COURIER Acquired by Civic Media Incubator Good Information Inc.
Courier Newsroom’s New Parent Company’s Focus is Countering Disinformation Online
NEW YORK, NY – October 26, 2021 – Courier Newsroom — a civic media company composed of eight state-based newsrooms dedicated to reporting on the issues most important to building more informed and engaged communities — is officially acquired by Good Information Inc., a public benefit corporation. Good Information Inc. seeks to increase the flow of good information online to counter disinformation where it spreads and restore social trust through the targeted distribution of fact-based information and storytelling.
“As a team of journalists safeguarding traditional standards while embracing modern distribution practices and point-of-view journalism, all of us at Courier Newsroom are extremely happy to be the first investment of Good Information’s portfolio,” said Pat Kreitlow (he/him), a co-founder of UpNorthNews, the Wisconsin outlet for Courier Newsroom, and one of the company’s regional editorial directors. “We are seeing unparalleled threats to our country’s democracy and a free press today—threats so grave that the long-running fight against misinformation seems almost quaint as we confront outright disinformation from people preying upon Americans fears and anxieties to push their own agenda or profit margins. .”
Unlike traditional corporations that claim a fiduciary duty to shareholders as their prime objective, Good Information organized as a public benefit corporation—establishing a mission and a set of values that guide company decision making. Using high standards of verification as a north star, transparency as the watchword, and “meet them where they are” as a method of engagement, Good Information hopes to provide news and other content that is trustworthy and relevant at the local level, where it is most needed. Courier’s new ownership will not affect the company’s journalistic standards. The editorial firewall between Courier’s funding sources and newsrooms ensures that the company’s underwriters will never influence its journalism.
“Because of rampant disinformation and the continued shuttering of smaller news outlets across the country, millions of Americans have taken themselves out of civic participation,” Kreitlow said. “There is far too much distrust of one another, far too little engagement in search of common ground, and far less appreciation for what a functional, service-driven government can do at every level when we seek a society that works for everyone. We are pro-democracy, pro-truth, pro-science and pro making progress on our common problems.”
About Courier Newsroom
Courier Newsroom is a network of online local newsrooms whose mission is to build a more informed, engaged and representative America by driving relevant, trustworthy news and values-driven storytelling to passive news consumers who are being inundated with disinformation online. How? We unpack the policy decisions made by our leaders and talk directly to the people being affected by them across the country. We believe that the nation’s most complex issues should be accessible to everyone and strive to lift up the too-often untold stories happening in communities across the country. As a civic news organization, our journalists will be unapologetically biased toward reporting on efforts to strengthen communities, get Americans back to work, expand access to health care and child care, address the climate crisis, and reduce inequality in all forms—and covering the leaders championing those efforts.
The Managing Editor of each newsroom, in addition to Courier Newsroom’s editorial directors, has sole discretion and control over the editorial process. Earlier this year, ACRONYM divested all ownership stake in Courier Newsroom, a public benefit corporation that ACRONYM helped to incubate in 2019.
About Good Information Inc.
Good Information Inc. is a public benefit corporation committed to increasing the flow of good information online to counter disinformation where it spreads, restore social trust and strengthen democracy. We do this through investing in, incubating and scaling ideas and new business models that leverage smart distribution strategies capable of breaking down echo chambers and information silos with trusted information and storytelling.
Good Information believes that in an atmosphere of increased mistrust, transparency is essential. For more information on Good Information Inc., including a full list of investors and other relevant disclosure information, please visit GoodInfo.us or reach out to press@goodinfo.us.
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