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Last update - 08:14 04/05/2009
Wikipedia editors: Coverage of Israel 'problematic'
By Cnaan Liphshiz
Tags: Israel News, Hamas, Iran 

Wikipedia's coverage of Israel-related issues is "problematic," leading Israeli internet researchers claimed Sunday at the Wikipedia Academy 2009 Conference dealing with the world's largest encyclopedia. The conference was organized by Wikimedia's volunteer-based Israel chapter and Tel Aviv University's Netvision Institute for Internet Studies. However, the Web site's leading manager said it merely reflected public discourse.

In demonstrating what he defined as problems, Eli Hacohen, the Institute's director, showed how Hamas is not defined as a terrorist organization in the first paragraph describing the organization on the English site of the reader-edited online encyclopedia, which is the world's fourth most popular Web site.

Hacohen also documented his attempts to define Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a Holocaust-denier. Each time he included his remarks on Wikipedia, users and editors removed the reference - despite Ahmadinejad's frequent and public Holocaust denials.
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On a related entry, Hacohen also noted that Wikipedia defines David Irving - a known Holocaust denier - as a historian, although his credentials are recognized by no one but himself. Furthermore, the Wikipedia entry on January's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza describes it as an "intense bombardment" by Israel on a civilian population.

Dror Kamir, a leading Israeli Wikipedia promoter, showed how Lod is not listed as a city in Israel in Wikipedia's Arabic-language version.

Also attending the conference, which discussed Wikipedia's role in academia, was Sue Gardner, the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia. Gardner told Haaretz that she is "quite comfortable" with the mistakes on the Web site. "I know that more or less the same mistakes can be found in the New York Times," she explained.

Before her address at the conference, she defined Wikipedia as a "just another mainstream news medium." Wikipedia, Gardner said, "will never say anything as Wikipedia. It will only quote relatively well-respected sources, including other media. So it's natural for Wikipedia to reflect public discourse as it fluctuates, and news is the first draft of history."

On her first visit to Israel, Gardner explained that her attitude stemmed from her framework of reference as a journalist in her native Canada, including a stint as director of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Web site.

