President breaks promise to solicit online comments before signing bills

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Even President Barack Obama has apparently failed to meaningfully engage U.S. citizens online in government goings-on, according to the Obameter on PolitiFact.com, maintained by the Saint Petersburg Times in Florida. Engaging citizens online is a goal many innovators in the journalism industry are struggling to reach today.

The president promised during his campaign that “to reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama ‘will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days,’ according to PolitiFact.

The president broke the promise when he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29. without posting the item on the White House Web site first to allow for comment.