Du Quoin City Council broadcasts meeting on Facebook Live

The Du Quoin City Council broadcast last Monday's council meeting on Facebook Live and will continue to do so, according to Mayor Guy Alongi.

Alongi said while local cable channel 16 will continue to broadcast the meetings, bringing in Facebook Live will undoubtedly reach more residents.

"Not everyone can afford cable TV or a newspaper subscription, but almost everyone has a Facebook page," the mayor said.

Moreover, while the cable TV broadcast is a one-and-out, meaning the meetings are not rebroadcast at different times, a Facebook Live transmission is kept on the Du Quoin Facebook page and can be accessed anytime by residents.

"This is a way to show transparency," Alongi added. "We're all elected officials; there is no better way to reach out."

He added that the Facebook feed is in high-definition. The city recently improved the council chambers' sound system, so people should have no difficulty hearing what people are saying.

"The mics are super-sensitive," Alongi said, noting that commissioners who intend to say something as an aside might well have their comment picked up.

"But we didn't do this as a 'gotcha' moment," he added. "It's about transparency," and hoping to involve more citizens in their government, he added.

The camera that provides the feed is stationary, and takes in the whole council at once, as well as anyone who steps up to the microphone.

The Du Quoin City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/cityofduquoin.