‘Rigid’ public agency websites should be more interactive — study

AMMAN — Websites of public agencies and ministries should be more interactive and regularly updated to be of value to users and media outlets, a study recommended Sunday.

The study by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) revealed that websites of public agencies provide information in a rigid format and all look the same, indicating that they need to become more user-friendly.

The websites also lacked e-services and electronic applications to allow users to obtain information under the Access to Information Law, the study showed.

The study called on the government to conduct a massive media campaign to educate the public about e-services available to them.

“There is definitely a need to upgrade these websites regularly and change their working mechanism… They need more development,” Nidal Mansour, head of CDFJ, said during a workshop held in collaboration with the Hayat Centre on the current status of and challenges faced by websites of public agencies.

Participants indicated during the workshop that information on public agency websites is usually outdated, calling for improved archive and search functions.

They also stressed the need for these websites to become more interactive and a source of newsworthy information for the media and the public. 

The public authorities should also pay more attention to developing websites and responding faster to inquiries and complaints lodged via the website, the study recommended.

The government should issue directives to public agencies requiring them to make e-applications to enable the public to obtain data under the Access to Information Law, the study said.

The study also suggested that training be provided to website managers on how to provide information in a simple and informative manner, calling for a mechanism to monitor the performance of these websites in this regard.