People-powered news on your local government.
We’re putting every public meeting on the record.
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
Detroit
Politics
May 17, 2022
Cleveland
Development
May 17, 2022
Cleveland City Council Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee
Notetaking by
Kellie Morris
Cleveland
Development
May 20, 2022
Detroit
Criminal Justice
May 16, 2022
Board of Police Commissioners - Detroit Police Department Citizen Complaints Investigation Information Forum
Notetaking by
Taura Brown
Detroit
Criminal Justice
May 16, 2022
Board of Police Commissioners - Detroit Police Department Citizen Complaints Investigation Information Forum
Live-tweeting by
Amber Umscheid
Chicago
Finance
May 19, 2022
Pace Suburban Bus Services Cook County - 2022 Proposed Fare Change Hearing
Notetaking by
Diane Bustamante
Pace Suburban Bus Services Cook County - 2022 Proposed Fare Change Hearing
Live-tweeting by
Daniela Jaime
Chicago
Utilities
May 19, 2022
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners
Live-tweeting by
Will Reynolds
Detroit
Criminal Justice
May 12, 2022
Board of Police Commissioners - Detroit Police Department Board of Police Commissioners - Evening Community Meeting
Notetaking by
Amelia Benavides-Colón
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.