Legislation aims to support struggling local journalism by directing more state advertising dollars to eligible news organizations.
Trenton, NJ – New Jersey lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would require state agencies to spend at least 30 percent of their advertising budgets with eligible local news organizations in an effort to strengthen local journalism across the state.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Andrew Zwicker and State Sen. Angela V. McKnight, is designed to redirect a portion of government advertising spending toward local news outlets that produce original reporting about their communities.
Key Points
• New Jersey bill would require 30% of state advertising spending go to local news organizations
• Eligible outlets must meet reporting, transparency, and ownership disclosure requirements
• State Treasury would track and publicly report advertising spending each year
Supporters say the measure addresses the steep decline in local journalism jobs and newspaper advertising revenue over the past two decades. According to the Pew Research Center, newspaper advertising nationally has dropped by more than 80 percent since 2000.
Advertising shift aimed at supporting local journalism
Under the proposal, every state agency that is required to publicly advertise bid solicitations would have to allocate at least 30 percent of its advertising spending to qualifying local news organizations.
If an agency demonstrates it needs to spend less than 30 percent of its advertising budget within New Jersey, the bill would still require that at least half of the in-state advertising dollars go to eligible local outlets.
Lawmakers said local news organizations remain one of the most trusted sources of information for communities and play a critical role in informing residents about government programs, public safety, and civic issues.
Requirements for eligible local news outlets
To qualify under the legislation, a news organization must produce original reporting on matters of public interest and employ at least one person working 30 hours a week covering a local community while living in New Jersey.
Digital-only outlets would need to publish an average of three original news stories per week and show that at least half of their audience is located within the state. Print publications must have produced at least one issue per month during the previous year.
Eligible outlets would also be required to publicly disclose their ownership or board structure, maintain a clear corrections policy, and carry at least $1 million in media liability insurance.
Oversight and transparency requirements
The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium would be responsible for creating and maintaining the official list of eligible local news organizations.
State agencies would also have to report their advertising spending to the Department of the Treasury each year, including how much money was spent with local news organizations and which outlets received the contracts.
Treasury would then publish a cumulative statewide report online detailing advertising spending totals, media categories, and the specific news organizations receiving state advertising funds.
Supporters of the measure say the policy is designed to strengthen local journalism while protecting editorial independence by prohibiting agencies from favoring or penalizing outlets based on editorial content.
