New site Tarbell to explore how business influences government

Ricardo Bilton of the Nieman Lab writes about how former health insurance PR executive Wendell Potter is starting Tarbell, a nonprofit website exploring the ways businesses influence government.

Bilton writes, “Now, Potter is trying to use what he learned in the health insurance world to launch Tarbell, a reader-funded reporting project that aims to shine a light on how large companies and lobbyists influence the way government does business. Rather than focus on the politicians, as many news organizations do, Tarbell is set apart through its focus on the figures behind the scenes influencing politics through their contributions. The project builds on the past decade of Potter’s career as an outspoken voice for healthcare reform, a consumer advocate, and an analyst for the Center for Public Integrity.

“‘There’s not enough written about how these processes actually take place,’ said Potter, who started his career as a legislative reporter in Tennessee. ‘Who is writing the checks? What’s in it for them? What are the consequences of all of this for individuals and our way of life? There’s such little understanding about how it really works.’

“Tarbell (named after early muckraker Ida Tarbell) is set to launch this summer, mostly using freelancers and contractors. While the site is courting foundations and big donors, its goal is to get the bulk of its funding directly from readers, starting with a crowdfunding campaign this spring. In the meantime, the site has built up an impressive list of advisors, including David Boardman, the dean at Temple University School of Media and Mass Communication; MediaShift founder Mark Glaser; MIT Center for Civic Media director Ethan Zuckerman; and Tim Griggs, the former publisher of The Texas Tribune.”

Read more here.