Bismarck Documenters note-takers program takes root in Bismarck-Mandan community

The Bismarck Documenters Program, a collaboration between the Buffalo’s Fire newsroom and the national Documenters Network, is actively engaged in training community notetakers. After months of hard work, patience, and educating the public on the local civic journalism lab, we now have dedicated Documenters, a.k.a. ‘note takers, ’ attending local government meetings.

And while that is amazing news, we’re still building our local network of notetakers.

We’ve recently gained the attention of local and statewide civic groups that are interested in learning more about what this unique program is doing for our rural community, and how it can work for theirs.

We continue to build our network within this community by reaching out to educators, administrators, instructors, and students at local colleges and universities. To recruit additional note-takers, we’re talking to journalism-media classes, civics and government classes and leadership classes. We aren’t limiting ourselves to students, however, because anyone can be a Documenter.

To help you learn more about the Bismarck Documenters, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions:

Who are the Documenters?

Documenters are engaged citizens who participate in the news-gathering process and contribute to a communal pool of knowledge. They can be college students, teachers, organizers, retired individuals, or anyone in between who wants to become more civically engaged in their community or just wants to learn to take better notes.

We invite anyone who is interested to become a Documenter by creating an account online and attending a Bismarck Documenters Orientation. While our training and assignments are rooted in journalism, Documenters are not assigned to produce traditional news articles—instead, they are creating a new public record using a template for note taking. Coverage of public meetings includes information on policy decisions, legislation, public comments and even local trends.

Which public meetings can I attend?

After the completion of an orientation workshop, you are officially ready to take your first assignment. We look for local, public government meetings that are posted on the Internet by using web scrapers. These scrapers are connected to local government meeting calendars that will typically post agendas and previous meeting minutes.

When you are a certified Documenter you will log in to the ‘Meetings’ tab on the Documenters website and look for the open meetings. If you see one that interests you, simply apply for the assignment. You’ll then get an email giving you the information that you need to move forward in successfully documenting that meeting. It’s that simple.

How much do you pay?

Bismarck Documenters are paid $20 per hour on assignment. An average assignment is 3.5 to 4 hours. That includes the research you do ahead of time, attending the meeting and taking notes, then reviewing and polishing notes. After you submit your assignment, your notes are edited and published on our home page. Once your assignment is published, we can then pay you for your assignment. Look here at current reporting taken by local documenters. Documenters are considered independent contractors and will be required to fill out a W-9 after their first assignment.

What do I need to bring on assignment?

Being a successful Documenter requires a laptop or iPad, along with an audio recording device, and a willingness to learn what’s happening at local government meetings.

No worries, though, if you don’t have the equipment Documenters requires. We, at Buffalo’s Fire, strive to make sure all Documenters have a fair chance at becoming a note taker. The fact that you may not have a laptop or a recording device should not keep you from applying to be a Documenter. Therefore, we are currently working on securing laptops and audio recording devices that can be used for the assignment.

We are aware that not everyone has internet access or a good connection to the internet. For that, we recommend going to the local Bismarck or Mandan libraries to access their free Wi-fi to complete your assignments before submitting.

How do I attend a workshop?

We finished our third orientation on September 19. The next dates are set for October 16 and November 13, both to be held virtually at 6:30pm CST. To become a Bismarck Documenter create an account here and sign up for the next orientation workshop. Look for our Facebook event page, video shorts and radio ads on how to become a Bismarck Documenter. Or simply sign up and register now for this workshop. If you have questions on the sign up process or want to learn more, contact Alicia Hegland Thorpe, alicia@imfreedomalliance.org.