A lot happens behind open doors that citizens know too little about. Every single day in Wichita, actions are taken in meetings that are open to the public, but often without any citizen observation.
Enter Documenters, a program of City Bureau, a journalism lab focused on reimagining local media and eliminating information inequity. A participatory journalism initiative, Documenters equips people with skills and resources, to gather and produce information to make public meetings more transparent and what happens in them more accessible to everyday citizens..
The program began in Chicago in 2016 by tapping into the public desire to participate in civic reform. Similarly, Wichita’s program will cultivate a group of documenters who care about where they live and want to improve how the public is informed.
Documenter Role
Documenters will be assigned to attend public meetings in Wichita, take notes and prepare them for posting on the community Documenters website, where residents can access this information and use it to get civically involved.
Their notes will also be available for the media organizations participating in the Documenters program.
“We don’t have the resources to attend many of these meetings, but through our relationship with individual documenters and documenter notes, we will be able to spot issues we need to dig into further and make our readers aware of,” said Bonita Gooch, editor-in-chief of The Community Voice.
Being a Documenter
Documenters will be trained and paid to attend meetings. While the pay for the Wichita Documenters hasn’t been finalized, it could be in the range of $15 per hour with pay for time for the individual to prepare for their meeting, attend the meeting and review and compile their notes.
“This isn’t a part-time job. Documenters may only have one or two meetings to cover per month,” said Gooch. “However, for individuals who are concerned about their community, this a great opportunity to get paid to help keep their community informed and engaged.”
Gooch said she’s encouraging readers of The Community Voice to apply and join the community of civic-minded Wichita Documenters.
“It’s particularly important for me that the team of Documenters reflect the diversity and culture of our community,” said Gooch.
Learn more and apply through the Kansas Leadership Center at https://shorturl.at/dfwxP.
Documenter Partners
In addition to The Community Voice, media partners for the Wichita Documenters program include: KMUW radio, Spanish-language news outlet PlanetaVenus.online, WichitaBeacon.org, and the Kansas Leadership Center Journal.
The Kansas Leadership Center and the Wichita Foundation are a key part of the partnership with City Bureau to bring the Documenters Network to Wichita.
While the Kansas Leadership Center is driving recruitment for this initiative and managing the grant for this collaboration, the Wichita Foundation has provided the funding to support this three-year project, which will cover the cost of hiring a project manager and Wichita Documenters.
“Through this national and local partnership, we are investing in building a more informed and engaged community,” said Courtney Bengtson, Wichita Foundation’s chief strategy officer. “Wichita Documenters will empower community-driven documentation and make information increasingly accessible to all.”
