CNN’s Jake Tapper has said Courier Newsroom is ‘not an actual newsroom,’ while Brian Stelter labeled it ‘pink slime’
The Democratic “fake news” operation Courier Newsroom, which spent millions targeting swing-state voters in the last election cycle, is expanding into nine additional states ahead of the 2026 midterms, bringing its network of outlets to 20 nationwide.
Courier, founded by Democratic operative Tara McGowan, told Axios it will launch in California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, and Utah. McGowan said she ultimately hopes to operate in all 50 states.
The group, which is backed by left-wing billionaires George Soros and Reid Hoffman, runs a web of state-based sites labeled as “media/news companies” on social platforms and styled to resemble independent local outlets, though critics say they function as Democratic messaging vehicles designed to influence voters.
Courier spent more than $9 million on Facebook ads in the final months of the 2024 election cycle, boosting Vice President Kamala Harris and attacking Donald Trump in battleground states, the Washington Free Beacon reported. The Facebook page for the Keystone, Courier’s Pennsylvania site, reads, “Pennsylvania news by and for the people of Pennsylvania.” Courier is not subject to the FEC’s donor disclosure laws.
Tax filings reviewed by the Free Beacon showed that Future Forward USA Action—the Democratic dark-money juggernaut that spent roughly half a billion dollars boosting Kamala Harris in 2024—funneled more than $13.5 million to Courier, making the network one of its largest beneficiaries. The cash infusion came as Courier was pouring millions into digital ads targeting swing-state voters.
That model has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. In a 2020 segment, CNN anchor Jake Tapper said Courier is “not an actual newsroom, it’s an organization funded by Democratic donors.” His colleague Brian Stelter described the network as “pink slime,” warning that such sites “look like news, they might taste or smell like news, but they are not.” The Center for Responsive Politics called Courier “fake news.”
One Republican operative who reviewed Courier’s digital ad spending told the Free Beacon last year that “They’re targeting voters under the guise of a news organization while shielding their donors’ identities.”
McGowan made headlines when she was spotted “cuddling” with Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) after he separated from his wife, with whom Murphy has two kids. The couple broke up just a few months after their relationship became public.
McGowan told Axios that much of the early criticism her operation received was because she was ahead of the curve. “I think we were a first mover, which meant that we took a lot of flak in the beginning, but now we’re joined by a community of left-leaning media entities that are no different than us,” she said.
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