An argument for online public meetings

There are many variations to the telephone game but everyone has probably played it at some point in their life.

It’s the game where the first person whispers a sentence to the person next to them, so that no one else can hear it. That person then turns to the person next to them and whispers what they heard. And so on and so on.

By the time the message gets to the final person, the idea has most likely been skewered beyond recognition.

This can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe one person’s hearing is bad. Someone may condense a phrase down into one word. Maybe someone substitutes a phrase for another word. Or someone inserts a thought floating in their head into the sentence.

Most likely, the changes were not even done on purpose but they still happen. That is because the last person to receive the message is 5, 8 or 12 steps away from the source.

The closer you are to the source of information, the more accurate the message is likely going to be. And consequently, you are better able to make informed decisions or create an informed opinion.

Now, this is going to get awkward for a minute because I’m going to suggest that you not get your news from the newspaper or from the radio or from the TV or social media. More accurately, do not get your news solely from others.

Instead, I’m suggesting that people should get some of their information from as close to the source as possible. Additionally those providing that information, particularly government entities, should make that information as easily accessible as possible, including continuing to broadcast their meetings online.

I have attended McCook City Council meetings on and off over the years, usually if I had something on the agenda or wanted to support a project. But since the pandemic has hit and the City Council meetings have gone online via Zoom, I have “attended” nearly every meeting.

I have watched from my office. I have watched from my RV at the lake. I have watched from bedroom at home with two dogs and a cat on my lap.

I acknowledge that in-person meetings are preferable to online meetings, especially since everyone I know has started to dread a Zoom invite showing up in their inbox.

But there is value to having public meetings available online so they are available to those cannot attend in person. Maybe it is an elderly person who can’t drive to the meetings. Maybe it is a parent who doesn’t have childcare and does not want to make their three-year-old sit through a council meeting. Whatever the reason, online public meetings have become a valuable resource for the community.

Yes, continue to read the newspaper, especially since they are closest thing we have to watch-dogs for a community. Continue to listen to the radio for meeting wrap-ups and flip through the TV channels. Scroll through Facebook if you must.

But we should all make the effort to attend a City Council meeting or a school board meeting or a county commissioner meeting, whether in person or online. It is our civic duty to be informed and to make sure we both receive and pass along the correct message.

— Ronda Graff may attend every City Council meeting online but doesn’t always log-on under her own name, just to keep people guessing.