Wichita is the first city in Kansas to offer the Documenters Network, a participatory journalism initiative that trains and pays residents to attend and document local government meetings and share the information they produce with the public.
Why Wichita Documenters
Public meetings happen regularly in Wichita, offering community members an avenue for participating in civic life. While these gatherings are essential, some occur without media or public representation, leading to undocumented decisions that shape local policies. Wichita Documenters is stepping in to fill this coverage gap. By paying and training residents to attend and document public meetings, the program aims to foster more transparency and awareness. Meeting notes will be fact-checked, published, and available to anyone.
Wichita Documenters is part of the Documenters Network, a national program created by City Bureau in Chicago. The Documenters Network aims to make public meetings more transparent by engaging residents in accessing the information they need to actualize the change they wish to see in our community.