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      1.   They can write that the earth is flat again and again, so what? 05:45  |  Dan 04/05/09
      2.   here we go again 06:39  |  FK 04/05/09
      3.   In passing 06:43  |  Chrisona 04/05/09
      4.   Ms. Gardner is another lefty. 06:53  |  Matt Dillon 04/05/09
      5.   A few points 06:57  |  Rachel 04/05/09
      6.   A few points 06:59  |  Rachel 04/05/09
      7.   Misleading the public... 07:20  |  Michael Dar 04/05/09
      8.   Ben Jabo where are you? 07:38  |  BBSNews 04/05/09
      9.   Shut down wikipedia 07:43  |  another 04/05/09
      10.   Wikipedia is supposed to be about facts, not opinions 08:15  |  Gili 04/05/09
      11.   Shooting the messenger 08:27  |  Dave 04/05/09
      12.   It must be frustrating to lose total control of the discourse... 09:57  |  Hanna 04/05/09
      13.   Another wide-eyed liberal 10:04  |  Gregor 04/05/09
      14.   What Wikopedia needs is an investigatiion by Sgt. Friday! 10:14  |  Zev Davis 04/05/09
      15.   If Israel does not like the content of the Internet 10:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      16.   I understand where the Israeli (Jewish ??) "control-freakism".... 11:09  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/05/09
      17.   What. A. Farce. 11:34  |  Johnboy 04/05/09
      18.   Hannah at 7, good post 11:54  |  Ben Alofs 04/05/09
      19.   #11 Chris Linthwaite 12:17  |  H 04/05/09
      20.   Chris, Hamas is ALSO a terror organisation 12:21  |  Daniel 04/05/09
      21.   Wikipedia`s "mistakes" 12:26  |  Ger 04/05/09
      22.   Dino, double standarts? 12:28  |  Daniel 04/05/09
      23.   # 19 Big difference, dear Daniel...... 13:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/05/09
      24.   FK in SF 13:08  |  rich 04/05/09
      25.   # 19 Daniel, by the way, there is a very thin line..... 13:10  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/05/09
      26.   Chris Linthwaite 13:12  |  rich 04/05/09
      27.   #2there are people who believe that Al-Qaida are freedom fighters 13:24  |  Yehudah 04/05/09
      28.   personal view 13:24  |  potobac 04/05/09
      29.   Daniel, regret to say, the Swiss are best at . . . 13:25  |  Zev Davis 04/05/09
      30.   HANNA "Controll" like NPR BBC Guardian Le Monde France deux etc? 13:27  |  PETER SM 04/05/09
      31.   Who writes history, draft or final 13:41  |  Sam 04/05/09
      32.   Dishonest. Very dishonest. 13:42  |  AT 04/05/09
      33.   Ben Alofs - Hamas freedom fighters are listed 13:43  |  17 04/05/09
      34.   FK Freedom fighters want Freedom,not to obliterate by Islam 13:46  |  PETER SM 04/05/09
      35.   Swiss Dino Wrong! 13:49  |  petra 04/05/09
      36.   Well said Hanna. 14:01  |  Razi 04/05/09
      37.   COURT Labelled Irving as a liar and falsifier of history 14:14  |  PETER SM 04/05/09
      38.   INTENSE bombardment .Yet even the Arabs say about 1200 killed 14:17  |  PETER SM 04/05/09
      39.   BEN ALOFS 14:29  |  Brant 04/05/09
      40.   # 30 petra, as a rather proud member of the Swiss "aristocracy".. 14:34  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/05/09
      41.   # 2 FK 14:45  |  OZ 04/05/09
      42.   Problem: Israel hasn`t a moral leg to stand on as a land pirate 14:59  |  Ivar 04/05/09
      43.   # 13 15:02  |  OZ 04/05/09
      44.   # 27: beat me to it! Perhaps people should look at wiki first 15:05  |  Bill 04/05/09
      45.   Please help, everybody, instead of criticize 15:14  |  Daniel Breslauer 04/05/09
      46.   # 19 15:21  |  oz 04/05/09
      47.   define problematic? 15:34  |  rm 04/05/09
      48.   and anyway 15:36  |  rm 04/05/09
      49.   Weakimedia 15:37  |  ehud 04/05/09
      50.   Wikipedia 15:53  |  Avraham 04/05/09
      51.   Wikipedia`s coverage of Israel/Palestine 15:54  |  WHG 04/05/09
      52.   #18 H 16:18  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      53.   #19 Daniel not got a problem with it at all 16:25  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      54.   #26 Rich so you say 16:32  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      55.   Anti-Semites require vigiliance 16:33  |  Paul Freedman 04/05/09
      56.   ivar 16:34  |  janet 04/05/09
      57.   Organised attemps to subvert Wikipedia by zionists 16:37  |  Roo 04/05/09
      58.   # 50AVRAHAM 16:39  |  EHUD 04/05/09
      59.   A huge storm in a teacup. 16:43  |  S 04/05/09
      60.   Chris, how wrong! 17:16  |  Daniel 04/05/09
      61.   Chill pill guys!!! 17:16  |  Non-Arab Saudi 04/05/09
      62.   peter sm 37 17:23  |  potobac 04/05/09
      63.   Who makes the `Wikipedia` decisions on controversial questions? 17:30  |  Shalom Freedman 04/05/09
      64.   # 52 17:42  |  ehud 04/05/09
      65.   What about the Nakba deniers--Sholuid we shut them up 17:44  |  Labhras 04/05/09
      66.   Wikipedia editors: Coverage of Israel `problematic` 17:47  |  Uri 04/05/09
      67.   Go to Israelopedia 17:49  |  Ibrahim 04/05/09
      68.   It`s the world media against Israel sez Uri... 17:58  |  BBSNews 04/05/09
      69.   #60 Daniel 17:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      70.   #64 Ehud 18:12  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      71.   ibrahim 18:29  |  oz 04/05/09
      72.   #67, Ibrahim and the "daze of the prophets" 18:37  |  newageblues 04/05/09
      73.   # 70chris 18:40  |  ehud 04/05/09
      74.   So, is it a news site or an `encyclopedia` 18:54  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/05/09
      75.   Thanks for the laugh Dino: if you`re aristocracy then Im royalty 19:02  |  x-ray 04/05/09
      76.   Chris yes Hamas is naughty for pushing people off roof tops 19:04  |  x-ray 04/05/09
      77.   Operation Cast Lead in Gaza describes it as an "intense bombardme 19:09  |  ramin 04/05/09
      78.   Part of Islamist attempts to destroy truth 19:10  |  Baruch Gold 04/05/09
      79.   labhras 19:18  |  oz 04/05/09
      80.   #76 x-ray HAMAS can be very 19:33  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      81.   Linthwaite, 19:41  |  x-ray 04/05/09
      82.   Chris Linthwaite. All those naughty people 19:41  |  H 04/05/09
      83.   Having some experience 20:02  |  Mark Lincoln 04/05/09
      84.   Having some experience 20:02  |  Mark Lincoln 04/05/09
      85.   Its an odd phenomena 20:20  |  Scharker Yid 04/05/09
      86.   Ivar in Estonia 20:21  |  rich 04/05/09
      87.   Chris Linthwaite 20:25  |  rich 04/05/09
      88.   talks for the sake of 20:48  |  Zwygart 04/05/09
      89.   Who takes Wikipedia seriously on anything? Lacks accountability 20:52  |  Noam D. Blume 04/05/09
      90.   #87 Rich 21:00  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/05/09
      91.   David Irving and Wikipedia 21:39  |  Leeza Cohen Coleman 04/05/09
      92.   #79 oz was this what you had in mind 21:57  |  Labhras 04/05/09
      93.   rich --are you a british citizen--if so comment on the following. 22:04  |  Labhras 04/05/09
      94.   IVAR you think Wikipedia should disinform like you do here? 03:33  |  PETER SM 05/05/09
      95.   Re: : here we go again 04:58  |  Dan 05/05/09
      96.   If you want history or factual information, try a library. 08:37  |  a wandering Jew 05/05/09
      97.   Gardner`s lack of responsibility 11:12  |  Shamgar 05/05/09
      98.   Wikipedia reflects world opinion about the zionist entity in Pale 11:46  |  Jean-f. in Quebec 05/05/09
      99.   Dont Worry Wiki 12:49  |  Angela 05/05/09
      100.   Wikipedia verbatim: 14:38  |  zmogus 05/05/09
      101.   Nobody takes Wiki seriously 17:28  |  *BEN JABO 05/05/09
      102.   BSnews.not Michael Hess 17:30  |  *BEN JABO 05/05/09
      103.   #98 Jeaf F - Que-- 17:33  |  *BEN JABO 05/05/09
      104.   #83 Lincoln - I`m really surprised 17:42  |  *BEN JABO 05/05/09
      105.   Factual information 18:53  |  Charles 05/05/09
      106.   Wikipedia editors: Coverage of Israel `problematic` 19:52  |  Adam 05/05/09
      107.   #104 Adam - Toronto 21:25  |  *BEN JABO 05/05/09
      108.   low standards 18:06  |  Stephen 11/05/09
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