Candi says they should be mostly focused on citizen tasks. I agree that tasks are important, but I think news can be, too. What is probably unimportant is news about the agency head, though that's what public affairs and media staff want to focus on.

Last week, I was talking to a friend who is a private sector usability specialist. I asked her if, like me, she is noticing that some agency websites seem to be slipping backwards, featuring agency news rather than top citizen tasks on their home pages. She said that, indeed, she and her colleagues are observing the same thing. It appears that agency public affairs staffs are really getting into websites (and web management) - which is a good thing - but they haven't yet learned this truth: the public comes to government websites to do things - perform tasks - not read the news. They go to newspaper sites for that...

Putting news and press releases as the featured items at the top of government websites shouts, "me, me, me" - not "you, you, you." It is not furthering transparency - it's obscuring service and engagement. In several cases, I've seen agency news (including photos of agency officials) crowding out and pushing down links to what the public really wants - top tasks..those services that they pay taxes for. This is a step backward.