Wikipedia – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com israelhayom english website Tue, 18 Mar 2025 14:37:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.israelhayom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-G_rTskDu_400x400-32x32.jpg Wikipedia – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com 32 32 Are Israel-related entries on Wikipedia neutral? https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/18/are-israel-related-entries-on-wikipedia-neutral/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/18/are-israel-related-entries-on-wikipedia-neutral/#respond Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:11:33 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=1044847 A groundbreaking investigation by the Anti-Defamation League has uncovered a supposedly deliberate and coordinated campaign to manipulate Wikipedia's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, injecting antisemitic and anti-Israel biases into the online encyclopedia's articles. According to a new report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday, titled "Editing for Hate: How Anti-Israel and Anti-Jewish Bias […]

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]]> A groundbreaking investigation by the Anti-Defamation League has uncovered a supposedly deliberate and coordinated campaign to manipulate Wikipedia's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, injecting antisemitic and anti-Israel biases into the online encyclopedia's articles. According to a new report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday, titled "Editing for Hate: How Anti-Israel and Anti-Jewish Bias Undermines Wikipedia's Neutrality," a group of at least 30 editors has engaged in a years-long effort to distort content, violating Wikipedia's commitment to neutrality. The findings, detailed in a press release from ADL, expose how these editors have systematically altered articles to downplay Palestinian antisemitism and violence while amplifying criticism of Israel. Israel Hayom has not been able to independently confirm the findings and no comment has been made by Wikipedia.

Pro-Palestinian activists from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, participate in the National March for Palestine on May 18, 2024, in Dublin (Artur Widak / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

The ADL report, a collaborative effort with the Center for Technology and Society, analyzed thousands of edits and chat logs dating back to 2002. It identifies a cohort of "bad-faith" editors who have made over one million edits across more than 10,000 articles related to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These individuals, some dedicating up to eight hours a day to their activities, worked in concert to reshape narratives, often removing references to peer-reviewed studies on Palestinian violence, such as suicide bombings during the Second Intifada, and minimizing Hamas's designation as a terrorist organization, according to the report. For instance, the report notes that edits to the Hamas Wikipedia page buried mentions of its rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and excised details of the October 7, 2023, attack that killed over 1,100 people, the ADL said.

In one striking example cited by ADL, an article on Zionism was redefined as an "ethnocultural nationalist movement" aimed at creating "a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible." This framing, the report argues, deviates from neutral historical context and aligns with anti-Israel rhetoric. Similarly, edits to the page of Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese terrorist convicted of murdering five people, including two children, in Israel, removed references to his crimes and US designations, presenting a sanitized version of his actions. The ADL emphasizes that such changes reflect a broader pattern of bias, particularly pronounced in Arabic-language Wikipedia articles, which the report claims exhibit widespread pro-Hamas sentiment with little to no credible citations.

The implications of this campaign are significant, given Wikipedia's status as a widely trusted source. "Most readers assume Wikipedia is a reliable online encyclopedia, but in reality, it has become a biased platform manipulated by agenda-driven editors on many topics," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement quoted by the report. The report suggests that this coordinated effort not only undermines the site's credibility but also risks amplifying antisemitic narratives to millions of users worldwide. It further notes that the editors' actions contravene Wikipedia's own policies, which mandate neutrality and prohibit coordinated efforts to push specific viewpoints.

In response, ADL has proposed several recommendations, including urging Wikipedia to strengthen its oversight mechanisms and calling on search engines like Google to reconsider using Wikipedia as a primary source until these biases are addressed. The report's release coincides with ongoing debates about the platform's reliability, especially after a June 2024 Wikipedia community consensus deemed ADL itself "generally unreliable" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – a decision ADL condemned as part of a campaign to delegitimize the organization.

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]]> https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/18/are-israel-related-entries-on-wikipedia-neutral/feed/ Wikipedia entry on Zionism defines it as 'colonialism', sparking outrage https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/09/16/wikipedia-entry-now-calls-zionism-colonialism/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/09/16/wikipedia-entry-now-calls-zionism-colonialism/#respond Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:31:35 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=997191 A heated debate has erupted on social media over recent changes made to the Wikipedia entry for Zionism, sparking accusations of historical revisionism. Users on social media have over the past several 24 hours, posted a comparison between the 2023 and 2024 versions of the Wikipedia page, with one online user, Liv Lovisa, claiming that […]

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]]> A heated debate has erupted on social media over recent changes made to the Wikipedia entry for Zionism, sparking accusations of historical revisionism. Users on social media have over the past several 24 hours, posted a comparison between the 2023 and 2024 versions of the Wikipedia page, with one online user, Liv Lovisa, claiming that "history is being rewritten."

Blake Flayton, a vocal commentator on Jewish and Israeli issues, responded to the post, calling the changes "egregious" and urging someone with expertise to edit the page to reflect what he considers a more accurate portrayal.

