Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald recently joined community leaders and stakeholders to announce the inclusion of $2.5 million in state funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium (NJCIC) as part of the fiscal year 2026 state budget.
The investment comes as the state-funded NJCIC initiative marks its seventh year. The NJCIC was established through legislation sponsored by Greenwald in 2018.
The NJCIC is dedicated to revitalizing local news, expanding access to reliable civic information, and promoting media literacy through public investment. This organization funds innovative projects that strengthen democracy, bridge information gaps, and ensure New Jersey residents have access to trusted, community-oriented news.
Consolidation and closures in the newspaper industry in New Jersey have been accelerating. This year, New Jersey daily newspapers the Star-Ledger, Jersey Journal of Jersey City, the Times of Trenton, and the South Jersey Times stopped print publication in February. The Hunterdon County Democrat ceased print publication in January.
“The media landscape is changing in fundamental ways, and ensuring New Jersey residents maintain access to quality, informative journalism — particularly at the local level — has never been more important,” said Greenwald. “While the federal government moves away from supporting public journalism and major newspaper institutions like the Star-Ledger halt print journalism, the Civic Information Consortium is planting the seeds for grass roots local journalism to grow and thrive.”
