Arya Surowidjojo is a 2026 RJI Professional Innovation Fellow. He and Margaux Maxwell are building a journalist-run cooperative digital publishing platform for independent and creator journalists doing investigative and community reporting across the country. It includes a shared publishing layer that allows journalists to publish on their own domains while relying on collectively governed infrastructure, rather than big-tech platforms whose incentives and algorithms may not align with journalism’s values. Planned features include opt-in legal risk review, guides and resources such as physical and digital safety planning, opt-in editorial mentorship and peer review, secure document management, FOIA tracking tools, and censorship-resilient publishing. This decentralized newsroom model is designed to empower independent journalists serving their communities outside of institutional media structures.

Arya Surowidjojo is a documentary filmmaker and the Executive Producer of OPB’s history documentary series “Oregon Experience.” His body of work focuses on histories, Indigeneity, immigrant experiences and foodways—crafting stories through an inclusive and experiential lens.