Nebraska Civic Newsroom / A public record of public meetingsStaff log in
Nebraska Civic Newsroom

[ Write a one-line description of the program — who it's for, and that it's paid ]

[ Write the primary headline — the one sentence that captures why this work matters ]

[ Write the supporting paragraph — what the program does, and why a reader in Nebraska should care ]

Apply to join the reporting teamRead the latest meeting coverage
[ Staff: add any qualifying note, e.g. whether experience is required ]
[ Hero visual — photo of a civic reporter taking notes in a council chamber, black-and-white, ruled into the grid ]
[ Caption — meeting name, session type, photo credit ]
0
Meetings documented
0
Trained civic reporters
13
Public bodies tracked
$0
Paid to reporters to date
How it worksStart with the application
01

Apply

[ Describe the application itself — what it asks, roughly how long it takes, and that everyone gets a response ]

[ e.g. Takes about N minutes ]
02

Get approved

[ Describe what happens between applying and getting started — any orientation, training, or review step ]

[ e.g. Orientation is paid time ]
03

Cover a meeting

[ Describe how reporters pick assignments from the open board, in person or via livestream, and how much say they have over schedule ]

[ e.g. You set your own pace ]
04

Publish & get paid

[ Describe the editing step and when/how payment happens after a piece is published ]

[ e.g. Paid per assignment ]
Why it matters

[ Write the section headline — the single claim about why this coverage matters ]

[ Paragraph 1 — the problem: what local coverage has been lost and what it costs the community ]

[ Paragraph 2 — the program's premise: what training, editing, and pay actually provide ]

[ Paragraph 3 — what happens to the record once it's published, and who reads/uses it ]

[ Visual — map of Nebraska with tracked public bodies marked as square nodes, schematic style ]
Coverage area
2 regions — Omaha, Lincoln
Records published
[ e.g. Free, public, permanent ]
A fair trade

What you get

  • Pay[ Describe the pay structure — rate per assignment, what it covers, when it’s paid ]
  • Training[ Describe what training/orientation is provided and whether it’s paid ]
  • An editor[ Describe the editing relationship — is every assignment reviewed before publishing? ]
  • A byline[ Describe how bylines/credit work and where the work is published ]
  • Flexibility[ Describe any minimum commitment, or confirm there isn’t one ]

What Nebraska gets

  • A record[ Describe what having documentation of these meetings actually provides ]
  • Accountability[ Describe the accountability value of having someone in the room ]
  • Better news[ Describe how partner newsrooms use this coverage, if applicable ]
  • More reporters[ Describe the pipeline/training value to local journalism ]
  • Trust[ Describe why community-based reporters build trust differently than outside press ]
Recent work from the teamBrowse all coverage

No published reporting yet.

“[ Pull quote from a current civic reporter about what the work means to them ]”
[ Reporter name — civic reporter since [year], [city] ]
Common questions
  • Do I need journalism experience?
    [ Staff: answer honestly — is prior experience required or helpful but not necessary? ]
  • How much does it pay?
    [ Staff: state the actual rate and what it covers ]
  • How much time does it take?
    [ Staff: describe a typical assignment’s time commitment and whether there’s a minimum ]
  • What happens to my notes?
    [ Staff: describe the review/publish process and where the final piece appears ]
  • Is this connected to the national Documenters program?
    [ Staff: clarify the relationship, if any, to the national Documenters network ]
[ e.g. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis ]

[ Write the closing headline — a direct call to action ]

[ One supporting sentence reinforcing the invitation to apply ]

Start your applicationQuestions first? Write to the editors — a person reads every message