State Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Phila) is proposing two bills that will invest in Pennsylvania’s local news and civic information needs by providing funding and growing reporter numbers.
The proposals include establishing Pennsylvania’s Civic Information Consortium (CIC) and a state-fellowship program as two new avenues for supporting local journalism. The programs would fund community news, fill critical information gaps, and grow reporter numbers in underserved regions of the state.
“Local news and civic information are public goods—they deserve public dollars,” said Rabb in a press release. “When communities lose access to independent journalism, transparency erodes, civic engagement declines, and government becomes less accountable to the people it serves. The longer we wait to rebuild community newsrooms, the more we jeopardize the civic health of Pennsylvanians.”
Rabb’s proposals could aid news deserts like Union and Montour counties which have zero newspapers, as well as the 15 counties across the commonwealth currently at risk of becoming news deserts who only have one news outlet.
Rural, working-class families, communities of color, and non-English speaking communities feel a greater impact from the information gap from limited media access, said Rabb referencing federal cuts to public media.
“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,” said Alex Frandsen, Free Press Action’s journalism program manager. “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.”
The civic information consortium Rabb is proposing, modeled after New Jersey’s CIC, would distribute grants to local newsrooms and organizations to fill civic information gaps. As an independent body outside of the state government, the organization would ensure editorial independence and protection against government interference. The consortium would also raise private philanthropic donations to help fund its mission.
The second bill’s proposed state-fellowship program would place journalists in community newsrooms to strengthen reporting capacity where it’s needed most across the state.
“Reliable local reporting is tied to everything from monitoring public spending at the municipal level to fighting corruption at the highest level of our government. The data is clear, and so is the need,” said Rabb.
California, New Mexico, and Washington State have piloted fellowship programs putting reporters in communities where local news has dwindled. In New Jersey, the first-in-the-nation CIC was created.
Since its creation in 2021, the New Jersey consortium has trained 1,271 storytellers, awarded 132 individual grants, and invested $10 million in civic information needs.
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Free Press, a media advocacy organization which helped New Jersey’s CIC, says “trustworthy local journalism can be linked to better governance, lower levels of corruption, greater civic engagement and community trust.”
In its 2025 impact report, the consortium reports grantees using funding to meet basic organizational needs, purchase insurance, and pay contributors. Other grantees have reported using their funds for strengthening student interest in journalism and educational programs in New Jersey.
Chris Daggett, interim executive director for NJ CIC, said the consortium provides a wide range of support, from building news outlets to investing in the journalism pipeline.
“While some states are doing individual things, maybe as well or better than we are,” Daggett said. “I would say that New Jersey has got the most comprehensive support system for local news in the country.”
Daggett said the consortium’s focus is on marginalized communities and news deserts where legacy media reports on larger stories and neglects to tell the community’s story.
“They come in are as you probably see in the Pennsylvania where there’s a fire or a flood or a rape or a murder or whatever, and then they’re gone, and they miss the richness of the communities, the cultural richness, the vibrancy of these communities,” said Daggett.
California created a Civic Media Fund and lawmakers in Oregon and Wisconsin have introduced legislation to establish civic information consortiums. Now, Rabb says the proposal has attracted bipartisan support and he plans to formally introduce the bills this year.
Free Press Action’s Frandsen said Rabb’s proposal is the action needed to inform, connect and empower communities. He said communities face a shortage of local news while being bombarded by misinformation.
“We’re excited to see Pennsylvania join a growing number of states looking to stem this growing crisis with responsible public investment,” said Frandsen.
