Wikipedia’s value in the age of generative AI
If there was a generative artificial intelligence system that could, on its own, write all the information contained in Wikipedia, would it be the same as Wikipedia today?
New Wikipedia editor features make it easy for everyone to contribute
New features on Wikipedia are making it easy for everyone to edit Wikipedia, especially those contributing to the site for the first time. Every time you read a Wikipedia article, you are reading the work of a volunteer contributor. Nearly 300,000 people from around the world edit Wikipedia articles each month — they start new….
Wikimedia Foundation Appeals Russian Court Decision on Removal of Wikipedia Information Related to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
On 6 June 2022, the Wikimedia Foundation filed an appeal to challenge a Moscow Court’s decision that the Foundation committed an administrative offense by failing to remove “prohibited” information on Wikipedia, largely related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In its appeal, the Wikimedia Foundation argues that information on Wikipedia should be protected by freedom….
Wikipedia’s most-popular articles of 2018 show that pop culture rules over us all
People visited Wikipedia over 190 billion times in 2018 alone, many motivated by the encyclopedia’s wealth of in-depth articles about topics you didn’t know enough about. But in looking at the English Wikipedia’s most-popular articles of 2018, it’s clear that one motivation reigned supreme. People wanted to keep up with the popular culture moments happening….
Five ways academics can contribute to Wikipedia
In recent weeks, the world learned about Dr. Donna Strickland, only the third woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. It also learned that Wikipedia lacked an article on Strickland amongst its over five million articles. Wikipedia subsequently received justifiable criticism for its low percentage of female editors, its editing culture, and its….
Offline-Pedia converts old televisions into Wikipedia readers
There are villages in the Ecuadorian Andes that are so small you cannot find them on a map. Cajas Juridica is one such place, located just 13km north of the equator. But two engineering students, Joshua Salazar and Jorge Vega, and the staff of Yachay Tech University have figured out a way to give discarded….
Meet the scientist working to increase the number of underrepresented scientists and engineers on Wikipedia
By day, Dr. Jess Wade is a physicist best known for her work on “polymer-based, circularly polarising, light-emitting diodes.” But in the evenings (and on the weekends, and as other time permits) Dr. Wade is a strong advocate for increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM subjects, speaking at conferences and starting a campaign on Wikipedia to promote more early-career women….
New interaction timeline improves investigation of harassment cases
The new interaction timeline tool is a way to look at two contributors’ editing history—where they have interacted, when, and how often. This can help add clarity when reviewing reports of harassment and abuse, and takes some of the burden off both the people reviewing problems, and the people reporting them.
What should journalists know about Wikipedia? A Poynter Institute NewsU webinar
Join us for a Poynter Institute NewsU webinar to help journalists around the world better understand Wikipedia. Here's some additional details on what we're going to talk about on July 12.
Interactive maps, now in your language
Newly available on all Wikimedia wikis: embeddable maps that make the world a little easier to understand.