City Bureau’s Documenters Network: People-powered news and information

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.
The Future is Informed
Your elected officials are making big decisions. Keep tabs with regular notes, real-time social media updates, and multimedia reports from Documenters in your area. Together, we’re building a new public record.
Chicago
Transportation
June 18, 2025
Chicago
Criminal Justice
July 5, 2025
Chicago Police District Councils [remote or in person] Police District Council 014 - Shakespeare (Humboldt Park, Avondale, Lincoln Park, West Town, Logan Square)
Live reporting by
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Notetaking by
Jinny Kim
Chicago
Criminal Justice
June 24, 2025
Chicago Police District Councils [in person] 4th Police District Council - Avalon Park/South Chicago/East Side/Hegewisch
Notetaking by
Chicago
Education
June 5, 2025
City Colleges of Chicago [remote or in person] Chicago City Colleges Academic Affairs and Student Services Committee + Board of Trustees
Notetaking by
Chicago
Politics
July 8, 2025
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety
Live reporting by
Chicago
Politics
June 11, 2025
Chicago City Council [remote or in person] Committee on Transportation and Public Way
Notetaking by
Grace Vaughn
Chicago
Criminal Justice
June 3, 2025
Chicago Police District Councils [in person] 1st Police District Council - Loop/River West/Near South Side
Notetaking by
Rebeka Pushkar
Chicago
Criminal Justice
June 23, 2025
Chicago Police District Councils [in person] 5th Police District Council - Roseland/Pullman/Riverdale
Live reporting by
Democracy is What You Do
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 City Bureau’s Documenters Network
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.