[WikiEN-l] Working towards balance on controversial topics (was: Guardian article about Wikipedia)

Mon Oct 24 20:33:57 UTC 2005

On 10/24/05, Poor, Edmund W <Edmund.W.Poor at abc.com> wrote:
> From: David Gerard [mailto:dgerard at gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 12:10 PM
>
> > Thank goodness for that. In a Wikipedia with otherwise really
> > very good and *useful* computer articles (i.e., I use it as
> > my standard reference in real life), [[Linux]] is a POV-
> > pushing dog's breakfast of advocacy. This happens with a lot
> > of open source-related articles, because too many
> > contributors really do not understand NPOV in any context
> > whatsoever, only advocacy. I've tried fixing it in the past,
> > but the effort of holding back the tide made me wish I was
> > working on more peacable areas of the wiki, like Israel-
> > Palestine topics.
>
> I have concentrated more on "balance" than on any other aspect of
> quality, during my nearly 4 years of volunteer service here at
> Wikipedia. Holding back the tide of advocacy is exhausting work, David,
> let me tell you!
>
> Fortunately, the editor in chief at EP is an expert in Israeli-Palestine
> peace efforts. He drafted the [[Jerusalem Declaration]], for one thing.
> And at a small meeting he arranged last Thursday, I got to meet the
> Development Director of "Children of Abraham".
>
> We need more dialogue and understanding. We also need to identify and
> celebrate what we have in common. I believe that an encyclopedia can
> provide reliable knowledge that helps people realize that "underneath
> our differences, we all are one". Anyway as a Unificationist, that's my
> dream.
>
> Uncle Ed
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