Courier Newsroom is an American digital media company that operates news outlets and sponsors political content intended to support Democratic Party candidates.

[5] Courier's lack of transparency about its funding sources and glowing coverage of Democratic candidates have raised questions about its reliability and about the line between advocacy and journalism.

Courier was founded by Tara McGowan, a political strategist and former journalist[6] who previously worked for the Obama campaign and the SuperPAC Priorities USA Action.

As of May 2020, Courier Newsroom websites had a budget of $11 million, a staff of 60 reporters and 12 editors, and aimed to publish approximately 300 articles and videos a week.

[11] Mark Zuckerberg's concern that the Courier Newsroom was not a real news outlet sparked a 2020 change in policy at Facebook, which started to limit the reach of partisan sites by restricting their access and curtailing their advertising.

Courier's ads recruited participants "to a program that claims they can receive up to $400 for talking to their family and friends about 'voting for Kamala Harris and Democrats this election cycle.

'"[22] In February 2025, Tara McGowan addressed a summit of Democratic donors and operatives that had gathered to "discuss how the left's well-funded digital media ecosystem failed in the 2024 election.

"[28] According to OpenSecrets, "websites affiliated with Courier Newsroom that appear to be free-standing local news outlets are actually part of a coordinated effort with deep ties to Democratic political operatives.

"[3] NewsGuard, which rates news sources, warns readers that Courier Newsroom websites are "insufficiently transparent" and "cherry-pick facts to advance a Democratic narrative."

"[20] According to The Wall Street Journal, outlets like Courier try to capitalize on readers' trust in local news sources "while playing down their partisan interests and often obscuring their donors.