Zwicker, journalists tout bill that would increase funding for local news grants

A bill that would divert some unused film tax credits to public media got a hearing before a Senate panel on Monday, with backers of public television and journalism supporting the plan.

The Senate Economic Growth Committee heard discussion on — but did not vote on — S4323, which would allow the state to auction off unused film tax credits and spend the money on public broadcasting. Much of that funding would go through the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, which provides grants to some 80 journalism organizations across the state in an attempt to address the collapse of local media in the past several decades. 

“Public media is going through a transformation of what it looks like in this new media ecosystem, and New Jersey has struggled to have a New Jersey-specific focus, from North to Central to South to the Shore,” said state Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-South Brunswick), one of the bill’s sponsors.

Last week, Montclair State University won a bid to take over New Jersey’s public television franchise. WNET, the franchise’s current operator, had slated it to close by the end of the month. 

Lisa Sahulka, the executive director of the Civic Information Consortium, said the funds would be a fraction of the cost of what the state already provides to some major corporations.

“That $5 million would be directly allocated for things like job stimulation, economic growth, and trustworthy journalism to benefit all New Jerseyans,” she said. “A dedicated source of funding would not only allow us to continue supporting local journalism, but also to expand our efforts.”

Krystal Knapp, the founder of the Jersey Vindicator news site, said her operation is one of several in the state that could not exist without Consortium funding, which her staff has used on policy-focused journalism.

“We would not exist today without the support of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium,” Knapp said. “The consortium provided the seed funding that allowed us to launch, hire staff, and begin building a sustainable news organization.”

Jerome Montes, a member of the Consortium’s Board of Directors and the communications director for New Jersey Citizen Action, told the committee that the funding would help take influence over civic information back from social media.

“As a communications professional, I’ve seen how social media has really overtaken the information economy,” he said. “And I have to say, my parents, and countless others like them, they don’t want to depend on Instagram and TikTok to make decisions about who to vote for.”

New Jersey Globe Editor David Wildstein serves on the Civic Information Consortium’s Board of Directors.