Portsmouth Resumes Video Hosting of Town Meetings

For many Portsmouth residents, the demise of the Portsmouth Record, a free volunteer-run website that posted Town Council meeting videos, was troubling.

Most people have jobs, families and responsibilities that make attending evening meetings difficult, if not impossible. The Portsmouth Record was a lifeline, offering residents a chance to see Town Council members debate the issues and cast their votes — without the discussion going through the filter of a local newspaper or media outlet.

The Open Government Video Project began in 2009 with the town of Jamestown. Over time, it expanded to include the Portsmouth Record, which started in October of 2011. The project was an experiment in providing citizens with better access to video recordings of town meetings and ended after five years at the end of 2014. As the organization stopped operating, it urged cities and towns served by the service (Newport, Jamestown, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton) to pick up where they left off.

“With our 5 year Anniversary we are ending the project with the hope that local governing bodies will take up the work as part of their public service to their communities,” a message on the old website stated.

The presence of the record, in addition to offering residents a chance to catch up on local government anytime, has held reporters’ feet to the fire. Knowing that a quote or a story’s context can easily be verified has led to an overall improvement in the accuracy and accountability of local reporting.

At its peak, about 24,000 monthly viewers visited the site.

To watch Portsmouth Town Council meetings now, go to the new link HERE: http://www.therecordri.com/PortsmouthTownHallVideos/index.html

The School Committee server is still not active at this time.

Other Aquidneck Island communities are working towards replacing the Records’ former service. In Newport, the City Council is considering signing a contract with a company that would install cameras in City Hall and post meeting videos online next to council agendas and minutes. Some of the services being considered also offer live streaming of meetings.

Live streaming of town meetings is already happening in Narragansett, South Kingstown and North Kingstown.