What Is Wikipedia ... And How Does It Treat History?

History, the old cliché goes, is written by the winners. This is decidedly untrue in the case of Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. Wikipedia lets anyone pen an article or edit an existing article from the comfort of their own home. The website offers 198 free encyclopedias, each one in a different language. The largest encyclopedia is the English-language version at 400,000 entries, but twenty encyclopedias have more than 10,000 entries.

Authors are free to write whatever they want. Recently however, a discussion board has been set up to discuss entries on politically sensitive issues such as Israel, Palestine, and the Iraq war. Wikipedia requires all entries to be neutral. This stipulation is not always obeyed, but a group of administrators search out and re-edit biased articles.

HNN took a look at how Wikipedia covered American politics, historians, historical scandals, and fringe views in its English encyclopedia. HNN also looked at what the Spanish, French, and German encyclopedias had to say about George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.

Historians:
Wikipedia lists well over three hundred historians, dividing them into “ancient,” “medieval,” “early modern,” “modern,” and “unsorted” categories. It is possible to find a list of historians according to their nationality – e.g. “United States Historians.” Due to the fact that Wikipedia relies entirely on submissions, the strength of the articles vary widely. For instance, the article on Arthur Schlesinger Jr. is only a couple of sentences long.

Because there are so many articles, organization can become a little confusing. Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson, for example, is not in Wikipedia’s List of Historians, even though there is an article about him.

Overall, Wikipedia’s “free-content” format allows for a much greater range of information than a traditional encyclopedia. The history section should continue to grow and improve as readers notice shortcomings and correct them.

History Scandals:
In “Historians on the Hot Seat,” HNN lists sixteen recent cases of scandals involving historians. Wikipedia users haven’t deemed many of the cases news worthy. Only Stephen Ambrose’s case is discussed in the encyclopedia.

American Politics:
A recent New York Times article noted the dangers of Wikipedia’s format. During the past election cycle, the entries for John Kerry and George W. Bush were constantly edited and re-edited by supporters and detractors. At one point, President Bush’s photograph was replaced with Hitler’s. After Kerry’s defeat, the senator’s biography was edited to read in its entirety: “John Kerry is a girl.” Such polarity in political views led Wikipedia administrators to “lock down” many of the pages.

Despite this lockdown, topics concerning American politics are still at the center of a tug of war between conservatives and liberals, with any English speaking foreigner free to jump in. There is a clear disagreement when it comes to American actions in the Middle East. One author, on the topic of"American Imperialism," took a shot at the current neo-conservative administration. He noted that “most people” see the irony of America following an “imperial” policy when the U.S.A. “originally defined itself by its independence from an imperial power.” A more traditionally conservative view can be found under"Islamic Fundamentalism," which lists the ways in which adherents to Islamic fundamentalism have condoned behavior in conflict with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Liberal and conservative views are most prominent in Wikipedia’s “External Links,” a collection of unaffiliated websites that relate to the topic under consideration. The External Links for Donald Rumsfeld, for example, include a website that describes Rumsfeld as “sometimes insulting,” “undiplomatic,” and a “backstabber.” Another link leads to an article written by the liberal organization, MoveOn. Wikipedia’s External Links for Tom DeLay include an article written by the conservative American Spectator, entitled, “Texas Smear Machine Targets DeLay.”

The vast majority of Wikipedia articles are written in an unbiased tone. Articles whose neutrality is questioned are adorned with a warning sign at the top of the page. Wikipedia often attains neutrality by providing a variety of points of view, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. On the topic of gun control, for example, Wikipedia provides pro and con arguments under External Links.

Fringe Views:
Wikipedia’s policy of neutrality works to the advantage of fringe groups. “Historical Interpretation of the Holocaust” includes an article on Holocaust Deniers. The article explains that Holocaust Denial is not given credibility by historians. But more extreme views can be found under External Links. Wikipedia provides links to sites that both support and refute the arguments made by Holocaust Deniers. Each site is clearly labeled.

Likewise, External Links for the Brady Bill include the Brady Campaign website, a website run by Hand Gun Control Inc. and a website specifically opposed to Hand Gun Control Inc.

On a bright note, Wikipedia’s inclusive format allows smaller third parties to get much needed exposure. One contributor recently added the 2004 candidate for President, Clay Oliver Hill of the “Populist Democratic Viking Party.”

International Opinion:
The French and German encyclopedias provide plenty of evidence that America’s popularity in Europe has plummeted. The French article on George W. Bush, for example, warns readers that the article might not follow Wikipedia’s policy of neutrality. The author goes on to criticize Bush for both national and international policies, including increased military spending, rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, passage of the Patriot Act, and support of the death penalty. Bush’s close ties to oil companies are raised as a possible motive for the invasion of Iraq. Bush’s re-election, the article concludes, was met by despair among many French.

The German encyclopedia includes Bushisms such as: “fool me once shame on me. Fool me twice - you can’t fool me again.” It also refers to Michael Moore’s film Fahrenheit 9-11. The Spanish encyclopedia notes that the invasion of Iraq was met with opposition by people all over the world. All three foreign encyclopedias emphasized that Bush and the Iraq war are unpopular outside of America.