Center for Cooperative Media releases 2022 annual report

Looking back on a year of ‘clarity’

After the chaos of 2020 and 2021, I wasn’t sure what to expect 2022 to bring. I did know that the Center for Cooperative Media was well-positioned for success, however, thanks to our strategic planning and constant discussion of how our programs align with our values, vision and theory of change.

Unexpectedly, the year brought clarity.

It was the Center’s 10th year in existence and it felt — finally — as though we hit our stride. Our team was clear on its mission, our programs were robust and we were able to look back on a decade of growth.

I’m pleased today to release the Center’s 2022 annual report, reflecting on our work in the last 12 months.

Over the last year, we have made great strides in our efforts to support ethnic and community media in New Jersey. We provided exclusive press briefings and access to decision-makers, offered more paid reporting fellowships, and launched a new Spanish Language News Translation Service, all of which helped to increase the reach and impact of these important media outlets.

We also remained dedicated to supporting the local news and information ecosystem in New Jersey more broadly. We launched Stories Invincible, a new program that aims to increase the representation and diversity of voices in the media. We supported phase two of the South Jersey Information Equity Project, a program that provides journalists of color with the training and resources they need to produce restorative narrative journalism that has a lasting impact on their communities.

And we continued to grow the NJ Diverse Sources Database, a valuable resource for journalists looking to find and connect with diverse sources for their stories.

In terms of funding and revenue, we were pleased to receive continued support from Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund and Abrams Foundation. The also Center received two grants from the NJ Civic Information Consortium, and raised several thousand dollars in its first-ever individual donor fundraising campaign. In total, the Center received $779,114 in grants in 2022.

Speaking of the Consortium, the Center spent quite a bit of time over the last year helping the Consortium get its internal infrastructure set up. It’s been amazing to build a first-of-its-kind grantmaking organization from the ground up.

And last, but certainly not least, it was a joy to reflect on the many accomplishments and successes the Center has had over the past decade at our 10th anniversary celebration in November.

The celebration was a reminder of the important role that the Center plays in the local media ecosystem, and it was a testament to the strong foundation that we have built over the years.

I am grateful to all of those who have contributed to our success and I look forward to continuing to work together as we move forward into the next decade.

Stefanie Murray is director of the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact her at murrayst@montclair.edu.

About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism, and in doing so serve New Jersey residents. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Local News Lab (a partnership of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Community Foundation of New Jersey), and the Abrams Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.