With Open Data, The Transparency Medium Can Matter As Much as the Message
BY David Eaves | Wednesday, January 30 2013
This is going to sound crazy, but bear with me: Transparency matters, even when no one seems to be watching. Read More
Government Transparency Sites: Moving into the 21st Century
BY David Eaves | Monday, September 10 2012
The new Italian open data portal, OpenCoesione, represents a genuine effort by governments to recognize how an online medium should be used, even if in a narrow context. These sites are never going to attract a million page views, and I don’t think they should be judged by that standard. What they are really doing is replacing the linear, often opaque, and almost always boring PDF or printed reports that detail how a program is delivered. Read More
Oversight Committee Hearing Explores the Future of Transparency in Federal Spending
BY Nick Judd | Tuesday, June 14 2011
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Ca.) at today's hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Screen capture from oversight.house.gov The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform just concluded a ... Read More
Edward Tufte: Saving America from "Intellectually Impoverished" Data Design
BY Nancy Scola | Wednesday, May 11 2011
Edward Tufte; photo by Nancy Scola. Over in the Washington Monthly, Joshua Yaffa has a deep profile of information design legend Edward Tufte that includes a look at how he answered his country's call to service and got ... Read More
Recovery.gov's Stimulus Spending Tracker is Now Location-Aware, and Mobile
BY Nancy Scola | Thursday, April 28 2011
The team behind the federal government's much-critcized Recovery.gov site recently rolled out a pair of mobile versions of the site, customized for the iPhone and iPad. The pair of Recovery.gov apps make use of the fact ... Read More
Two Years Later: Recovery.gov Still Sucks At Public Engagement
BY Micah L. Sifry | Monday, February 28 2011
Two years ago, Barack Obama promised the public that he was going to run government in a more transparent and interactive way. Read More
New Pew Report on "Govt Online" Shows Big Citizen Participation But Little Govt Engagement
BY Micah L. Sifry | Tuesday, April 27 2010
"The more we can enlist the American people to pay attention and be involved, that's the only way we are going move an agenda forward. That's how we are going to counteract the special interests." --Barack Obama, ... Read More