INVITATION ONLY

Building a National Movement for Local News, State by State

Local News Policy Summit

Date

October 7, 2026

Time

8am-5pm

Location

Hilton Palacio Del Rio, San Antonio, TX

Attendee

85 local state leaders and legislators

overview

Across the country, legislators, advocates, journalists, community leaders, and funders are demonstrating that public policy can be a powerful lever for building a thriving and equitable local news ecosystem and ensuring access to high-quality news and information. The Local News Policy Summit will bring together the people leading this work to share lessons, strengthen relationships, and shape the next generation of state policy. Participants will explore how public investment and policy innovation can expand access to reliable, culturally responsive local news and civic information that meets communities’ needs, particularly in communities of color, rural communities, and other communities that have historically been underserved by the media system.

As the first national convening of its kind, the summit will bring together legislators, advocates, and philanthropic leaders to connect state-level innovation with a broader cross-state strategy. Participants will learn from tested policy models and implementation lessons, explore bipartisan pathways for advancing legislation, and build relationships with peers leading similar efforts. They will leave with practical policy insights, stronger connections, and a clearer path for advancing state-level policy.

Register

ab 866 bill

california journalism
preservation act

Watch on YouTube

The summit comes at a moment of growing momentum, with states advancing policy across four major areas:

Employment tax credits

New York, Illinois, and New Mexico have enacted refundable employment tax credits that help local news organizations retain and hire journalists.

1

Public funding for civic information and community media:

New Jersey created the first-of-its-kind Civic Information Consortium, which directs public funding through an independent institution to support local news and civic information.

2

journalism fellowships and workforce development:

California, Washington, and New Mexico have made major investments in journalism fellowships to help strengthen the local news workforce.

3

Government advertising transparency and investment:

California, Connecticut, Colorado, Minnesota, and Illinois have advanced policies to increase transparency around government advertising spending, prioritize local media, or direct more public advertising dollars to local, ethnic, and community news outlets.

4

  • Local News Policy Summit, October 7th from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

  • Hilton Palacio Del Rio, San Antonio, Texas

  • Complimentary hotel room the night of October 6th provided to all participants

  • Limited travel stipends are available for those unable to attend without financial support. 

registration

conference objectives

Empower Elected Policy Champions

Equip cross-partisan legislators with the tools and consensus needed to champion local news support in diverse political climates.

1

Launch State Policy Report

Coordinate a comprehensive analysis mapping news deserts, policy gaps, media diversity, and public advertising allocations.

2

Foster a Collaborative Policy Vision

Drive a unified effort to safeguard independent journalism through proactive policy advocacy.

3

Deepen Local News Funding Models

Explore the opportunities, challenges, and equity considerations of news funding mechanisms at the city and state levels

4

Analyze Successes & Build Strategy

Leverage quantitative data and lessons from recent legislative successes and hurdles to refine collective strategies.

5

Build and Empower State-Level Coalitions

Cultivate strategic partnerships to advance policy initiatives specifically designed to support local journalism.

6

Legislative milestones

partners

Sponsors