To New Jersey state legislators:

In 2018, the New Jersey legislature and Gov. Murphy dedicated $5 million to fund the Civic Info Consortium. Unfortunately, when the governor signed the legislation, he said the money was no longer available. Now he’s attempting to get away with allotting just a fraction of the funding he originally promised.

Thousands of people from across the Garden State have advocated for lawmakers to take bold action to establish the Civic Info Consortium. New Jersey media are in crisis, and our communities are suffering as a result. Failing to fund the consortium would deal a serious blow to civic engagement and dialogue for people across the state.

You supported the consortium last year, and now we need your support again. Dedicate $5 million to the Civic Info Consortium in the FY 2020 budget.

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    Support New Jersey's communities. Fund the Civic Info Consortium

    Tell N.J. Lawmakers to Fully Fund the Civic Info Consortium

    Great news: The pressure is working! After weeks of New Jersey residents speaking out, Gov. Murphy has decided to include $1 million for the Civic Info Consortium in his proposed FY 2020 budget.

    Though this is a positive first step, $1 million is far short of the $5 million Murphy committed to last year before he subsequently pulled the funding. And it’s far short of what’s needed to invest in innovative local projects meant to better inform our communities.

    But this fight is far from over. It’s up to lawmakers to craft and pass the budget, and we’ve heard that they’re listening to people like you and are considering dedicating the full $5 million for this landmark project.

    It’s needed now more than ever. New Jersey’s media crisis is harming our communities. Studies have shown that when local news disappears, fewer people vote, fewer people volunteer, political polarization increases and people feel disconnected from their communities.1

    The threat of a barren media landscape is why New Jersey lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats alike — passed the Civic Info Bill in 2018 to establish the consortium. It’s why thousands of New Jerseyans supported the bill by participating in public forums and lobbying their elected officials.

    Urge legislative leaders to finish what they started last year and dedicate $5 million to the Civic Info Consortium.

    1. “The Death of Local News Is Making Us Dumber and More Divided,” Motherboard, Feb. 21, 2019: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/panqb8/the-death-of-local-news-is-making-us-dumber-and-more-divided