To New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, Senate Minority Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr., Assembly Minority Leader Jon M. Bramnick, Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo and Assembly Budget Chairman Gary Schaer

New Jersey is set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from the sale of its old public-media licenses.

I urge you to dedicate this funding to the creation of the Civic Information Consortium. Overseen by the state’s universities, the consortium would unite journalists, organizers, technology companies, and higher education by funding projects aimed at providing our communities with quality information and impactful reporting.

New Jersey’s media system has been suffering for years — newsrooms have shut down, many of the state’s local journalists have been laid off, and most towns get a constant loop of Philadelphia and New York City news instead of their own. New Jerseyans are powerless and in the dark, and we urge you to do your part to rebuild the state’s community media.

Use the money from the sale of the state’s public-media licenses to create the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium.

Support Assembly Bill A4933 and Senate Bill S3303.

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    New Jersey Deserves Better Media

    New Jersey’s local media is in crisis and — if we act fast — the state legislature can actually do something to fix it.

    Right now the legislature is deciding how to spend hundreds of millions in revenue from the sale of its old public-media licenses. Lawmakers are hoping you aren't paying attention, so now is the time to sound the alarm: These funds must go directly to rebuilding community media.

    The Civic Information Consortium — Assembly Bill A4933 and Senate Bill S3303 — would unite journalists, organizers, tech companies and higher education to fund projects aimed at providing our communities with quality information and impactful reporting.

    Every community deserves a voice. How can we improve schools, fix public works, hold elected officials accountable and be better neighbors when we don’t even know what’s happening on our block?1

    Local media — when it’s done right — makes it happen.

    But many of New Jersey’s local journalists have lost their jobs. Their newsrooms have shut down. Most towns get a constant loop of Philadelphia and New York City news instead of their own. Some get nothing at all.

    New Jersey deserves better media — tell the legislature to pass the Civic Info Bill today.

     

    1. "New Jersey Leaders Introduce Innovative Legislation to Support News and Information Needs Across the State," Free Press Action Fund, June 1, 2017: https://www.newsvoices.org/press-release/108124/new-jersey-leaders-legislation-support-news-and-information