Students in the Cleveland Media Academy recently had the opportunity to learn about the importance of covering public agencies, meetings, and decisions from Signal Cleveland reporter Doug Breehl-Pitorak. Breehl-Pitorak emphasized that in the current political climate, decisions and deals are being made without public knowledge, highlighting the importance of attending and reporting on public meetings.
During the session, Breehl-Pitorak discussed the rights of citizens to attend public meetings, citing the Ohio Open Meetings Act which ensures transparency and open access to these meetings. He also highlighted the role of documenters.org, a website where citizens can document public meetings, emphasizing the importance of detailed reporting and attributing quotes to specific officials.
Breehl-Pitorak stressed the importance of covering key details during public meetings, such as policies passed, proposals, names of officials, outcomes, and financial decisions. He also encouraged students to pay attention to public comment as it can provide interesting story angles.
Overall, Breehl-Pitorak emphasized that public bodies are meant to serve the public, and therefore the public has a right to be informed about their decisions and actions. The Cleveland Media Academy, sponsored by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in partnership with News 5, Signal Cleveland, WKYC Studios, and the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists, aims to educate and empower high school students in the field of journalism.
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