Gov. Mikie Sherrill: Ethnic and community media shed light on ‘untold local stories’
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, NJ Sen. Raj Mukherji highlight the need for truthful, reliable news media at the 2026 NJ Excellence in Community Media Awards.
The New Jersey Excellence in Community Media Awards by Anthony Advincula
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill addressed journalists from across the state on Friday morning at the New Jersey Excellence in Community Media Awards, highlighting the importance of government accountability, transparency, and accessible information for ethnic and community media.
Sherrill delivered the keynote address at this year’s awards luncheon ceremony, organized by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.
“Ethnic and community media play a vital role in shedding light on untold local stories, serving as a lifeline to their communities,” Sherrill said. “Your work matters — to your communities and to our state.”
The awards ceremony took place at The College of New Jersey, with some 70 participants in attendance, including community journalists, elected officials, representatives from state agencies, academic leaders, and community organizations.
“Every ethnic and community media journalist here puts in such long hours and really works incredibly hard to bring attention to so many of the key community interests that are going on across our state,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with more of you.”
Sherill congratulated the awardees and acknowledged the crucial work that local journalists do, including those who report and publish in languages other than English. The governor also praised the tenacity and resourcefulness of “scrappy journalists” who hold public institutions accountable, particularly those who are “creating problems for many people across the town.”
“Who’s going to be at some of the town municipal meetings to get very busy people some news out about what’s going on and how you can make good decisions?” she asked, encouraging local journalists and newsrooms for their continued efforts.
Sherrill also affirmed her administration’s commitment to ensuring that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities operate within their legal boundaries and respect constitutional rights to “protect New Jersey residents.”
Last month, Sherrill issued Executive Order 12, which limits ICE access to nonpublic areas of NJ state property without a judicial warrant. The Sherrill administration also launched an online portal that maps out “Know Your Rights” information in 22 languages.
An empowering event
For Carlos Avila, publisher and editor of Spanish-language El Latino News, the presence of Sherrill and elected officials at the event was “empowering and promising.”
“Small publications like ours, especially in the ethnic press, we don’t usually get access to the governor or senator,” said Avila. “In my 25 years of experience as a journalist, we don’t get an invite to press conferences, unlike the big, mainstream counterparts.”
Avila, who was able to ask Sherrill a question at the awards ceremony, recalled that the last time he was able to have an interaction with a governor was when he worked for The Trentonian about a decade ago.
“With the Center’s leadership, I believe it’s changing,” he added. “I told my wife, ‘I’m happy that a governor can see us now.’”
Keith Strudler, dean of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, who introduced Sherrill at the awards ceremony, noted the Center’s work to grow and strengthen local journalism in New Jersey and beyond.
“The Center has supported access to timely and newsworthy content in various languages, helped to enhance reporting skills, and connected community media with elected officials and legislators,” Strudler said.
‘The truth about communities matters.’
During the second part of Friday’s program, New Jersey Sen. Raj Mukherji (D-32nd District) joined the luncheon to deliver his remarks.
He underscored that while “it’s becoming fashionable to declare journalism is dying because newspapers are disappearing, attention spans are shrinking, and that truth somehow is negotiable,” neither misinformation nor violence can silence journalists.
“I believe something simple but profound,” said Mukherji, a son of Indian immigrants. “The truth about our communities matters. And someone must go out and find it, especially for those outlets that reach our diaspora, diverse and immigrant communities.”
Amid what’s currently happening in New Jersey and across the country, Mukherji said that the work of local community press is critical to American democracy.
“Someone still sits through the five-hour council meeting, planning board hearing, or legislative committee so the rest of us can know what actually happened — and that someone is a journalist — and it remains one of the most essential acts in a democracy,” he said.
Mukherji echoed Sherrill on the importance of supporting the sustainability of community media in New Jersey.
“Shaking the economic foundation of local journalism is one way to get rid of all. It’s why supporting nonprofit and community journalism through appropriations is important because community journalism is a public good,” he added.
Sen. Kim on equal access
Before the awardees were announced, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) shared a video message from Washington, D.C.
“There are so many issues currently affecting our state, our country, and our world. Now more than ever, we need reliable news, information, and media that can reach people all across New Jersey,” Kim said.
After congratulating the award winners, Kim expressed his commitment to the residents of New Jersey.
“I’m committed to working with you to meet New Jerseyans where they’re at and supporting that everyone has access to reliable information, so they can engage civically, participate in their communities, and live their lives with dignity.”
🌟 Click here to view the full list of the 2026 NJ Excellence in Community Media awardees.
Oni Advincula is the ethnic and community media director at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact him at advinculaa@montclair.edu.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Google News Initiative, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
