Making public meetings more accessible to Wichitans
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.
The Wichita Documenters initiative will launch in Spring 2024, but there are two ways that you can get involved right now! We are seeking a full-time project manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the program. We are also beginning recruitment for Documenters, who we will train and pay to attend and capture notes at public meetings.
This project is made possible through a gift from the Wichita Foundation and the partnership of these Wichita Journalism Collaborative members: The Community Voice, The Journal (Kansas Leadership Center), KMUW, The Wichita Beacon, Planeta Venus.
Wichita Documenters is launching in Spring 2024! Here’s how you can get involved.
