A Brief Intro to Congresspedia
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor

Think of this as your bonus Resource of the Week. With the elections less than a week away, we would be remiss if we failed to call your attention to a truly unique, helpful and informative website. We did mention Congresspedia — the “citizen’s encyclopedia on Congress” — here back in August. Right now is a good time to give it another look.

Congresspedia is part of SourceWatch, a wiki-based project of the Center for Media and Democracy, which defines itself as “a directory of the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda.” If you’re one of those people for whom the word “wiki” is synonymous with “chaos,” you need to know that there are real, live human editors behind Congresspedia — experienced investigative journalists, researchers who verify contributions and sources. A powerful concept. In true wiki style, anyone is welcome to register and contribute; you don’t have to use your real name.

Read the “Congress in the News” section on the lefthand side of the front page, and see what the editors have to say on the right side. But to get some idea of what the site is all about, find the entry about your U.S. senator or representative. (Not sure of the name? Browse by state or search by address/zip code.) Right away, you’ll see that this is something we really love here at ResourceShelf — a “one-stop shopping” site for information about your elected representatives.

In addition to a biography, each entry aggregates data about fundraising/contributions, any “controversy” involving the individual, committees, affiliations, coalitions, caucuses, etc. You’ll find links to background information from other sources about interest group ratings, articles, the person’s official website and, often, local weblogs that have at least some postings about politics. Congresspedia editor Conor Kenny mentioned that they were “trying to help foster local salons for citizens to discuss their representatives.”

For those who love scandals, there is a link from the front page to a category called “Members of Congress under investigation.” There is also a link to the full list of Congresspedia articles, in alphabetical order. And you’ll find a link to a SourceWatch guide, How to Research Members of Congress.

We think the most important thing about this site is the editorial oversight. People can become a little intense about politics; Kenny said the editors work hard to root out bias in contributions, including the occasional stealth congressional staffer. “Opinion is good,” he says, “but not for us.” Kenny’s weblog highlights new projects and articles, and solicits help from readers. (He is also looking for suggestions about site navigation; we know our ResourceShelf audience includes some folks who are quite savvy about this.)

The funding for Congresspedia and its related sites comes from the Sunlight Foundation, founded early this year with the purpose of “using the revolutionary power of the Internet and new information technology to enable citizens to learn more about what Congress and their elected representatives are doing, and thus help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government, and foster public trust in the vital institutions of democracy.” Micah Sifry of Personal Democracy Forum, Ellen Miller of the Sunlight Foundation and Sheldon Rampton of the Center for Media and Democracy are the brains behind Congresspedia. The money comes from Mike Klein, a Washington area lawyer and entrepreneur.

Read What Others Have to Say About Congresspedia
What others say about Congresspedia and the Sunlight Foundation:
+ Washington Post

+ Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds notes that while some may believe that Congresspedia has a left bent he believes, “that this stuff transcends partisanship.” That’s good news.

+ ResourceShelf friend and librarian supreme, Marylaine Block, noted the Sunlight Foundation resources in her September 1st Roundup on her Neat New Stuff I Found this Week Site.

+ Introducing The Congresspedia (via The Hotline/National Journal)

This entry was posted on Friday, November 3rd, 2006 at 1:50 am and is filed under Databases, Directories, and Guides, Fast Facts, Resource of the Week, Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.