U.S. Congress

Embracing Wikis to Turn College Students into Public Scholars (Using Congresspedia)

by Conor Kenny — February 26, 2007 - 11:34am
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Education

    • Under the old, "broadcast" model of journalism and academia, undergraduate students were generally limited to consuming the scholarship of others while their own research and writing was largely confined to practice exercises. Now Congresspedia is engaging students in the new, participatory model of media and society by publishing their writing on the wiki rather than having it collect dust in a file drawer somewhere. As part of this project (our Student Editor Program), I met last week with the students of Prof. Phil Tajitsu Nash's Asian Pacific Americans and American Public Policy class at the University of Maryland. Prof. Nash's students are engaged in a fascinating research project on the movement for redress for Japanese Latin Americans who were put in internment camps during World War II. Despite enduring similar conditions to US-based Japanese Americans, they were exempted from the redress bill President Reagan signed in the 1980s.

    How Often Has Your Member of Congress Been Showing Up for Work?

    by Conor Kenny — February 23, 2007 - 4:20pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Politics, U.S. Government

    • Last summer, Congresspedia blogged about the comparatively low number of days the Republican-led 109th Congress was spending in legislative session.

    Participatory Democracy: Rate Your Senators' and Representative's Web Pages

    by Conor Kenny — February 21, 2007 - 5:29pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy

    • The Sunlight Foundation, the Center for Media and Democracy's partner in Congresspedia, has been doing some really interesting participatory journalism lately. Their current project is to get citizens to rate the websites of their members of Congress for transparency and accountability. So far 294 members have been rated and, in the wake of members like Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) posting their daily schedules online, the bar is getting higher for what citizens expect. The best part is that when the results are all in, we're going to post them on every member's Congresspedia profile so it can become part of their permanent record.

    Here's the Sunlight Foundation's Bill Allison to explain the effort and how you can participate:

    Pombo's Clear-Cut Path to the Revolving Door

    by Diane Farsetta — February 21, 2007 - 4:30pm

    "Former [U.S.] House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo has joined a lobbying and public relations firm that backed his attempts to rework the Endangered Species Act and open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to oil drilling," reports Josh Richman.

    Main Source: 
    Contra Costa Times (California), February 21, 2007

    Déjà Vu in the Senate: Republicans block anti-surge measure again

    by Conor Kenny — February 20, 2007 - 5:55pm
  • Topics: Iraq, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

    • While most Americans were enjoying a long Presidents’ Day weekend, the Senate was busy at the Capitol debating President Bush’s proposed escalation of the Iraq War. Congresspedia has stayed on top of the action, and many new updates can now be found on the Iraq troop “surge” page.

    This past Saturday (Feb.

    House Passes Non-Binding Resolution Opposing Troop “Surge” in Iraq

    by Conor Kenny — February 16, 2007 - 5:32pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

    • With the debate on the Hill over the Iraq troop "surge" kicking into high gear, the Congresspedia page documenting the congressional actions on the surge has been getting a lot of additions.

    After a week of debate in which every member of the House was given an opportunity to speak for five minutes regarding President Bush’s proposed

    Ethics Reform Loophole Results in Hot PAC Action

    by Diane Farsetta — February 14, 2007 - 5:41pm

    "In just the last two months, lawmakers invited lobbyists to help pay for ...

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, February 11, 2007

    Congresspedia's "Congress in the News" updates, Jan. 13-Feb. 2

    by Conor Kenny — February 14, 2007 - 5:23pm
  • Topics: Congresspedia News Updates, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

    • Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) Dies after Battle with Cancer

    by Conor Kenny — February 14, 2007 - 5:00pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, U.S. Government

    • Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), a seven-term congressman from Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, died Tuesday of cancer at age 65. Several weeks after his victory in the 2006 congressional elections, Norwood developed a new round of health problems and returned to Georgia for hospice care last week.

    Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) Under FBI Investigation for Land Deals

    by Conor Kenny — February 13, 2007 - 5:25pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government

    • Rep. Gary Miller has become the fourth House Republican from California in less than two years to face a federal investigation. He joins current Reps. John Doolittle and Jerry Lewis, as well as former Rep.

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