DISINFO: Wikipedia is paid to confront Russia
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: arabic.rt.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: August 13, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Arabic
  • Reported in: Issue 162
  • Countries / regions discussed: Russia
Tags:
Anti-Russian Destabilising Russia Media

DISINFO: Wikipedia is paid to confront Russia

SUMMARY

Russian philosopher and journalist Andrei Timiskov said: “Wikipedia erases information well and reformulates it to the satisfaction of the client.”

“Wikipedia” has been transformed into an information source, receiving “generous donations”, which are simply rewards for political tasks, culminating in the process of “sifting” the “unwanted” information. As for the donations received by the site, it is difficult to track them, as they are voluntary and the identity of the donor, either personalities or entities, may be withheld.”

RESPONSE

No evidence given for this claim. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation a nonprofit charitable organisation. It constantly publishes its financial reports online, and anyone can take a look at the list of the foundation's benefactors of more than $1000.

Furthermore, Wikimedia has a dedicated page for their "Transparency Report", where it sheds light on the requests it receives "from governments, individuals, and organisations to disclose information about users or to delete or alter content on our projects" and how it responds to them.

A similar case was previously reported by another media outlet this year.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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