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Washington Post: Who has the best Web sites and social media outreach in Congress?

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Washington, DC, April 29, 2014 | Lynn Turner / Nick Culp (269-385-0039 / 202-225-3761) | comments

By Josh Hicks

The Congressional Management Foundation recognized more than 80 lawmakers this week with Golden Mouse Awards for “excellence in online communication.”

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The awards, which have gone out every two years since 2002, come in two categories: Best Congressional Web Sites and Best Citizen Engagement on Social Media. Four senators and 12 House members earned gold awards for their Web sites, while seven senators and 10 House lawmakers earned the same mark in the social media category.

Aside from handing out accolades, the foundation also criticized legislators for not doing enough to enhance online engagement. In a report on the awards, the group said most congressional Web sites lack “substantive elements of accountability,” such as information about voting records, positions on key issues and the actions legislators have taken on behalf of their constituents.

“Too few are using social media to build trust and understanding of Congress, and too many are employing 1960s-style ‘Mad Men’ advertising strategies — repetitive and simplistic jargon wielded like a hammer to hit citizens on the head over and over again,” the foundation said in its report.

Despite those issues, the group said current lawmakers are showing signs of catching on, with 79 percent of their Web sites providing voting records, compared to 56 percent in the previous Congress.

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Here’s a complete list of the 2014 Gold Mouse winners, in alphabetical order:

Best Senate Web Sites: Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.).

Best House Web Sites: Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Michael M. Honda (D-Calif.), Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), John F. Tierney (D-Mass.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.).

Best Senate Engagement on Social Media: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.).

Best House Engagement on Social Media: Stephen Lee Fincher (R-Tenn.), Tim Griffin (R-Ark.), Michael M. Honda (R-Calif.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.).

Read the full article online here

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