Less local news content leaves New Jersey in the dark on elections, community engagement
President Joe Biden told dozens of African leaders gathered in Washington that the United States is “all in on Africa’s future,” laying out billions in promised government funding and private investment Wednesday to help the growing continent in health, infrastructure, business and technology. “The US is committed to supporting every aspect of Africa’s growth,” Biden told the leaders and others in a big conference hall, presenting his vision at the three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit of how the US can be a critical catalyst. Biden, who is pitching the US as a reliable partner to promote democratic elections and push critical health and energy growth, told the crowd the $55 billion in committed investments over the next three years — announced on Monday — was just the beginning. He announced more than $15 billion in private trade and investment commitments and partnerships.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A drop in local news coverage has found many New Jerseyans feeling less prepared for elections, a Stockton University poll.
Nearly half of those surveyed (48%) said they read or watch news media for less than two hours a week, the poll conducted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton said.
More than one in three get their local news from nontraditional sources on the internet that may not have in-depth information and lack accuracy, with 21% using social media and 14% simply hearing news from family and friends, the poll found.
News outlets have been forced to shave jobs and other features as cost-cutting measures, to fight off lost revenue from ad circulation and competition. Few reporters are working in local news because of that trend, Stockton said.
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“It’s a vicious circle in which readership and viewership decline, resources are cut and there is less local news content available,” said John Froonjian, director of the Hughes Center. “As local coverage becomes scarce, fewer people consume news.”
Asked how well their news sources inform them about local government activity, 40% gave them a negative rating, 28% gave a neutral rating and 28% gave a positive rating.
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Stockton’s poll also suggests a rise in news deserts may be harming civic engagement.
Slightly more than half (51%) of New Jerseyans told Stockton pollsters they can’t find enough news coverage to help guide them come time to vote in local elections.
One in three said the same about national news, Stockton said.
Voters consuming local news media voted in local elections more than their counterparts without hometown coverage, at 44% and 34%, respectively. Higher rates of those with local news coverage said they felt informed enough to vote in local races (47%), compared with those without such coverage (27%).
Most people (60%) say the lack of local coverage doesn’t affect how engaged they are locally, but 16% said they are less engaged. One in five said they have become more engaged as local news coverage declines, perhaps to find out what is happening in their towns, Froonjian said.
However, residents do feel largely uninformed about what goes on in their area.
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Asked how well their news sources inform them about community issues, the majority (57%) gave a negative rating, 20% gave a neutral rating and 18% gave a positive rating.
“These results make it clear that local news is not only important to having an informed public, it’s vital to the democratic process,” Froonjian said.
Contact Eric Conklin:
609-272-7261
Twitter @ACPressConklin
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