To Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin:

In New Jersey we’ve seen again and again how the loss of vital journalism has left communities in the dark, led to less civic participation and created an information vacuum that disinformation has filled.

But there is a way to fix this. New Jersey has already taken bold action with the creation of the Civic Information Consortium. Now we’re calling on you to continue your support for the community-led local journalism that we all need and deserve. Please provide a $3 million sustaining investment that will fully fund the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium in the FY 2026 budget.

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    Call on New Jersey Lawmakers. Invest in our communities. Invest in local journalism.

    Now Is the Time to Invest in Local Journalism in N.J.

    We’ve seen again and again how the loss of vital journalism leads to an increase in corruption, lower turnout in local elections and the creation of an information vacuum that disinformation has filled.

    That’s why Free Press Action and our allies launched an innovative model for funding community-reporting projects in New Jersey. Since 2021, the Civic Info Consortium has invested $9 million in grants to 56 organizations in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties, with an additional $2.7 million still to be awarded in FY26.

    This is an amazing, potentially history-making endeavor. But New Jersey needs to continue its historic investment if we are truly going to revitalize local journalism in our state — and eventually across the country. And this is a perilous moment: The consortium is in danger of losing vital funds in this year’s budget process.

    Join us now: Call on New Jersey leaders to fully fund the Civic Information Consortium with a $3 million investment. The consortium needs this funding to continue to provide the kind of community-led local journalism that we all need and deserve.