Pro-Palestinian students celebrate reaching a deal with the administration at Brown University, bringing an end to their encampment, in Providence, Rhode Island on April 30, 2024 (Joseph Prezioso / AFP) Joseph Prezioso / AFP

At the center of the debate are key changes in the language used to describe Zionism, the movement that called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in what is now Israel. The 2023 version of the page framed Zionism as a nationalist movement born in the 19th century that sought to secure Jewish self-determination. In contrast, the 2024 version of the entry introduces more charged terminology, describing Zionism as an "ethno-cultural nationalist" movement that engaged in "colonization of a land outside of Europe," with a heightened focus on the resulting conflicts with Palestinian Arabs. "Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible," it writes.

 

Wikipedia lets editors who have gained status on its platform to change things according to various guidelines, which usually ensure that there is a balanced approach. It is unclear what led to the sudden change in the defintion, and whether this was a result of more weight given to pro-Palestinian users.

On its website, Wikipedia says the following on its policies: "Wikipedia has no central editorial board. Contributions are made by a large number of volunteers at their own discretion. Edits are neither the responsibility of the Wikimedia Foundation (the organization that hosts the site) nor of its staff, and edits will not generally be made in response to an email request."

Critics, including Flayton, argue that this new language unfairly distorts the historical narrative, positioning Zionism in a more negative light by drawing parallels to colonialism and downplaying the movement's core goal of creating a safe homeland for Jewish people. The use of the term "colonization," in particular, has been a flashpoint, as it evokes a political context that some feel misrepresents the motivations behind the establishment of Israel and overlooks the historical persecution faced by Jews that led to the Zionist movement.

Another Twitter pro-Israel voice, Hen Mazzig, wrote: The new Wikipedia entry on Zionism isn't just inaccurate, it's downright antisemitic. It asserts that the origin of Ashkenazi Jews is 'highly debated and enigmatic,' echoing Khazar theory, the dangerous lie that Ashkenazi Jews are converts and not descendants of the Jews exiled from the Land of Israel." He added, "This theory is often weaponized to call Israelis "colonizers" and thus dehumanize us. In fact, Jewish history of repeated exile and migration from Israel to Europe is incredibly well-docmented, as are genetic studies linking our people to the Middle East. Any balanced article discussing Jewish genetics and Israel would mention that. @Wikipedia has become a hate site. I hope they'll change course."</p

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The uproar underscores broader concerns about the influence of Wikipedia, one of the most visited websites in the world, and the potential for bias or misinterpretation in politically sensitive topics like Zionism. As a public, user-edited platform, Wikipedia is often subject to scrutiny, especially when it comes to contentious issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With millions of readers relying on the site for information, changes to entries like these can have significant implications for public understanding of historical events and modern geopolitical debates.

Israel Hayom has yet to receive a response from Wikipedia.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism lashed out at Wikipedia, writing on X the following tweet: "What on earth is going on at @Wikipedia? The current state of the entry for 'Zionism' is beyond appalling. Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. Eight in ten British Jews consider themselves to be a Zionist."

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]]> https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/09/16/wikipedia-entry-now-calls-zionism-colonialism/feed/ In controversial move, Wikipedia deems ADL 'unreliable' due to Israel advocacy https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/12/wikipedias-controversial-decision-adl-deemed-unreliable-due-to-israel-advocacy/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/12/wikipedias-controversial-decision-adl-deemed-unreliable-due-to-israel-advocacy/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:00:40 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=966283   Wikipedia editors have decided to declare one of the leading human rights organizations in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League, as an "unreliable source" whose data cannot be relied upon when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a report published overnight between Wednesday and Thursday revealed. The Jewish organization is one of the most […]

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Wikipedia editors have decided to declare one of the leading human rights organizations in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League, as an "unreliable source" whose data cannot be relied upon when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a report published overnight between Wednesday and Thursday revealed.

The Jewish organization is one of the most prominent and well-known in terms of protecting and supporting the rights of Jewish citizens in particular and minorities in general in the US, and it constantly fights to ensure the security of American Jews and to stop the rising antisemitism in the country.

Wikipedia editors' decision to categorize the Anti-Defamation League as "a source that is generally unreliable" means that from now on, it will not be possible to quote data or statements from the ADL in articles posted on Wikipedia, except in exceptional cases. Thus, the organization joins a list alongside state-owned media outlets in Russia, Fox's political coverage, and Amazon reviews, all defined as "unreliable sources" on Wikipedia.

In another absurd move, Wikipedia editors are now facing a vote regarding labeling the Anti-Defamation League as an unreliable source on the subject of antisemitism. If the decision is ultimately made, it could severely damage the credibility of the ADL as the world's leading organization for researching antisemitism.

In an online forum held on the topic, Wikipedia editors defended the decision, arguing that the dual role played by the ADL – on the one hand as a research body and on the other as an organization engaging in pro-Israel advocacy – prevents it from providing unbiased reports on Israel and antisemitism.

"The organization is very biased toward Israel, to the point that it often acts as a pro-Israel lobbying organization," one editor known under the name "Loki," who has edited over 3,000 articles on Wikipedia, wrote. "This impairs its ability to accurately report facts about people and organizations that disagree with it on this issue, especially non-Zionist or anti-Zionist Jews," according to him.

