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
Chicago
Development
Sept. 7, 2023
Commission on Chicago Landmarks [remote or in person] Commission on Chicago Landmarks + Permit Review Committee
Notetaking by
Daniel Wolk
Chicago
Politics
Sept. 14, 2023
Chicago
Development
Sept. 12, 2023
Chicago Community Development Commission [remote or in person] Community Development Commission
Notetaking by
Stephen Yoshida
Chicago
Development
Sept. 12, 2023
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards
Notetaking by
Eli Gillespie
Chicago
Criminal Justice
Sept. 11, 2023
Chicago Police District Councils [in person] 20th Police District Council - Edgewater/Uptown
Notetaking by
Anna Aguiar Kosicki
Chicago
Environment
Sept. 6, 2023
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy
Notetaking by
Nato'sha Trotter
Chicago
Politics
Sept. 14, 2023
Chicago
Criminal Justice
Sept. 13, 2023
Chicago Police District Councils [in person] 008th Police District Council - Clearing/Archer Heights/Chicago Lawn/Ashburn
Live-tweeting by
Ebony Ellis
Chicago
Development
Sept. 12, 2023
Chicago Community Development Commission [remote or in person] Community Development Commission
Live-tweeting by
Ahmad Sayles
Chicago
Development
Sept. 12, 2023
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards
Live-tweeting by
Eliot Wyeth
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.