| Line 2: |
Line 2: |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| − | In theory, Wikipedia articles are supposed to be written by disinterested volunteers based on reliable secondary sources. However, because Google will rank a Wikipedia article as the first result when a person searches on the article's title, public relations firms and "reputation management" companies work hard to remove any negative or controversial facts from Wikipedia articles relating to their clients. Although such paid editing is not allowed, Wikipedia does little to enforce its rules against paid editing and there are numerous examples of paid editors introducing biased content on behalf of their clients. | + | In theory, Wikipedia articles are supposed to be written by disinterested volunteers based on reliable secondary sources. However, because Google will rank a Wikipedia article as the first result when a person searches on the article's title, [[Public Relations]] firms and "reputation management" companies work hard to remove any negative or controversial facts from Wikipedia articles relating to their clients. Although such paid editing is not allowed, Wikipedia does little to enforce its rules against paid editing and there are numerous examples of paid editors introducing biased content on behalf of their clients. |
| | | | |
| | ==Indian Institute of Planning and Management== | | ==Indian Institute of Planning and Management== |
| Line 31: |
Line 31: |
| | # Starting in April 2008, Karen “Fluffernutter” Ingraffea, who worked as a paid member of IBM's Watson AI team, began editing Wikipedia on company time, including the article covering the Watson AI project.<ref>https://tools.wmflabs.org/usersearch/usersearch.py?name=Fluffernutter&page=Watson+%28computer%29&server=enwiki&max=100</ref> She married Wikipedia arbitrator Brad “Courcelles” Brown in September 2013 and no action has been taken against her for her paid editing.<ref>http://wikipediocracy.com/2014/02/09/elementary-my-dear-watson/</ref> | | # Starting in April 2008, Karen “Fluffernutter” Ingraffea, who worked as a paid member of IBM's Watson AI team, began editing Wikipedia on company time, including the article covering the Watson AI project.<ref>https://tools.wmflabs.org/usersearch/usersearch.py?name=Fluffernutter&page=Watson+%28computer%29&server=enwiki&max=100</ref> She married Wikipedia arbitrator Brad “Courcelles” Brown in September 2013 and no action has been taken against her for her paid editing.<ref>http://wikipediocracy.com/2014/02/09/elementary-my-dear-watson/</ref> |
| | # Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) employee Sarah Stierch advertised her services as a Wikipedia writer for hire on the same freelancer site Wikimedia uses for its own contractors. Wikipedia articles she was alleged to have edited for pay include: the biography of Sally Hogshead,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sally_Hogshead&oldid=588872113</ref> an author and professional speaker; the article on ''The Leadership Challenge'',<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Leadership_Challenge&oldid=580204865</ref> a book on leadership and professional development; and the biography of Barry Posner, one of the book’s authors.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barry_Posner_%28academic%29&oldid=586827885</ref> Critics raised this paid editing on Jimmy Wales' talk page.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jimbo_Wales/Archive_153#Paid_editing_by_WMF_employee_on_oDesk</ref> After Wales denied Stierch was a WMF employee, and Fluffernutter jumped to her defense, she was terminated without public explanation by the WMF on January 9.<ref>http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2014-January/129466.html</ref> | | # Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) employee Sarah Stierch advertised her services as a Wikipedia writer for hire on the same freelancer site Wikimedia uses for its own contractors. Wikipedia articles she was alleged to have edited for pay include: the biography of Sally Hogshead,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sally_Hogshead&oldid=588872113</ref> an author and professional speaker; the article on ''The Leadership Challenge'',<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Leadership_Challenge&oldid=580204865</ref> a book on leadership and professional development; and the biography of Barry Posner, one of the book’s authors.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barry_Posner_%28academic%29&oldid=586827885</ref> Critics raised this paid editing on Jimmy Wales' talk page.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jimbo_Wales/Archive_153#Paid_editing_by_WMF_employee_on_oDesk</ref> After Wales denied Stierch was a WMF employee, and Fluffernutter jumped to her defense, she was terminated without public explanation by the WMF on January 9.<ref>http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2014-January/129466.html</ref> |
| − | # Tony Ahn & Co., a digital public relations agency based out of the Philippines, offers to provide Wikipedia pages for its clients. It has also placed clients' articles on the main page of Wikipedia by nominating them for "Did You Know?" entries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailydot.com/business/wikipedia-tony-ahn-pr-did-you-know/|title=Is Wikipedia's front page for sale?|work=Daily Dot|first=Tim |last=Sampson|date=June 07, 2013|accessdate=May 28, 2016}}</ref> | + | # Tony Ahn & Co., a digital [[Public Relations]] agency based out of the Philippines, offers to provide Wikipedia pages for its clients. It has also placed clients' articles on the main page of Wikipedia by nominating them for "Did You Know?" entries.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailydot.com/business/wikipedia-tony-ahn-pr-did-you-know/|title=Is Wikipedia's front page for sale?|work=Daily Dot|first=Tim |last=Sampson|date=June 07, 2013|accessdate=May 28, 2016}}</ref> |
| | #Ariadne Capital, a London-based venture capital firm, is suing PR agency Lansons over a "botched attempt to improve a Wikipedia entry in a campaign that did its reputation more harm than good." The PR agency sent an email to Wikipedia about a less-than-flattering article,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julie_Meyer&oldid=525008206</ref> and Wikipedia posted its text on-wiki.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/ariadne-cap-2016-3|title=A PR firm is being sued for 'botching up' an investment fund's Wikipedia page|date=March 15, 2016|accessdate=March 20, 2016|work=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Julie_Meyer&oldid=710780713</ref> | | #Ariadne Capital, a London-based venture capital firm, is suing PR agency Lansons over a "botched attempt to improve a Wikipedia entry in a campaign that did its reputation more harm than good." The PR agency sent an email to Wikipedia about a less-than-flattering article,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julie_Meyer&oldid=525008206</ref> and Wikipedia posted its text on-wiki.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/ariadne-cap-2016-3|title=A PR firm is being sued for 'botching up' an investment fund's Wikipedia page|date=March 15, 2016|accessdate=March 20, 2016|work=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Julie_Meyer&oldid=710780713</ref> |
| | | | |