Civic documenters program engages, empowers citizens to help strengthen local news

LACONIA — The decline in local news coverage has been a cause for concern across the country, with significant consequences for communities. According to a report by the Columbia Journalism Review, fewer newspaper newsroom employees since 2004 has contributed to this alarming trend, resulting in a lack of crucial information for citizens, and a decrease in voter turnout and government accountability.

In response to this pressing issue, the Granite State News Collaborative, Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, and the New England First Amendment Coalition are expanding Civic Documenters, a project aimed at addressing the challenges facing local newsrooms and increasing civic engagement in communities. The project is inspired by the success of the City Bureau’s Documenters program and the work of Richard Watts at the University of Vermont. CivDoc empowers community members by training them to document government and school meetings and assist local journalists in their reporting efforts.

Through a comprehensive five-week training program, CivDoc aims to demystify local government, educate about open meeting and public record laws, and equip a select group of New Hampshire residents with the skills necessary to effectively document local government proceedings. Following the training, Civic Documenters will collaborate with newsrooms on an ongoing basis to gather essential information for local news stories. Participants will be paid stipends for each meeting covered.

CivDoc began last year for those in the Monadnock region with The Keene Sentinel and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript as partner newsrooms. The next cohort will be exclusive to residents in and around Laconia, Gilford, Tilton, Franklin, and Bristol. This program will be offered in partnership with editors from The Laconia Daily Sun.

“We know that communities that have strong local news resources and are civically engaged are better able to effect the changes they want to see in their communities,” said Melanie Plenda, executive director of the Granite State News Collaborative. “As leaders in our communities it’s our responsibility to do whatever we can to help strengthen and support local news and the community connections local news fosters.”

"Lack of local information hinders communities," said Laura Simoes, executive director of the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications. "CivDoc fills an information gap while boosting collaboration and helping residents to take a more active role in their communities. By partnering with local news outlets, Participants grow their own civic engagement and strengthen journalism's role in our democracy."

“This is a special opportunity to not only help New Hampshire residents become more civic-minded, but to also support newsrooms. We hope CivDoc will continue to be a model for other towns in New England and will give local journalism a much-needed assist,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of New England First Amendment Coalition.

Individuals interested in becoming civic documenters are invited to participate in the program, beginning March 18. Participants will need to complete a series of workshops and assignments during the five-week training period. These lessons will be attended remotely, except for the last workshop which will be in person.

Upon completion of the training, Civic Documenters will engage in regular meetings with local news editors to receive assignments and contribute to local news stories.

To apply for the Civic Documenters program, review the tentative training schedule to ensure. The schedule, application and additional information about the program can be found at nefac.org/civdoc. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 8. Questions can be sent to Melanie Plenda at melanie.plenda@collaborativenh.org.

For more information about the program partners, visit Collaborativenh.org, loebschool.org and nefac.org.