New Jersey's News Desert

By Christoper J. Daggett and Stefanie Murray

A new report from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, the "Local Journalist Index," examines the number of reporters working full-time in the United States on a per-capita basis. The findings are stark, albeit unsurprising: the nation has an alarming shortage of local journalists.

Less than 25 years ago, the country had 40 journalists per 100,000 residents on average. Now the majority of the U.S. — two-thirds of all counties—has fewer than 10 journalists per 100,000 people, and one-third don’t even have the equivalent of one full-time local journalist.

When the data are examined on a per-state basis, New Jersey ranks at the bottom – a strong argument in support of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium. According to the report, New Jersey is 50th out of 51 (a list including the 50 states and the District of Columbia), tied with Delaware for the worst ratio of local journalists to residents in the nation.

The state has just 5.1 Local Journalist Equivalents (LJEs) per 100,000 residents. The LJE is a new metric designed to estimate the total reporting capacity in an area, moving beyond a simple count of news outlets to measure the actual journalistic work being done. This figure is dramatically lower than the national average of 8.97 LJEs and is a fraction of the 40 journalists per 100,000 residents that was the national average at the turn of the century.

While the raw data identified an original count of 1,435 journalists in the state, the report's methodology—which filters for factors like a reporter's focus on local issues and their volume of work—calculates that this translates to only 470 full-time Local Journalist Equivalents serving the entire state.

The shortage of reporters is not just a statewide issue but is felt acutely at the local level. The report specifically calls out Hunterdon County and Warren County, listing them among the ten counties in the nation with the fewest Local Journalist Equivalents per capita within their population bracket (100,000 to 250,000 residents). This highlights how even in a state of such population density and known for its suburbs, entire communities are being left without adequate local news coverage.

Why is this? Why are so few journalists employed in a state known as an innovator in local news?

First, New Jersey’s location between major media centers in New York City and Philadelphia has always been an issue, and that shows up in the report. Our state exists in the "shadow of the New York City and Philadelphia media markets." The gravitational pull of these two major media hubs has always siphoned off advertising revenue, audience attention and journalism workers that may otherwise support local New Jersey news outlets. There are far more journalists who live in New Jersey than actually cover New Jersey.

Second, for a very long time, the New Jersey media ecosystem was dominated by print news products owned primarily by two companies. Dozens of newspapers were owned by the Borg family under the North Jersey Media Group umbrella; they were all sold to Gannett, and many slashed funding and personnel in 2016. NJ Advance Media, owner of The Star-Ledger, has made drastic cuts over the last 10-15 years as well. The layoffs and downsizing by these two companies alone have meant the total or near-total loss of news coverage in scores of municipalities across our highly dense state.

Last, the state’s active hyperlocal news start-up scene masks reality somewhat. The Local Journalist Index report examines only full-time journalist equivalents. New Jersey is home to dozens of news start-ups, many of which are 10 years old or younger and hyperlocal. They tend to employ fewer people and a much higher percentage of part-time and freelance staff. Freelancers were counted as a lower percentage of the Local Journalist Equivalent in the study and likely lowered New Jersey’s numbers overall.

Still, the findings paint a concerning picture of the information ecosystem for the state's 9.5 million residents, highlighting a critical lack of local reporters who are essential for civic engagement, successful communities, and a healthy democracy.

That’s why the work of the NJ Civic Information Consortium and its Press Forward chapter is so important. For the past five years, the Consortium, established by State statute and financed from State budget appropriations, supplemented by foundation funding, has awarded grants to start-up, early-stage, and established online local news outlets. With a focus on marginalized and news-desert communities, the Consortium has provided support to organizations in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. It also provides back office support and training programs for grantees, other local news outlets, and the next generation of media professionals at the high school, community college, and university levels.

The Consortium also serves as a local chapter of Press Forward, the national foundation effort led by the MacArthur Foundation, Knight Foundation, and Democracy Fund that has raised over $500 million in support of local news.

Finally, the Consortium works in close partnership with Montclair State University’s Center for Cooperative Media, which works to grow the local news ecosystem through training, coaching, communication, research, networking, collaborations, and more. Since 2012, the Center has supported more than 300 news organizations through membership in its flagship network, the NJ News Commons.

Looking ahead: Building a stronger news ecosystem

The Local Journalist Index confirms what many in New Jersey have long suspected: our state faces a critical shortage of full-time local reporters. That’s the bad news. The good news is that New Jersey is also home to innovative news organizations and supportive infrastructure that has been underway for several years.

The combination of the NJ Civic Information Consortium's targeted funding, Press Forward's national resources, and the Center for Cooperative Media's collaborative approach represents a comprehensive strategy to address this crisis. These efforts are already showing results—from new newsrooms launching in underserved communities to established outlets expanding their coverage capacity.

However, the scale of the challenge demands sustained commitment. With only 5.1 journalists per 100,000 residents, New Jersey needs continued investment in local news infrastructure, innovative funding models, and programs that support both emerging and established newsrooms.

We need to do more than just climb out of last place in the national rankings. We need to ensure every New Jersey community has access to the local journalism essential for informed civic participation and democratic accountability. The foundation is being built. Now it's time to scale up the work.