Pennsylvania State Lawmaker Unveils Strong Proposal to Invest in Local News and Informed Communities

PHILADELPHIA — On Monday, Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb announced a bold and timely proposal to support local news and invest in residents’ civic-information needs. The proposal — outlined in a co-sponsorship memo circulated in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives — involves two new bills. 

The first would create and fund a Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium (CIC), which would distribute grants to local newsrooms and organizations focused on filling the most critical information gaps. The CIC, modeled after a successful bipartisan program in New Jersey, would be an independent body outside of the state government to ensure editorial independence and protect against government interference. The organization’s independence would also allow it to raise private philanthropic dollars from local, state and national foundations.

The second bill would establish a state-fellowship program for local news, placing journalists in community newsrooms across Pennsylvania to strengthen reporting capacity where it’s needed most. California, New Mexico and Washington State have recently piloted similar fellowship programs, which have placed reporters on the ground in communities that have seen local coverage disappear over the past two decades. 

Rabb’s proposal aligns with a growing wave of state-level interest in public grantmaking for local news. The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium — which Free Press Action helped create — has distributed more than $10 million in public funds to local-media outlets and public-interest initiatives. California recently announced the creation of a Civic Media Fund that the state will help support, and lawmakers have introduced legislation to establish civic information consortiums in Oregon and Wisconsin. 

In Pennsylvania, 17 counties have only one — or in some cases, zero — local-news sources, and the newsrooms that have survived often have just a handful of reporters. Trustworthy local journalism has been linked to better governance, lower levels of corruption, greater civic engagement and stronger community trust.

Free Press Action Journalism Program Manager Alex Frandsen said:

“The proposal from Representative Rabb is exactly the kind of action and investment that this moment demands. As newsrooms shrink or outright shut down — and as public media grapples with painful federal cuts — we need smart, forward-looking solutions at the state level to ensure that communities have the information they need to stay safe, connected and empowered.

“Local news and civic information are true public goods, and in Pennsylvania — as in the rest of the country — too many communities lack access to them. Giant corporations and hedge funds increasingly dominate our ailing media system, and despite the efforts of many hard-working journalists, our communities are being bombarded by misinformation and clickbait, with a shortage of local news that actually meets people’s needs. Rural communities, low-income communities, non-English-speaking communities and communities of color often experience these deficits most acutely. 

“We’re excited to see Pennsylvania join a growing number of states looking to stem this growing crisis with responsible public investment. We look forward to working with Representative Rabb, the Pennsylvania legislature, media leaders and community members across the state to build support for this proposal and ensure it meets people’s needs.”