National Journal Publishes Rankings For Best/Worst Committee Web Sites

Local web development firm, Web Development Group, secures 2 of the Top 5 spots with the new sites for the Oversight and Commerce Committees.
November 30, 2009 | Washington, DC

National Journal, the leading source of independent reporting in the political environment, announced their rankings of Congress’ best Committee websites last Wednesday. While the Congressional Management Foundation maintains a report of best Congressional Web sites, National Journal decided to commission a panel of “new media experts to grade 16 Senate and 20 House committee Web sites”. The group of panelists used an ascending scale of 1-10 to grade the design and content of each web site and then ranked the sites according to the average combined scores.

WDG, a web development firm based out of Old Town, Alexandria, proudly cinched two of the top five positions for their overhauls of the websites for the Oversight and Energy and Commerce Committees. WDG can also boast the fact that they are the only external web vendor in the top 5 of the rankings. The Committees for Education and Labor, Science and Technology, and Budget all have internal web teams dedicated to the development and maintenance of their respective sites.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform was ranked at #2 for their recently launched website. With its “Government 2.0” attributes, including a custom-built legislative module, and the user-friendly content, the website was declared the “leader in both design and features” by the National Journal’s panelists.

The Committee, currently run by Chairman Edolphus Towns, is the chief investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has the control to investigate federal programs and any matter with federal policy implications.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce ranked fourth ahead of the House Committee on Budget. This committee maintains primary responsibility for legislative oversight relating to telecommunications, consumer protection, public health, the supply and delivery of energy, and interstate and foreign commerce in general.

The new site for the Energy Committee boasts a modernized and clean layout with current tools and functions that, along with the site’s new look, appeal to today’s generation of concerned constituents.

UPDATE: National Journal has since removed the complete list of National Journal’s Congress’ Best (and Worst) Committee Web Sites.