Communication on South African provincial government websites fails to meet basic plain writing standards.
That’s according to VisibleThread‚ a global leader in content quality management‚ whose Website Clarity Index analysis focused on 30-plus provincial government websites from Gauteng‚ Kwazulu Natal and the Western Cape.
“Despite well-established consequences‚ poor writing on government websites continues to be common‚” stated Fergal McGovern‚ CEO of VisibleThread. “In a country where the language of government is a second language for many of its citizens‚ poor communication will result in inefficiency and affect service delivery.”
VisibleThread’s analysis found that only 13% of provincial government websites meet recommended readability standards.
“Writing on most sites is at or above a college reading level – above the capabilities of a majority of South Africa’s citizens. South Africa does not have a mandated plain language policy for government‚” it said.
The index ranks the clarity of provincial website writing on four distinct measures. Specific departments performed better than others in the analysis.
You can download the full report from VisibleThread’s website.
Communication on provincial government websites poor‚ analysis finds
Communication on South African provincial government websites fails to meet basic plain writing standards.
That’s according to VisibleThread‚ a global leader in content quality management‚ whose Website Clarity Index analysis focused on 30-plus provincial government websites from Gauteng‚ Kwazulu Natal and the Western Cape.
“Despite well-established consequences‚ poor writing on government websites continues to be common‚” stated Fergal McGovern‚ CEO of VisibleThread. “In a country where the language of government is a second language for many of its citizens‚ poor communication will result in inefficiency and affect service delivery.”
VisibleThread’s analysis found that only 13% of provincial government websites meet recommended readability standards.
“Writing on most sites is at or above a college reading level – above the capabilities of a majority of South Africa’s citizens. South Africa does not have a mandated plain language policy for government‚” it said.
The index ranks the clarity of provincial website writing on four distinct measures. Specific departments performed better than others in the analysis.
You can download the full report from VisibleThread’s website.
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