SCM’s Center for Cooperative Media Celebrates 10 Years of Shaping New Jersey’s News Ecosystem

Earlier this semester, the Center for Cooperative Media at the School of Communication and Media (SCM) celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Center was launched in 2012 to help grow and strengthen the news industry in New Jersey.  

By using a unique collaborative approach, the Center has shaped the Garden State’s news landscape in unprecedented ways. The Center has successfully hosted dozens of statewide and national conferences, organized more than 200 training sessions for news entrepreneurs, and aided in the development of the New Jersey news ecosystem by bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to support its programs. Through its latest fundraising campaign, the Center hopes to raise $10,000 to expand access and foster connections among those interested in learning more about local news and democracy in New Jersey. 

“The Center for Cooperative Media is really trying to expand our user base and get more people interested and involved with New Jersey news, and we believe that this shift in membership is the first step we can take to achieve this,” says Center director Stefanie Murray. “With this new membership structure, anyone with an interest in news development and information in the state of New Jersey will be granted the opportunity to join as a media member or an individual stakeholder. The Center focus alignment provides access to the life changing information at hand”. 

The Center has also implemented a new 10-month project to celebrate this milestone. Once a month, the Center will share a piece of history from its 10 years of operation in its bi-weekly newsletter. The Center has also partnered with 10 news and information leaders across New Jersey to publish work highlighting predictions for the NJ local news and media ecosystem over the next decade. 

Last month, the Center hosted an in-person event honoring the contributions and impact its founders, partners and supporters have made across the New Jersey media landscape. Last month, the Center hosted workshops on how to cover the New Jersey midterm elections and how to cover climate and disaster preparedness in the Garden State. 

Overall, none of this would have been possible without the Center’s founders, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, Abrams Foundation, and the individual members and donors who support the Center and its work. 

To learn more about the Center or register for one of its upcoming events, visit the Center’s website.

Story by: Gabrielle Meyer and Rayane Yamout