The idea that Wikipedia is an open encyclopedia maintained by a decentralized network of millions of volunteers around the world, is mostly a myth.
In reality, the vast majority of edits are made by a core group of around 3,000 very active editors. 🧵
Given how prominent Wikipedia pages are in search results, private companies are very invested in working with these core editors to manicure their digital image and influence their very visible portrayal by a seemingly “objective” 3rd party.
But it’s not just the corporate sector that wants to sanitize their image.
Prominent individuals or even entire countries have been found dumping vast resources into Wikipedia washing strategies.
Despite recent revelations, it would be a mistake to see Wikipedia as a once neutral endeavor that has only recently been corrupted.
Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s founder, cites Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’, an ode to anti-communist fanfiction, as a major influence on his politics.
It’s thus unsurprising that Wikipedia’s guide to source trustworthiness gives full grades to NED cutouts like Bellingcat and RFA, but deems independent journalism critical of US empire, like Venezuelanalysis, Telesur, The Electronic Intifada, and The Grayzone as untrustworthy.
But it’s not just Wales.
Wikipedia’s CEO from 2016-2021 was Katherine Maher, a regime change superstar who boasts a resume adorned with stints at the World Bank and CIA regime change fronts like the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
thegrayzone.com/2020/06/11/mee…
Prior to joining on as Wikipedia’s CEO during her time at the World Bank, Maher even traveled to the Turkish-Syrian border right at the initial peak of western efforts to topple Assad.
Hilariously enough, even people who know Maher on a personal level believe she’s somehow affiliated with the CIA.
In truth, the CIA has so dispersed their role of coordinating regime change activities through a variety of orgs in recent decades that ideologues like Maher may actually be oblivious to her full role, having become so soaked in brine she has no idea she’s become a pickle.
Whatever Wikipedia’s purpose at the outset may have been, whether noble or not, is now completely irrelevant to what it has become:
an unassuming means of smuggling US-approved ideology worldwide under the guise of an unbiased and open encyclopedia for all.
Addendum: This may go without saying, but Wikipedia does not, and likely never has needed your money.
dailydot.com/debug/wikipedi…
Article from 2007 demonstrating how sloppy the FBI and CIA used to be when editing Wikipedia articles.
They’ve since added layers of obscuration and sophistication to conceal their role.
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