MEDIA PARTY NEW YORK 2026
Citizen Journalism Network
Citizen Journalism Network (CJN)
Citizen Journalism Network (CJN) is a community-powered digital platform designed to close the gap between what matters to people at the local level and what actually gets reported. It enables anyone to contribute comments and signals from their own communities, while an AI system clusters and visualizes those inputs in real time through topic bubbles that grow in proportion to participation volume. Journalists and independent reporters can access that information directly, using it as a verified, grassroots primary source for on-the-ground investigations.
The project was built in response to structural failures in contemporary journalism: parachute coverage that sidelines local knowledge, centralized media systems that serve institutional power, and the disconnect between legacy outlets and the growing ecosystem of independent reporters, Substack writers, and community voices with no connective tissue between them. CJN is not just a journalistic tool — it's infrastructure for a more honest press, one where the agenda is shaped by the people living it.
The Brown Institute Partnership
The Brown Institute for Media Innovation is offering extended support to Media Party hackathon participants beyond the event itself. For three months following the hackathon, participants will have access to bi-weekly office hours with Brown Institute staff and entrepreneurs.
This includes a dedicated space to develop ideas, troubleshoot challenges, and get honest feedback as projects evolve from prototypes into something more. At the end of the program, participants will work with Brown Institute advisors to refine their pitch and build a pitch deck, equipping them to pursue funding and launch hackathon outcomes as new ventures.
Keynotes
Eli Pariser
New Public, CEO
Lisa Gibbs
Pulitzer Center, CEO
Laura Zommer
FactChequeado, CEO
Hope King
Macro Talk News, Founder
Alexios Mantzarlis
Co-founder, Indicator
Harlan Mandel
Media Development Investment Fund, CEO
Stefano Wrobleski
Executive Director, InfoAmazonia
Kathryn Kotze
Daily Maverick, Head of Operations and Impact
Jacopo Ottaviani
Code for Africa, CDO
Joanna Geary
Head of Content & Audience, Bloomberg
Media Party Opening - Media Fair
Silvina Heguy
Jacopo Ottaviani
Kathryn Kotze
Nicolás Grossman
Madona S Wambua
Stefano Wrobleski
Jonathan Soma
Elvis Franks Herrada Erquiaga
After the Feed: AI and the future of the information environment
Eli Pariser
AI Is Rewriting Media Innovation And Bringing Us Closer to Our Communities?
Laura Zommer
The Rise of the 1-person Media Company
Hope King
AI is neither good, nor bad; nor is it neutral
Alexios Mantzarlis
From a community to a global engine - Where is Media Party going?
From audience engagement to community co-creation: a case study
Logan Williams
The Emerging Creator News & Information Field - New Research Insights
Amy Mitchell
The power of Wikipedia to highlight great news
Molly Stark Dean
Africa Mining Watch: how to build a community around an environmental journalism tool
Jacopo Ottaviani
Journalism First. What If AI Handled the Rest?
Kathryn Kotze
What Is Independent Media, Anyway? How AI Is Changing Our Answer (Again).
Harlan Mandel
The Big Split: where news value lands in an agentic future
Joanna Geary
AI Tools That Won't Get You Fired
Mike Reilley
Creator Providers: Who are you, What do you need & How can you become one?
Justin Bank
Amy Mitchell
Enigma Government Archive
Charles Berret
Introduction to Codex for Newsroom Workflows - OpenAI
Christina Lim
Evan Hirsch
Beyond Search: Building BOTO, an AI News Bot for WhatsApp
Stefano Wrobleski
Partnering is Not Optional. Collaboration is a critical competency. Are we really treating it that way?
Lisa Gibbs
Build a Gemini-Powered YouTube Summarizer
Madona S Wambua
How to use Wiki APIs for your news publication (Wikimedia)
Hal Triedman
Brandon Tracy
Sucheta Salgaonkar
Turning the Funnel Sideways: The Modern Growth Playbook
Justin Bank
Using satellite imagery for journalism: From the basics to AI
Logan Williams
AI in the Newsroom: Practical Workflows for Editors
Natalie Van Hoozer
Vania André
Local Models to search through (Epstein) files
Teresa Mondría Terol
Making Vertical Video: A Hands-on Workshop
Lauren Saks
Micah Gelman
Reaching the Audience That Gave Up on News: What We Learned from 200 Classrooms and 25 Campuses
Brijesh Tiwari
Jack Brewster
A new era of open source audience tools
Austin Smith
Build For Creators
Sirui Hua
Can AI Triage a Pitch? A Case Study in Editorial Evaluation
Caleb Okereke
Global Index of Responsible AI
Nicolás Grossman
Pivot to Profit: Audience-driven sustainability or expensive delusion?
Janine Warner
Spreadsheet Inference: What is it? How did it get here? Where will it go?
Aaron Brezel
Opening and reception (Breakfast included!)
Hackathon - Ideas presentations (bring your project or join a team!)
Hackathon (teams building)
Hackathon (prototypes building process) Lunch included
Hackathon Pitch sessions
We don't just talk about the future; we build it. Our 3-day experience is built on a clear model. Growing since 2012.
Discover
World-class keynotes, lightning talks, and a "Media Fair" showcase the bleeding edge of new tools and idea.
Learn
Practical, hands-on workshops and "sandbox" discussion spaces dive deep into key verticals.
Create!
Our hackathon turns ideas into action. Teams build, pitch, and demo functional prototypes, competing for prizes and real-world implementation.
What we are discussing
Influencers & Vertical Video
Individual journalists as primary distribution channels. Editorial standards and business models in the age of personality.
Local News & AI
Capabilities for under-resourced newsrooms. Understanding community trust and local info ecosystems.
Internal Tools & Workflows
Frameworks for assessing AI tools in real production environments and newsroom automation.
Algorithmic Distribution
How news travels in AI-driven systems. Strategies to reach fragmented audiences.
We don't just talk about the future; we build it.
Latest News -MPNYC26
After the Feed: Eli Pariser’s Roadmap for the “Agentic Interface” Era
Media Party New York 2026 opened on Friday, May 8, with a…
The Future of Local Truth: “Citizen Journalism Network” Wins Media Party NY 2026 Hackathon
Citizen Journalism Network (CJN) was announced the winner of the Media Party…
Media Party New York 2026 Opens Tomorrow at Columbia University
Starting tomorrow, May 8, Columbia University's Brown Institute for Media Innovation becomes…
The Innovation Lab: Why the Media Party NY Hackathon Matters Now
As we count down to Media Party New York 2026, we are…
Navigating Media Party NY 2026: A Curated Guide to This Year’s Workshops
From May 8–10, Columbia University’s Brown Institute becomes a global laboratory as…
3 Must-Watch Talks to Prepare for Media Party NYC
As we gear up for Media Party NYC 2026, taking place May…