Project for Good Information (PGI) is a media venture announced by Democratic political consultant Tara McGowan in early February 2021. The project claims to “restore social trust” between the public and the media by countering the alleged misinformation produced by right-leaning media outlets across the United States. Critics contend that McGowan, a well-known political operative, will exclusively support left-leaning media outlets and further polarize the public. ¹

PGI will consist of a 501(c)(3) called the “Good Information Project” which will grant money to nonprofit media outlets, and a public benefit corporation (B-Corp) of the same name which will invest in for-profit media outlets.

Background

Project for Good Information was founded by Tara McGowan, a Democratic operative who headed ACRONYM and previously worked at Priorities USA, NextGen Climate Action, and on President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. In 2017, McGowan launched her first media venture, Courier Newsroom, which received criticism for mimicking the appearance of unbiased local newspapers while actually spreading pro-Democratic sentiment in swing states. Prior to the 2020 election, McGowan’s ACRONYM invested $25 million into Courier Newsroom. ^{2 3}

Founding

In February 2021, Vox gained access to a marketing memo on McGowan’s plans for PGI. According to Vox, PGI represents a [“doubling]-down” of McGowan’s strategy with Courier Newsroom, which ostensibly intended to combat supposed “misinformation” promoted by national right-leaning media outlets like Fox News and Breitbart News and by local right-leaning media outlets across the country. However, McGowan reportedly intends to distance PGI from the Democratic Party to give the new venture more apparent legitimacy. ⁴

Despite this strategy, PGI’s first investment will be in Courier Newsroom to expand its operations. ⁵

Vox reported that McGowan intends to raise $65 million, with $35 million for the B-Corp, $25 million for the 501(c)(3), and $5 million for a two-year operating budget. ⁶

1. Schleifer, Theodore. “Inside the new $65 million push from progressives to compete with conservative media.” Recode. February 23, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.vox.com/recode/22296522/acronym-democrats-courier-progressive-news-tara-mcgowan-project-for-good-information.
2. Schleifer, Theodore. “Inside the new $65 million push from progressives to compete with conservative media.” Recode. February 23, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.vox.com/recode/22296522/acronym-democrats-courier-progressive-news-tara-mcgowan-project-for-good-information.
3. “Courier Newsroom.” Influence Watch. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/courier-newsroom/.
4.  Schleifer, Theodore. “Inside the new $65 million push from progressives to compete with conservative media.” Recode. February 23, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.vox.com/recode/22296522/acronym-democrats-courier-progressive-news-tara-mcgowan-project-for-good-information.
5. Schleifer, Theodore. “Inside the new $65 million push from progressives to compete with conservative media.” Recode. February 23, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.vox.com/recode/22296522/acronym-democrats-courier-progressive-news-tara-mcgowan-project-for-good-information.
6. Schleifer, Theodore. “Inside the new $65 million push from progressives to compete with conservative media.” Recode. February 23, 2021. Accessed July 14, 2021. https://www.vox.com/recode/22296522/acronym-democrats-courier-progressive-news-tara-mcgowan-project-for-good-information.