Cardinals don’t stand a chance

How can libraries engage communities with civic information & storytelling? Join us and @terryparrisjr.bsky.social on May 21 Noon Eastern! www.eventbrite.com/e/how-can-li...

City budgeting shouldn't be secret! This is a major @fresnoland.bsky.social win for local gov transparency. 'Judge says Fresno’s city council violated state law with illegal budget process first exposed by Fresnoland"

specific request, for journalism: looking to talk to New Yorkers who got a local problem solved (OR NOT) through their House rep's office ... who's gone to their federal district office to try and get help? were you successful? would love to talk about it for a story. thank you!

On Nov. 1, seven men were arrested by ICE on a single street corner in Corona, Queens while the block watched. What happened next galvanized a neighborhood. ⤵️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZGq...

Today is the California Civic Media Program Advisory Board meeting The meeting has just started at 1:04pm PST

This is nifty - the volunteer run East Montpelier Signpost in VT has town funding and local business sponsorship and is mailed to all town residents for free 6x/yr emsignpost.com

Collaborative journalism is impactful journalism! What happens when hundreds of residents work with reporters across the country to track how federal funding shifts affect city and county budgets and lives across the US?

The best time to get whistles into your community was yesterday the next best time is right now. We will make and send you whistles, for free, in quantities of 100 to thousands, just ask here: linktr.ee/3dwhistles

Documenters like Kassandra are an important part of our community. They’re everyday citizens who we pay and train to attend, take notes and ask questions at public meetings. Their work helps to promote transparency and accountability with public officials.

Another gem of a civic guide from @detroitjcs.bsky.social. 👏 The OMA underpins everything we do!

If Detroit Documenters only wanted you to know one thing, it would be that local government officials are required to meet and vote on policy decisions in public, and you’re allowed by law to be there. Here's what else you should know about the Open Meetings Act, by Documenter A J Johnson:

🎉 Great news: Two bills that meet pressing information needs of people across Pennsylvania passed out of committee. The legislative package, introduced by @reprabb.bsky.social, treat local news and civic information as the public goods that they are. More here: www.freepress.net/news/pennsyl...

"I'd trust citizen journalism as much as I'd trust a citizen surgeon." Back in the day, we took years of humor like that as the curmudgeons took their time fading out. Here's my definition of "citizen journalism" from 2008. The term has renewed importance. archive.pressthink.org/2008/07/14/a...

As immigration enforcement escalated during Trump's first year, New Yorkers stood ten toes down in defense of immigrant neighbors.

People helping people helping people -- love this work from @detdocumenters.bsky.social cc @citybureau.bsky.social

New @citibikenyc.bsky.social feature allows extra bike points (exchanged for extra membership time or exchanged for gift cards) for riding low-juice ebikes to charging stations - neat!

“Adopting AI tools in local journalism should go hand in hand with implementing more equitable, civically focused, participatory forms of journalism…exemplified by the @documenters.org program from @citybureau.bsky.social ” knightcolumbia.org/content/part... Thanks @joshuadarr.bsky.social !

New year means new opportunities to get involved in community! Kick off the new year with a coffee/tea hangout with your favorite nonprofit newsroom (that's us!), submit some work to DPSCD or apply to the Kresge Artist Fellowship. Ready to make some plans?

Our Local Reporting Network is open again for proposals! We're looking for accountability journalism projects from around the country. We cover your salary (up to $80k plus a stipend for benefits) plus provide editing and other support. Apply here:

🎉 Welcome Columbus #SignalOhio and Kansas City (@thebeacon.bsky.social) to our #DocumentersNetwork! They are bringing fresh energy to our people-powered journalism movement. Meet the local partners & civic collaborators shaping the next chapter of Documenters. www.citybureau.org/notebook/col...

If there is a Documenters network in your city, that’s a great way to start learning how your local boards and commissions work while also getting paid!

Love the Library Newsroom Project by my old partner in journalism crime @terryparrisjr.bsky.social www.librarynewsroom.com This is the way.

