Two Penn-affiliated websites were once again nominated for Webby Awards last week.
Penn Law School’s website and FactCheck.org, an Annenberg Public Policy Center project, were nominated for the Law and Politics categories of websites, respectively, last Wednesday.
Nominees can win one of two awards that The New York Times refers to as the “Internet’s highest honor”: a Webby Winner, given by a panel of judges, or a People’s Voice award, which is chosen by online voters.
Of the five nominees for the Law category, Penn Law is the only school nominated. Last year, the school won the People’s Voice award for the same category. This is its second consecutive nomination.
“Speaking to students within the law school community, it seems like they’re pretty excited about it,” Penn Law Associate Dean of Communications Steven Barnes said. “We try to put together a site that would be a great information resource to our various audiences ... and that allow[s] a great amount of engagement with our constituents inside and outside the law school.”
Director of Web Services Christine Droesser emphasized the website’s visual appeal and interactive potential. “The community is involved in it ... it’s really such a collaborative effort,” Droesser said, noting the positive feedback she has received from law students and higher education peers.
The website features a home page with a calendar of events as well as both Penn-related and world news. The information is updated in real time, and community members can post to the website or engage through Twitter and Facebook. However, no large changes have been made to the website since last year.
FactCheck.org, which started before the 2004 presidential election, reports on the accuracy of politicians’ statements for federal and other major elections. Its coverage includes what politicians said on social media, in televised debates and in print articles.
The website has won six People’s Voice and three Webby Winner awards in the last seven years. Managing Editor Lori Robertson attributes the website’s success to its unique purpose. “There’s a hunger for this type of journalism,” she said.
Although the need for fact-checking journalism has become more prevalent in the last few years, “we’re still one of the few places where you can get that kind of coverage,” she added. She explained that people still come to the website expressing their surprise that such a concept even exists.
FactCheck.org plans to keep improving, despite its already prolific success. “We’re always thinking about what we can do differently,” Robertson said, “particularly with the way politicians communicate with voters.”
Recently, politicians have begun “micro-targeting” voters through individualized emails, texts and social media platforms, and Robertson said that the website will adapt to address information conveyed in this way.
Voting for the Webby Awards will be open to the public until 7 a.m. on April 25. The winners will be announced on April 29.
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