requests for information, including syllabi and course materials.
A journalist associated with the High Country Times submitted two FOIA requests to App State's NextRequest portal. These requests asked for information regarding university Board of Trustee members and employee compensation data, both of which have been fulfilled. Anna Oakes, senior director of public relations for App State, confirmed a third request from the High Country Times for all syllabi records from the spring 2025 semester. This request, due to its substantial file size, is not publicly available on the request portal.
Brian Timpone, a founder of Metric Media, stated in an interview last year that the organization aims to uncover “anti-American” content being taught on public campuses nationwide. Timpone, a former journalist, emphasized that “There’s great public interest in what public universities are teaching students.” The use of AI tools allows Metric Media to dispatch a vast number of requests, with research from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism indicating 2,286 record requests sent to universities between January 2025 and 26.
While FOIA requests have long served as a vital tool for journalists and concerned citizens seeking information from government entities, some media professionals express concern that pink slime journals are transforming this public interest mechanism into a political tactic. Daniel Kreiss, director of the University of North Carolina’s Center for Information, Technology and Public Life and a professor at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, voiced frustration over what he perceives as a deliberate effort to undermine public universities. He noted that educators would prefer to focus on students rather than refute “false claims about ideological indoctrination” in their classrooms.
Recent policy changes within the University of North Carolina System have streamlined the process for entities like the High Country Times to obtain such information. On January 15, the UNC System officially adopted a policy designating course syllabi as public record, mandating institutions to create searchable public databases. App State's searchable database for course syllabi is now operational and accessible via the university's Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning site. UNC System President Peter Hans defended this policy change in an op-ed last December, arguing it promotes transparency and helps students make informed course decisions amid declining public trust in institutions.
This erosion of trust extends beyond public institutions to journalism itself. A 2025 Pew Research Center survey revealed that only 56% of U.S. adults hold a moderate or high level of trust in national news organizations, a decrease of 11 points from March 2025 and 20 points since 2016. Trust in local news, while higher at 70%, also fell from 80% in 2016. Concurrently, the number of daily print newspapers in the U.S. has dwindled to fewer than 1,000 as of 2025, according to Northwestern’s Local News Initiative. In contrast, pink slime journalism is expanding, filling the void left by defunct newspapers. A 2024 report by News Guard indicated that pink slime sites now surpass the number of local daily papers.
Distinguishing between pink slime sites and credible sources can be challenging, especially for an untrained eye, as not all such sites engage in overt misinformation or partisan rhetoric. Kreiss advises readers to look beyond a superficial glance. He suggests examining whether a publication has an editorial statement, employs real reporters, maintains a discernible editorial process, and demonstrates a commitment to values typically associated with public interest journalism. Kreiss emphasizes that accountability serves as the crucial differentiator between reliable and unreliable news sources.
