Submissions:2025/The Bias Against Israel on English Wikipedia
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2025.
Title:
- The Bias Against Israel on English Wikipedia
Type of session:
- Lecture (15-30 min)
Session theme(s):
- Credibility
Abstract:
Wikipedia, the multilingual online encyclopedia launched on January 15, 2001, has revolutionized the traditional perception of knowledge. With over 60 million articles, it has become one of the internet's most visited websites. Its uniqueness lies in the easy accessibility to knowledge from anywhere at any time, and in the opportunity it provides for the public to participate in producing, updating, and linking knowledge. However, Wikipedia's immense popularity and prominence as a primary source in search engine results raise a troubling question: What are the implications when the knowledge presented becomes biased? In her lecture, Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir will present findings from her report for the World Jewish Congress, showcased at a special UN meeting in Geneva. She will highlight the changes in various articles following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and analyze the bias observed in content related to the attack, to Zionism, and Israel. The lecture will offer an in-depth content analysis of selected articles and share insights from interviews with Israeli Wikipedia editors. She will illustrate violations of the neutrality principle, unveil attempts to delete articles and employ problematic terminology, and provide evidence of unfair treatment by senior site officials. The lecture will conclude with recommendations for upholding the neutrality values upon which Wikipedia should be founded.
Author name(s):
Wikimedia username(s):
Affiliated organization(s):
- University of Haifa
Estimated length of session
- 30-45 Min (But can be flexible)
Will you be presenting remotely?
- I will present in-person
Okay to livestream?
- Do not livestream
Previously presented?
- Yes, United Nations, Geneva, March, 2024
Special requests: