GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A hyper-local news source that was around for ten years in West Michigan largely came to a close in 2019 when the site underwent a hiatus.
But now, the Grand Rapids Community Media Center is giving The Rapidian new life by joining the nationwide Documenters Network.
The Rapidian held an event at the Wealthy Theatre Wednesday to not only celebrate its relaunch, but also give people the chance to network and dive into what the Documenters Network really is.
Essentially, it teaches community members how to keep tabs on elected leaders.
They attend meetings, especially ones that may otherwise go unnoticed, take notes and publish them online for anyone to read.
READ MORE: ‘Documenters’ trains Grand Rapids residents to keep tabs on local government
Those with The Rapidian say it’s an important mission to help keep community members informed.
“I would just say it’s important to keep local news local, to make sure that the folks who are writing our news and reading our news are from the same community because it’s a better reflection,” Grand Rapids Documenters Program Manager Allison Donahue explained. “The folks who know our community are able to tell our stories best rather than having national outlets fly in and try and paint a picture of Grand Rapids. They don’t know Grand Rapids like we know Grand Rapids.”
City Bureau, a journalism lab in Chicago, started the Documenters in 2018. Now, it’s in several cities throughout the country, including Grand Rapids.
