NJ content-sharing platforms w/ Distributed Media Lab + Plucky Works

Center for Cooperative Media

Join us on 9/18 for a demonstration of the content-sharing platforms from Distributed Media Lab + Plucky Works, and vote on your favorite

New Jersey news

Events and webinars focused on the needs and issues related to the New Jersey news ecosystem.

Technology + tools

Events and webinars focused on the tools and technology of journalism.

The New Jersey news ecosystem is about to get a major upgrade.After more than a decade of facilitating manual content-sharing through emails, Google Docs, and copy-and-paste instructions, the Center for Cooperative Media is launching a formalized statewide content-sharing network. This platform will make it easy for New Jersey newsrooms to share stories, collaborate on coverage, and reach wider audiences.The demonstration will provide New Jersey news publishers with side-by-side comparisons of two leading content-sharing platforms: Distributed Media Lab and Plucky Works. This unique opportunity will help newsrooms understand their options as we build New Jersey's content-sharing infrastructure.Our platform comparison will help attendees:<ul><li>Compare features and capabilities of two established content-sharing platforms</li><li>Understand how different technical approaches can benefit local newsrooms</li><li>Learn about revenue opportunities and collaboration models from each platform</li><li>Discover best practices from successful state-wide collaboratives</li><li>Connect with other New Jersey news publishers who are part of this exciting initiative</li></ul>This interactive session will include live demonstrations of both platforms, Q&amp;A with technical experts from each company, and networking opportunities with fellow News Commons members.Afterward, NJ News Commons members will be invited to vote on which platform would better meet their workflow needs.Supported by Google News Initiative, this content-sharing network represents a major infrastructure investment in New Jersey's local journalism ecosystem, addressing top concerns identified by newsrooms in our 2025 spring survey.__________

📅 Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025🕒 Time: 1:00 PM-2:00 PM EST📍 Location: Virtual demonstrationThis event is exclusively for <a href="https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/njnewscommons/" title="https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/njnewscommons/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">NJ News Commons</a> members and New Jersey news publishers interested in joining the content-sharing network.__________

<h3>About our presenters</h3>Dave Gehring, CEO and Co-founder of <a href="https://www.distributedmedialab.com/" title="https://www.distributedmedialab.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Distributed Media Lab</a>, will demonstrate DML's content syndication platform, which powers collaborative networks like the California News Hub curated by KQED and embedded across dozens of California local news publishers, the Local Media Association's Branded Content Project and American Public Media’s digital distribution of Marketplace and The Splendid Table. Dave is a former Google employee who previously co-founded and sold Relay Media to Google in 2017. DML specializes in embeddable content collections and revenue-sharing models for news organizations.Johnny Bassett, CEO and Founder of <a href="https://pluckyworks.org/" title="https://pluckyworks.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Plucky Works</a>, will demonstrate how <a href="http://wire.pluckyworks.org/" title="http://wire.pluckyworks.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Plucky Wire</a> makes content sharing efficient and affordable for newsrooms of any size. Since launching in 2024 and winning the <a href="https://thenextchallenge.com/" title="https://thenextchallenge.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">2025 Next Challenge’s NewsTech Division</a>, Plucky Wire has grown to serve 100+ newsrooms across nearly a dozen content sharing networks nationwide. This growth is driven by the company’s partnerships with small newsrooms, which help design and test new features every day. A former journalist and historian, Johnny founded Plucky Works in 2024 to build tools that boost newsrooms’ editorial efficiency and economic resilience. Plucky proudly donates 20% of profits to nonprofit journalism organizations.Joe Amditis from the <a href="https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/" title="https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Center for Cooperative Media</a> will moderate the comparison and provide context about how these platforms fit into New Jersey's broader strategy for supporting the news ecosystem.John Mooney from <a href="https://www.njspotlightnews.org/" title="https://www.njspotlightnews.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">NJ Spotlight News</a>, our core content-sharing partner, will share insights from years of collaborative content distribution experience and how these platforms could enhance current partnerships.