EXCLUSIVE: Shakeup at Wikipedia in Wake of Porn Purge (editors rebelled against removing porn)

Fox News ^ | May 14, 2010 | Jana Winter

[Stoat]

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After much pressure from within the Wikipedia community, co-founder Jimmy Wales has relinquished his top-level control over the encyclopedia's content, as well as all of its parent company's projects.

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When asked who was in charge now, the source said, “No one. It’s chaos.”

According to insider sources and publicly available internal listserve discussions, Wikimedia editors have rebelled in the last week against Wales' attempts to remove pornographic images from the nonprofit's websites. Those images have been the subject of heated discussion within the community since their existence was revealed exclusively by FoxNews.com on April 27.

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Hundreds of listserve discussions among Wikimedia board members, administrators and editors reveal the eruption of a heated and chaotic debate over whether to delete the images, which legal analysts say may violate pornography and obscenity laws.

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By Thursday the discussion had devolved into an all-out war pitting board members against board members, and with top leadership sparring with lower level administrators.

[Stoat]

My apologies for the severe editing of this article....please click on the main article link to see the full story.

[Talisker]

When asked who was in charge now, the source said, “No one. It’s chaos.”

I thought when the collective ran things, it was the very definition of peace and democracy and equality.

You mean there has to be leaders controlling the democratic collective or it becomes chaos?

But, but, but... that can't be true!

[MetaThought]

It’s all fine as long as the whole thing is voluntary and lives don’t depend on it.

[Stoat]

I suppose it works as long as the leader’s values are the same as that of the collective ;-)

All this time, I had considered Wikipedia to be “the place to go to get a questionably accurate overview on anything at all” .
I hadn’t been aware that this was also “the place you go for potentially incorrect information as well as porn”.

[tlb]

>>> Wikimedia editors have rebelled in the last week against Wales’ attempts to remove pornographic images

Sounds reasonable that the editors would have assumed the porn wasn’t meant to be removed. By definition aren’t the porn articles “stickies” ?

[dixjea]

Too bad the founder lost. That’s all I need, one more place that is not safe from porn that my kids go.

[the_Watchman]

I had no idea that they included porn, but my son had warned me that the editors pulled no punches in salacious material in the name of “authenticity”.

For those interested in allowing their children access to the an encyclopaedia they provide a DVD-sized distillation which is suitable for grade school children. I have made several copies of this DVD for friends.

[Judges Gone Wild]

Wales did the right thing and paid a price for it. “A good name is better than riches.” God bless him.

[redgolum]

Wiki is good for general knowledge (what is the capitol of Maine) but if you go much deeper than that it will be gamed.

[Stoat]

Too bad the founder lost. That’s all I need, one more place that is not safe from porn that my kids go.

There have been a few times here at FR when I have linked to a  zoology article at Wikipedia, usually when someone asks me something like "what is a stoat?"  Beyond that, I haven't used it much at all and tend to go to 'more definitive' sites when I'm linking information here. 

In looking around online for Wikipedia alternatives, I'm noticing that at

Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia

which is a combination free / paid site, they have on their homepage banners encouraging people to subscribe the phrases "Information you can trust" and "Safe Environment" very prominently placed.

I'm wondering if these phrases might be in response to the competition from the free Wikipedia? Sounds like it might be.

It seems that Microsoft is no longer offering their Encarta encyclopedia online or as their "Reference Library" disks anymore.  Perhaps Wikipedia drove them out of business?

Microsoft Encarta Home

Thank you for visiting the Encarta product page on Microsoft.com.
		Microsoft has discontinued its Microsoft Encarta and Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium lines of products.

 

[altair]

I hadn’t been aware that this was also “the place you go for potentially incorrect information as well as porn”.

Your mistake. Wikipedia is best read after you read other stuff first and if you assume that it is wrong, you won't be disappointed very often.

Think of it as something like the New York Times of the Internet.

[SmokingJoe]

Wikimedia editors have rebelled in the last week against Wales’ attempts to remove pornographic images from the nonprofit’s websites.

That just doesn't compute. Wales made his money preddling gay porn:

“Prior to entering the dubious online encyclopaedia industry, Wales made his first fortune in gay pornography. He confounded Hustler magazine with Larry “Sanger” Flynt, but eventually left to pursue his dream of an online gay pornographic resource that would be free and to which contributions could be made by anyone. “Flynt” has since disavowed any claims of Jimbo’s to a role in Hustler, and Jimbo considers this defeat too embarrassing to admit — hence discussion of it is banned on Wikipedia.

Next, Jimmy Wales started Bomis.com, an erotic directory for young males too timid or too find real porn on the internet.”
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Jimbo_Wales

[Stoat]

I had no idea that they included porn, but my son had warned me that the editors pulled no punches in salacious material in the name of “authenticity”.

For those interested in allowing their children access to the an encyclopaedia they provide a DVD-sized distillation which is suitable for grade school children. I have made several copies of this DVD for friends.

Thanks very much for this information...I hadn't been aware that this was available.  After looking around a bit, it seems that this is produced by the charity SOS Children in cooperation with Wikipedia, and the last revision seems to have been in 2009.  It's available for download via BitTorrent, and readers who don't know what that is, just ask and I'm sure you'll get an answer quick ;-)

Here's the information on the latest release:

Press Release — Children Charity

 

[Stoat]

OMG I had no idea.
ewww!

[pepsionice]

Whats funny here...is that if you ever tried to go in and add comments on John Edwards and his affair (especially the month after the story broke)...the editors stopped you every single time. When you tried to edit and add facts on Al Gore, the editors stopped you every single time. There are over 1,000 topics where editors have taken over vast sections of the Wiki, and denied simple truths being added.

Yet, porn was ok?

Even after that they claim they’ve cleaned Wiki....I doubt that it’s a 100 percent. And the characters who added the stuff? They will come back within two months and began to populate it again. If you had any connection to your school’s computer filtering system...I think I’d pull this article out and demand Wiki be on the denial list. That’s how bad this has become.

[Carley]

Wikipedia was rarely if ever a safe site to visit if you wanted accurate information.

If I am not mistaken Wikimedia is owned by Soros.

The intention has always been to destroy this country from within, by any means necessary.

We don’t have to assist them by visiting their sites.

[ketsu]

That just doesn't compute. Wales made his money preddling gay porn:

uncyclopedia is a parody site. The Hustler bit is making fun of Wale's attempting to take sole credit for wikipedia and squeeze out Sanger.

[ketsu]

OMG I had no idea. ewww!

It's not true. uncyclopedia is a parody site.

[Lockbox]

Badges?... We don’t need no... stinkin’ badges!

[dennisw]

holy cow!!!!!111!!!!!!1!!1!!!!!1!