Despite these statements, the few editors who opposed the decision argued that they were not provided with any proof or reliable evidence that the Anti-Defamation League made false claims as a result of its advocacy work for Israel or that the data it provided was unreliable and/or inaccurate.

ADL strongly denounced the decision. In a written statement, the group said the decision was the result of a "campaign to delegitimize the ADL" and that editors opposing the ban "provided point-by-point refutations, grounded in factual citations, to every claim made, but apparently, facts no longer matter."

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]]> https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/06/12/wikipedias-controversial-decision-adl-deemed-unreliable-due-to-israel-advocacy/feed/ Volunteers labor to fill up Arabic Wikipedia https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/05/19/volunteers-labor-to-fill-up-arabic-wikipedia/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/05/19/volunteers-labor-to-fill-up-arabic-wikipedia/#respond Wed, 19 May 2021 07:00:34 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=629223   Driven by pride in their language and heritage, a growing network of volunteers is helping expand Arabic language content on Wikipedia, raising the number of articles above 1 million. Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter Launched in 2003, Arabic Wikipedia has seen growth accelerate in recent years, with the number of articles more […]

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Driven by pride in their language and heritage, a growing network of volunteers is helping expand Arabic language content on Wikipedia, raising the number of articles above 1 million.

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Launched in 2003, Arabic Wikipedia has seen growth accelerate in recent years, with the number of articles more than doubling since 2015 thanks to enthusiastic volunteers across the Arab world.

"We are volunteers for the love of the Arabic language, for the love of our culture, for the love of our countries for the love of knowledge in general," said Emna Mizouni, a contributor from Tunisia who also runs an association working on heritage.

In 2020, more than 15,000 people made about 1.6 million edits to the online encyclopedia's Arabic content, creating more than 77,000 new entries. Registered users grew by 44% to 136,000.

"They are helping each other to create more knowledge," said Jack Rabah, a regional manager at the Wikimedia Foundation, which supports writers and editors with software, project funding and partnerships that help boost content.

Arabic was the 10th most-viewed language on Wikipedia for COVID-19 related content, though critics say the site lacks coverage of science and technology in Arabic – a lacuna  some volunteers say they are working to remedy.

Anass Sedrati, a 31-year-old Moroccan telecoms engineer working and studying in Sweden, spends nearly two hours daily writing new articles, translating and coordinating with other volunteers.

"There are people who may not have had an opportunity, for example, to finish their schooling and to buy books," he said.

"We can consider this as an attempt to provide knowledge to those who have not had the same opportunities as us."

The 1 million articles in Arabic are just a fraction of the nearly 55 million across different languages on Wikipedia. Volunteers say there is room for more growth.

"The Arab world can write more, and we must have an article on everything that exists and "We have an ancient civilization, we have writers, we have poets, we have creative people in all fields."

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]]> https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/05/19/volunteers-labor-to-fill-up-arabic-wikipedia/feed/ Wikipedia's 'longest-running hoax' about fake Warsaw death camp revealed https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/10/06/wikipedias-longest-running-hoax-about-fake-warsaw-death-camp-revealed/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/10/06/wikipedias-longest-running-hoax-about-fake-warsaw-death-camp-revealed/#respond Sun, 06 Oct 2019 08:22:19 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=422729 Wikipedia had an entry for more than 15 years on its English-language website about a death camp in Warsaw that did not exist in real life, Haaretz reported on Friday. The entry for the camp, also known as "Konzentrationslager Warschau," said that the gas chamber there killed "well above 212,000, mainly Poles and several thousand […]

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]]> Wikipedia had an entry for more than 15 years on its English-language website about a death camp in Warsaw that did not exist in real life, Haaretz reported on Friday.

The entry for the camp, also known as "Konzentrationslager Warschau," said that the gas chamber there killed "well above 212,000, mainly Poles and several thousand of non-Polish."

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There is no historical evidence of German gas chambers ever existing in Warsaw, making the entry arguably the longest-running hoax ever uncovered on the online encyclopedia. Even the Wikipedia entry for extermination camps had KL Warschau listed alongside Auschwitz for over 12 years.

The page was written in August 2004 by late Wikipedia editor Krzysztof Machocki, a spokesperson for the Polish branch of Wikimedia, and was completely rewritten this August. The hoax was discovered by an Israeli editor with the username Icewhiz who rewrote the article to reflect the truth.

The false facts pertaining to the death-camp hoax included real facts associated with concentration camps.

Haaretz said that Icewhiz's claims reveal the existence of what seems to be "a systematic effort by Polish nationalists to whitewash hundreds of Wikipedia articles relating to Poland and the Holocaust."

According to Professor Havi Dreifuss, head of the Center for Research on the Holocaust in Poland at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum, "This baseless story … is sadly gaining traction today as part of a wider attempt in Poland to distort the history of the Holocaust. By pulling another 200,000 victims out of thin air, they're trying to equate what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust to what happened to Poles during the Holocaust."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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