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This article shares some general best practices for Documenters to prepare for their assignments covering a local public meeting.
Many agencies that Documenters cover are not well-known. Being prepared enables you to bridge the gap for your readers.
For more specific information related to your program, check out your local Documenters program guides or reach out to local staff here:
If it’s your first assignment and you’re feeling nervous: Don’t worry—it’s normal! Your local Documenters program is here for you, and we highly encourage you to reach out to your local program team for support or to be refreshed on the orientation:
We also recommend looking at examples of notes that have already been published by your local program, which you can see here (just make sure it’s filtered by your local community).
Meetings can sometimes be suddenly canceled or shifted to a different room. We recommend checking the agency’s website to double-check this information when you receive an assignment, as well as just before the meeting begins.
To learn more about the meeting, check out the email that was sent by Documenters.org to confirm your assignment, which will tell you the date and time. Use the agency’s website to check, or reach out to the media or community relations staffer.
<aside> 💡 Tip: Even though it can be frustrating when meetings are suddenly canceled, the cancellation can sometimes become the story: Documenters in San Diego found that a meeting cancellation violated state open government laws.
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If an important issue is going to be discussed at the meeting, it’ll be helpful to know a bit about it in advance. Some public agencies will put the meeting’s agenda on their websites ahead of the meeting. Others might have copies available in-person at the meeting. If you can, obtain and look over the agenda ahead of the meeting. To find the agenda, use the agency’s website to check, reach out to the media or community relations staffer, or reach out to your local Documenters program staff to see if they can help you find it.
If a detailed agenda is posted, identify 1-3 items you find significant for you own reference, or check in with your program's staff to see if they would like you to pay special attention to a specific item: .
Familiarizing yourself key information about the public agency will help you during your assignment. We recommend that you: