The EFF position on Wikipedia
EFF: Wikipedia Wins Dismissal of Baseless Defamation Claims.
While it may have been a good defense in court, their position is nonsense. Wales et al promote Wikipedia as an authoritative encyclopedia. Wikipedia likes certain people, and dislikes others — it tends to like people who say it’s wonderful and utopian, and dislikes people who have mixed opinions about it. I believe it’s used as a way to attack people they don’t like. I bet the profiles of everyone who has ever given Jimmy Wales good press are positive. Show me one where they are trashed. (I was thinking about this watching Wales on a WNYC radio show the other day, I bet the interviewer, Brian Lehrer, has a great profile on Wikipedia, otherwise he might have asked some non-softball questions.)
I’m reminded of this when I see the glowing bios for Nesson and Zittrain and am reminded of the way they treat me. Just in their choice of pictures you can see their opinion.
So the court may have been convinced, but I am not. Let Wales disconnect, stop promoting the thing so much, let the Wikimedia Foundation fade into the background, and then let’s start talking about how to make this thing really neutral and independent of these people’s interests.
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