People-powered news on your local government.

Who we are
A network of newsrooms and community organizations committed to participatory civic media.
What we do
We train and pay hundreds of people to attend under-reported public meetings and publish the results.
We’re building a new public record
Your elected officials are making big decisions. Keep tabs with original notes, live-tweet threads and multimedia reports from Documenters in your area—updated daily
Cleveland
Criminal Justice
Sept. 26, 2023
Cleveland Office of Professional Standards Civilian Police Review Board [Morning Session]
Notetaking by
Carolyn Cooper
Detroit
Development
Sept. 27, 2023
Detroit Planning and Development Department Updates to the City of Detroit's Master Plan
Notetaking by
Hennepin County Board of Commissioners Hennepin County Board - Committees
Notetaking by
Beatel Iliff
Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning (BIHZ) Committee Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee
Notetaking by
Detroit
Sept. 28, 2023
Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority DRCFA, Board of Directors
Live-tweeting by
Amber Umscheid
Detroit
Criminal Justice
Sept. 28, 2023
Cleveland
Criminal Justice
Sept. 27, 2023
What our network is saying
Get involved in our community of practice.
A unique civic education
“How are your tax dollars spent? What are your elected officials doing? Are they listening to you? What is the process? That, as a Documenter, is what you have to show people.”
Susan Carlotta Ellis
Community reporting
“In almost every case for a meeting that I’ve covered, I’ve been the only person connected to the media that has been in the room.”
David Palmer
Local connections
“I've learned from other Documenters… I’ve learned skills that helped me to not just be a better citizen but also inform the type of work that I want to do.”
Isabel Sophia Dieppa
About this project
How our public meeting coverage supports local reporting.
How our public meeting coverage tracks policy trends and public input.
How our training modules build civic knowledge and action.
How anyone can become a Documenter in one of our local programs.