The NJ News Commons is a

BOLD EXPERIMENT
in the future of journalism, uniting news organizations, and SMALL, young and old to work together toward a
This is no easy job. A riptide has torn through the news industry over the past three decadesup-ending the new industrys business models and decimating newsrooms. We are working to fill the gap.

BIG

COMMON GOAL:
keeping the public informed.

We stand for the proposition that cooperation is a worthy alternative to competition. We believe that we all can benefit from learning new tools, as well as reaffirming the basics. We discover and teach the secrets to sustainability. We shine attention on outstanding examples of journalism. We collaborate to add to the discourse on under-reported subjects, like immigration. We share our work through a Story Exchange.

//Curating

A sense of

thanks in large part to the good work of the New Jersey

COMMUNITY is emerging,

NEWS

COMMONS.

-- Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green

EVERY WEEKDAY,

we create a digest of the best and most interesting

news stories about New Jersey. On Thursdays, we focus exclusively on the small community news sites that are part of our network. We also have two Flipboard magazines: Christie Watch and South Jersey Watch, which aggregate news stories on these subjects. An important part of our mission is to call attention to worthy journalism in the state and to build larger audiences for lesser-known brands. Sign up here to get the newsletter delivered daily and check out our website regularly.

//Sharing
New Jersey is a spectacular for

LABORATORY for building new futures

NEWS.

-- Jeff Jarvis, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

OUR STORY EXCHANGE

allows news sites in New Jersey to

publish each others content. Inspired by the shared-content model of the Associated Press, but limited to New Jersey and including even the smallest members of the news ecosystem, the Story Exchange is an answer to declining news budgets. Our 30 contributing sites gain new audiences by sharing their content; small news sites gain access to coverage they could never afford. Powered by Repost.us, the embedding technology makes sharing content as easy as embedding a YouTube video.

//Projects
Hack Jersey cemented Montclair States reputation as a

CUTTING

EDGE

institution at the intersection of journalism and digital information.

-- NJ Tech Weekly

HACK JERSEY

is a group dedicated to

training New Jersey journalists in data reporting and

coding skills, making state and local governments more transparent, and bringing journalists and coders together to build cool stuff. The NJ News Commons is a co-founder and the leading sponsor. Sign up for the Hack Jersey mailing list.

THE IMMIGRATION PROJECT

is a collaborative effort by several news

organizations to increase reporting on immigrants in New Jersey. Although New Jersey ranks fifth nationwide in the number of foreign-born residents and third by percentage, the topic of immigration gets less attention in the Garden State than it does in border states like California and Texas. Students in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State, working with professional filmmakers, are creating video oral histories about the immigrant experience. Send us an email if youd like to help with The Immigration Project.

//Partners
Just amazing that so much has been by the COMMONS so quickly! -- Susan Haig, NJ Arts News

ACCOMPLISHED

Free Press Glocally Newark Greener New Jersey Hack Jersey Hoboken 411 Hoboken Girl Hoboken Journal Hot from the Kettle JC Independent Jersey Bites Jersey Journal Jersey Shore Hurricane News Jersey Tomato Press Midland Park Press Montclarion More Monmouth Musings Morris Beats Morristown Green Muckgers

Amplification Project Asbury Overheard Asbury Park Sun Barista Kids Baristanet Blogfinger Bothsider Bring it to the Table Broadstreet Chasing New Jersey Clear Health Costs Clever Commute Cliffview Pilot Cranford Radio Devil Gourmet Edible Jersey Elizabeth Inside Out Ethnic NJ.com Franklin Reporter & Advocate

//Partners
MyVeronaNJ New Brunswick Today New Jersey Arts News New Jersey Monthly New Jersey Newsroom Newark Pulse Newsworks NJPR NJ Tech Weekly NJ.com NJSPJ NJSpotlight NJTV North Jersey Media Group Ocean Signal Patch Paterson Press Paterson Times Pharmalot Planet Princeton ProPublica Rahway Rising Red Bank Green Somerville Today State of the Arts (PCK Media) The Alternative Press The Citizens Campaign The Lakewood Scoop TheBoken Townstats.org TV 34 Montclair WBGO Weird NJ Wheeler Antabanez WHYY Newsworks Wired Jersey WMSC

Over partners and counting!

//Contact

Debbie Galant is director of the NJ News Commons. Before coming to Montclair State to start the Commons, she was co-editor of Baristanet, one of the first hyperlocal news sites in the country, which she founded in 2004. Debbie is also the author of three novels about New Jersey and was Jersey columnist for The New York Times from 1998 to 2003. debbie@njnewscommons.org

Mary Mann is the deputy director of the NJ News Commons. Previously, Mary has contributed to news outlets including Reuters and NJ Spotlight. Mary spent three years at Patch covering Maplewood and then managing Patchs seven sites in Union County. Marys career includes reporting in the field of urban planning and renewal, as well as working as a communications consultant for redevelopment and commercial district management organizations. mary@njnewscommons.org

THE NJ NEWS COMMONS

/njnewscommons

is a project of the School of Communication and

Media at Montclair State University and is funded by grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Montclair State University.

@njnewscommons

info@njnewscommons.org

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