A new media effort to push back on disinformation is being put together by billionaires George Soros and Reid Hoffman. The new venture is unironically called “Good Information, Inc.”.
This news was first reported by Axios on Tuesday.
Exclusive: Billionaires Reid Hoffman, George Soros and others back new media firm led by @taraemcg to combat disinformation
— As part of its launch, “Good Information” will acquire @CourierNewsroom, a local news group with a progressive perspective. https://t.co/v4ddccFPoK— Sara Fischer (@sarafischer) October 26, 2021
Progressive billionaires Soros and Hoffman take on ‘disinformation’
The effort, Good Information Inc., is advertised as a “a public benefit corporation committed to restoring social trust and strengthening democracy” by supporting the flow of accurate information, the group said in a Tuesday statement.
Hoffman will help launch the project with a multi-million seed effort. Hoffman founded LinkedIn with Soros and investors Ken and Jen Duda, and Incite Ventures.
Axios reported, “The group will be led by Tara McGowan, a former Democratic strategist who previously ran a progressive non-profit called ACRONYM.”
“We are disclosing our investors, because we believe — especially right now in this environment of mistrust — that transparency is really important,” McGowan told Axios.
Axios noted that “Good Information Inc. will invest in new businesses and solutions that tackle the disinformation crisis. That could mean funding new or existing companies that boost news from existing news outlets.”
Pat Kreitlow, who co-founded Wisconsin news outlet UpNorthNews, said in a statement that the company is “extremely happy to be the first investment of Good Information’s portfolio.”
“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,” Kreitlow said.
The Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald bashes Soros venture
Progressive journalist and frequent media critic Glenn Greenwald called the joint effort by Soros and Hoffman “dyspotic.”
The idea that liberal billionaires like Soros and Hoffman (and Omidyar) are going to save society by using their limitless wealth to police the internet for what *they regard as* disinformation, extremism and hate speech is one of the creepiest and dystopic things I’ve heard. https://t.co/3Wwewd8Yjb
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 26, 2021
“The idea that liberal billionaires like Soros and Hoffman (and Omidyar) are going to save society by using their limitless wealth to police the internet for what *they regard as* disinformation, extremism and hate speech is one of the creepiest and dystopic things I’ve heard,” Greenwald tweeted.
Not stopping there, the journalist went on to question whether the billionaires were the right people to fight “disinformation”.
Greenwald accused them of funding outlets that “aggressively spread disinformation” and went so far as to call the pursuit “laughable”.
All three of these billionaires — Soros, Hoffman and Omidyar — fund groups and outlets that aggressively spread disinformation. The idea that *they* are going to use their vast wealth to police the internet in the name of keeping us safe is laughable.https://t.co/vuBB5Gj4VV
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 26, 2021
This article was originally published by the Political Insider. Read the original article.
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