Covering governmental meetings:
Final Project
Covering
a city council, school board or other governmental meeting can be a daunting
task at first. Once you get into the rhythm of the meeting and once you begin
to understand the process and the players, though, you’ll find them easy to
cover.
The following are tips and
hints as to how to cover your first governmental meeting.
BEFORE THE MEETING
1.
Try to get an advance copy of the agenda. You may do this by going to the
governmental office 72 hours before the meeting (that is when the agendas
generally become available) and obtaining a copy there or by calling the
government and asking if it is possible to have one faxed or perhaps they have
it online. You may also find it online. Most smaller cities are more than happy
to help you out. You’d be surprised at how much information you can get if you
just ask. Also, you want to ask for the reporter's copy of the agenda.
Introduce yourself as an El Camino College journalism student who's covering
this meeting as your final project and you should get what you need.
2.
You should talk to the city clerk or the school board's secretary to find out
what is happening and what you can expect from this meeting. Again, throw
yourself at the mercy of this person and let him/her know that you are a
beginning journalism student and are clueless as to what's going on. Ask if there is anything newsworthy or
interesting going to happen at the next meeting. Let the person help you. These
clerks and secretaries have been to hundreds of these meetings. If anyone knows
what's going to happen, they do. Pick their brains. Get their help.
3.
Be prepared by finding some recent stories regarding the government agency you
plan to cover. You may also want to call the Daily Breeze offices and talk to
the reporter who covers the city or school district whose meeting you will be
attending. Maybe that reporter would be willing to send you some clips from
recent stories that he or she has written. Anything you can do to familiarize
yourself with the city or the board will be helpful. Otherwise, you will be
lost the night of the meeting.
4.
Get there early (at least 10 minutes) and find a seat in the front row of the
chambers so that you can hear and see everything that happens. Write down the
names of all of the council or board members and make yourself a seating chart
in your notebook for quick reference. Their names should be on nameplates in
front of their chairs. If the city manager or city clerk or any other
city/school official is there early, introduce yourself as a student reporter
and ask that person what he or she thinks is the most important item on the
agenda. Again, do NOT be afraid to ask for help.
DURING THE MEETING
1.
Use your agenda to follow along with what action is taken. Pay particular attention to those items that
impact people and those that impact the largest number of people. Make sure you
write down the names of all speakers, especially the names of people you don’t
already have in your notes. Pay
attention. These meetings can move awfully fast sometimes, and, before you
realize it, it’s over and a lot of business has happened. Listen!
2.
Note the vote for and against actions and mark these tallies in your notebook.
Try to figure out why people voted for or against items, particularly
controversial or important items.
3.
Get some good quotes from the council or the board members, speakers from the
public or basically anyone else who speaks. Don’t get overwhelmed by taking too
many notes, but don’t just sit there taking no notes, either. Be sure you have
enough to quote at least two or three people. Also, remember, since this is an
open, public meeting, you can tape it without asking for permission to do so.
So bring your tape recorder if that will make you feel more comfortable, but
also understand that the sound quality of the tape will probably leave
something to be desired. As always when using a recorder, pretend it isn’t
there and take complete notes.
4.
Make note of and pay attention to any deviations from the agenda or any
additions to the agenda. Often, these are the more interesting items.
5.
After a member of the public speaks who you wish to quote in your story, you
need to follow that person to his or her seat, and, quietly without
interrupting the meeting, get the person to spell his or her name for you.
6.
You must stay until the end of the meeting. It doesn’t matter how many hours it
lasts or how long it goes, you need to stay. Even if it’s 2 a.m., hang in there
because you never know what will happen.
AFTER THE MEETING
1.
Go up to people who you plan to quote in your article and make sure that you
have the correct spellings of their names.
2.
Go up to the council or the board members and ask them why they voted a certain
way or how this decision will impact the city or the district.
3.
Approach citizens who talked during the meeting and get more information from
them, as well as the spelling of their names.
4.
Do NOT leave until you CLEARLY understand what happened, why and what impact it
will have on the district and its citizens.
5.
If necessary, check back with the city or the school officials the next day to
get more information or to better understand what went on. Whatever you do, do
NOT interrupt the meeting. You're supposed to sit quietly in your seat and
observe. You can ask questions before the meeting and after it, but not during
it.
Good luck! This is our
democracy in action. Enjoy the experience.
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