In the United States, political polarization has increased markedly since 2000, with consequences for local governments and state-level policymaking. Redistricting, and the role of social media as the dominant source of information for many in the U.S. has contributed to state and national legislatures that reflect more extreme political views. A reliance on social media as both social network and newsfeed has led to echo chambers (a lack of sources with differing perspectives), the spread of misinformation, and algorithms that feed national political rhetoric and messaging. This focus on national news sources often overshadows coverage focused on how state or local policies may impact local areas. As a result, constituents likely experience fewer instances of exposure to political information from moderate political views or from local journalism. Here we make the case that familiarity with local media and examining how proposed policies may impact local areas can be an essential tool to fight polarization and help students develop as informed citizens. We present two tasks that can be used for students to conduct inquiry into state policies through developing an understanding of a states' political landscape and conducting a media audit to understand how the policy issue is being viewed and discussed across the state. [This paper was published in "Social Education" v86 n6 p392-397 2022. Note: The citation on the PDF lists an alternate title: "Understanding Policy Issues in Context: Inquiry into State Political Information Ecosystems."]