This article is part of RJI Impact, a series documenting how RJI projects are making a real difference for newsrooms and audiences all over the country. It was originally published in the Winter 2026 edition of RJI Insight, RJI’s biannual print magazine. A digital version of the magazine is available here.

As more people argue that local news is a public good, conversations about sustaining it have moved into statehouses. Across the country, lawmakers are testing new ideas to support local journalism through legislation, but tracking those efforts has been scattered and difficult.

To change that, the Reynolds Journalism Institute launched a state-level Legislative Tracker in 2025. Compiled by Missouri School of Journalism Associate Professor Jared Schroeder and graduate student researchers at Mizzou, the searchable database offers a transparent view of how public policy might strengthen and protect local news.

The Tracker follows bills through legislative sessions and includes interactive maps and bill summaries. State press associations, advocates, policymakers, journalists, and publishers can use the tool to learn from states that are testing new approaches and to anticipate how public funding or policy frameworks may evolve.

“Lawmakers across the U.S. are experimenting with a variety of new ideas to economically support local news, with advocates often looking to other states for inspiration and innovation,” said Matt Pearce, Director of Policy at Rebuild Local News. “The Reynolds Journalism Institute’s new Legislative Tracker is an essential tool for journalists, scholars and lawmakers who want to track these efforts across the local news ecosystem.”

The Legislative Efforts tracker is part of RJI’s new Public Policy section on rjionline.org. This section also includes a database of Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) statutes and related protections for publishers and reporters. Together, these resources offer a reliable source for anyone looking to understand and support policies to sustain independent, fact-based local news.

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Cite this article

RJI Online (2026, March 26). Exploring the intersection of public policy and local news. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/exploring-the-intersection-of-public-policy-and-local-news/