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Join the conversation—our participatory media discussion group is launching soon!
Take me to the templates and checklists!
Who does the work?
Who does the work?
In either case, welcome, we hope this guide can serve as an introduction. So far, our network members have launched their programs under the umbrella of an existing newsrooms, civic nonprofits and community media centers. In our experience, participatory civic media projects are most likely to be successful when the groups that host them have:
an existing administrative and financial system
experience with local community organizing
experience with education or training
experience with editorial production or publishing
Other groups that may be well-positioned to help launch a civic participatory media program are:
media access centers
public libraries
community development organizations
schools, colleges or universities
research centers within colleges or universities
news and information-based coops
When the Documenters Network is looking to add new affiliates, we are on the lookout for organizations that :
are based in and serve communities most impacted, and marginalized, by public policy
demonstrate strong ties within its local information ecosystem
show how programming and staff reflect justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles
Have an idea for a setup not listed above? We're all ears—drop us a note or join our discussion group via the links below.
Chicago Documenters Bia Medious and Juanpablo Ramirez...TKTK
Template: Launch Roadmap
Template: Launch Roadmap
As you design a proof of concept project or pitch this program to a funder, sponsor or supporter, it’s helpful to set benchmarks for the process. We share this program development roadmap and timeline with people interested in joining the Documenters Network. A similar framework might be helpful.
We share this program development roadmap and timeline with people interested in joining the Documenters Network. A similar framework might be helpful as you set benchmarks for a proof of concept project or pitch this program to a funder, sponsor or supporter.
Developed by City Bureau
Checklist: Staff Roles
Checklist: Staff Roles
Thinking about the role and responsibilities needed to make your project a success? We’ve identified three types of roles that work together to run a successful and sustainable participatory media program. As you grow, roles can be broken out by function. Remember that these positions can be spread across multiple organizations if you’re running the program in a coalition.
Program Manager
Set goals and oversee local programmatic activities
Manage staff and/or strategic development
Develop partnerships and collaborations
Draw on relevant expertise (i.e. journalism, government, education, etc) to innovate locally
Community Coordinator
Build and maintain local relationships
Facilitation and community support
Organize and host trainings, web chats, one-on-ones and other workshops
Maintain engagement systems online (ex: message board) and in-person
Organize community resources
Reporter/Producer
Select assignments and assign participants
Review and edit content
Written/verbal feedback to producers based on reviewed content
Approve content for publication
Report and/or curate and write newsletters or other journalistic products
—"[Participatory journalism] means adopting a mindset that views community knowledge as key to accurate and relevant stories. It takes a willingness to forge reciprocal, instead of transactional, relationships. It means creating encounters in which people feel invited and welcome into the reporting process."
—"This book looks at participation as a structurally unstable concept and as the object of a political-ideological struggle that makes it oscillate between minimalist and maximalist versions. This struggle is analyzed in theoretical reflections in five fields (democracy, arts, development, spatial planning and media) and in eight different cases of media practice. These case studies also show participation’s close connection to power, identity, organization, technology and quality."
Want more?
Want more?
We are constantly coming across existing (i.e. new-to-us) participatory models, and new or reimagined ideas for engaging the public in maintaining public goods. Here are some models and programs to explore:
Community media centers: Centers that are usually associated with a public, educational or governmental (PEG) access broadcast station. These centers train people in media equipment and skills, as well as broadcast community content.
Info Hub Captains: A group of community leaders that work with Resolve Philly to identify information needs that might be addressed through its SMS service or journalism.
Colectivo Papo Reto: A group of residents from the Complexo do Alemão favelas who use media and cell phone documentation to “guarantee and reaffirm rights for the favela.”
Courtwatching: Groups that train and send out volunteers to observe court proceedings, often with a focus on the criminal court system. Volunteers’ notes and observations can inform advocacy and accountability efforts.
Policy-hacking: A media reform strategy that focuses on citizen-based do-it-yourself policy alternatives and the development of new law and regulation. Typically it encompasses a) collecting and anzlysing existing policies (often from other countries) and b) re-assembling these components towards a new policy package.
Participatory budgeting: a democratic process in which community members decide how to spend part of a public budget. It gives people real power over real money.
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