#385 – Jimmy Wales: Wikipedia
Lex Fridman Podcast
Misinterpretations and Misconceptions: Grappling with Wikipedia Edits
In the process of editing Wikipedia, when a decision is made to remove or change something, people often focus on the initial action and overlook the subsequent correction. This can lead to misunderstandings and misconceptions about the motives behind the edits. For example, there was a controversy about the definition of recession in Wikipedia, with accusations that the definition was changed to favor a particular political agenda. However, closer examination revealed that the only change made was the repositioning of the definition within the article. Similarly, in the case of the article 'The Twitter Files', a nomination for deletion triggered a discussion, but the debate was quickly closed as it had no chance of passing. No suppression of information or bias was involved. These examples highlight the importance of taking a closer look at the facts before jumping to conclusions about Wikipedia edits.
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