The Local News Impact Coalition’s Newsroom Census toolkit is now live on the website and registration is open for tomorrow’s webinar: www.localnewsimpact.org/2025/11/06/n...

Collaborative journalism is resilient journalism. We’ve got a room full of newsroom partners designing Kansas City Documenters hosted by @thebeacon.bsky.social @citybureau.bsky.social

Don’t ever say she doesn’t have range

Time to go back to school! Very excited to be joining this cohort

🚨 Big news! We are launching two brand new AI Journalism Labs in 2026 — Leaders + Builders — with support from @microsoft.com and featuring new partners Nordic AI Journalism. Applications are now open. Learn more ↓ www.journalism.cuny.edu/2025/09/anno...

Thanks @kimberlyadams.bsky.social @marketplace.org for sharing our work with the @documenters.org @citybureau.bsky.social . We love equipping people to navigate local public meetings! www.marketplace.org/episode/2025...

Thank you @sevendaysvt.bsky.social m.sevendaysvt.com/music/dj-mus...

Today, Press Forward announced it's giving $22.7 million in grants to 22 local news projects, including initiatives led by City Bureau, OpenNews, and the Internet Archive. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/pres...

Nobody should fear arrest for recording public meetings

While @thegreenlineto.bsky.social has been working with Documenters, the publication continues to find new ways to make that information more accessible. Part of that strategy has been experimenting with short-form videos based on the Documenters’ notes. rjionline.org/news/taking-...

In 2022, when Alex Klaus became a Documenter, she didn’t understand what was happening in public meetings but was determined to learn. Since then, she’s become a freelance writer and interned at Chalkbeat Detroit. Now we’re feeling bittersweet as she’s off to be an education reporter in Milwaukee.

🙏 Thanks to @niemanlab.org for this write-up of our report on NJ journalist compensation! www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/i-ha...

New Jersey allocates $2.5m for local news in the state budget! Congrats to the entire New Jersey Civic Info Consortium team!! njcivicinfo.org/press-releas...

I wrote this, the procrastinator’s delight. enjoy and go VOTE:

In 2017 in @brizzyc.bsky.social Social Journalism class I submitted a FOIA request to the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services for data on where NYC agencies spent advertising dollars ...

Great interview with Kevin Martinez (Boyle Heights Beat / LA Documenters) from Will Fischer at @centercoopmedia.bsky.social medium.com/centerforcoo...

With alt text:

youtu.be/7RGTvrt_vLQ?... So appreciative for this music and the hours of joy and delight and surprise - thanks Brian Wilson 🌞

In Indiana, a coalition launched Mirror Indy with a clear goal: build a newsroom that reflects and serves local communities and can sustain itself. One year in, this AJP-supported news org is doing both. Read how Free Press Indiana is building a new model for #localnews:

Psyched to be at the second Canadian Engaged Journalism conference in Toronto! First off - Anita Li is talking about building out a profitable local newsroom @thegreenlineto.bsky.social

🌞 Documenters are now monitoring local government meetings in 25 communities across 16 states! Each act of local civic journalism, micro-dosing democracy, add up to a movement for participatory civic media…

Made some new friends with @nycgovparks.org tonight at Calvert Vaux park

Hello from Baltimore! I’m here at the @hackshackers.com AI Journalism Summit My session is tomorrow morning, talking about @citybureau.bsky.social @documenters.org and equipping residents to monitor local government. If you’re at the conference- come and say hi!

A big day for Big Local News - so glad we could be a part of this Pulitzer Prize work with The Balimore Banner and The New York Times Investigative Reporting Fellowship! biglocalnews.org/content/news...

The @outliermedia.org @detdocumenters.bsky.social team phone banked with residents who were owed nearly $5.9M This is journalism at its best

Baby’s first #GreatSaunter - 32 miles around the coast of Manhattan. I’ve got sunscreen. The weather is looking gorgeous. Let’s do this