Jersey Vindicator announces new volunteer program to document county commission meetings across the state
We began interviewing residents about their information needs last month. Those interviews will continue into the new year, and we also plan to host listening sessions in communities across the state in 2024. If you volunteered to be interviewed and we have not spoken to you yet, we will be reaching out after the holidays.
One thing that has become clear so far in interviews is that people want to know what is going on at the county level. Ten or 15 years ago, most counties had a reporter covering county government and attending county commission meetings. That is no longer the case. People tell us they don’t know what is going on at the county level. Several readers have forwarded us tips about corruption and cronyism in county government in their counties, or unsolved problems in their counties. Counties also account for 20 to 30% of residents’ property taxes in most counties.
The Jersey Vindicator focuses on investigative reporting, explanatory journalism, accountability reporting, and solutions journalism. In talking to residents, we feel it is important to have people documenting county commission meetings and reviewing agendas both to report on what is happening and to detect areas with further reporting.
We are seeking volunteers to document meetings, at least one for each county. We will train you, and you will be given a small stipend for your efforts. If you would like more information, please fill out the form below. We will start with a few counties and then try to expand to the entire state. -Krystal
Editor’s note: We are not affiliated with the Chicago-based City Bureau Documenters program and we have updated this story and headline to correct that after someone pointed out that people might mistakenly think we are.
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Krystal Knapp is the founder of The Jersey Vindicator and the hyperlocal news website Planet Princeton. Previously she was a reporter at The Trenton Times for a decade.