Скачать или смотреть Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald Highlights the Important Role of Local News in Democracy

Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald delivered remarks at the inaugural “For the Love of Local News: Community Media Project Summit.” Hosted by the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, the all-day conference focused on advocating for quality community news and information. Journalists, nonprofit organizations, funders, grantees, and residents were among the attendees.

The Majority Leader spoke passionately about the need for local news and the role it plays in today's society.

"I am troubled when we ask people where you get your news -- they don’t talk about local journalism anymore," said Majority Leader Greenwald (D-Burlington, Camden) during his remarks. "The demise of journalism got here sooner than I thought. I think that the work that you do is invaluable to the protection of free elections, public policy, democracy and choice amongst candidates."

The conference emphasized how essential local news is to local communities and to democracy. Conference leaders emphasized that local news helps communities stay informed -- the more residents are informed, the more likely they are to remain engaged. Event organizers noted that when news is absent, engagement and participation decline. They also referenced the fact that local news is endangered due to a lack of resources to fund local news organizations that work to provide valuable news to the public.

Majority Leader Greenwald was instrumental in securing additional funding for the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium in the current state budget.