Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has dismissed Elon Musk‘s assertions that the online encyclopedia possesses a left-wing bias, labeling the Tesla and X owner’s comments as “factually incorrect.”
In December 2024, Musk urged his over 200 million followers on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to cease donations to Wikipedia, referring to the site as “Walkpedia.
In September, he announced plans to launch his own version, Grokipedia, through his AI company xAI, claiming it would represent “a vast improvement on Wikipedia.”
Speaking on the BBC Science Focus podcast, Wales stated that Musk’s accusations “make absolutely no sense,” though he acknowledged that Wikipedia’s volunteer community is not entirely free of bias. “The notion that we’ve turned into some kind of crazy left-wing activist platform is simply incorrect,” he explained. “This doesn’t mean there aren’t areas where we can improve.”
Wales continued, “The right solution is to involve more people. I want kinder, more thoughtful individuals who notice bias in Wikipedia entries to realize it’s not the product of some overzealous activist who will block you for disagreeing. People are just relying on sources, which may not take all perspectives into account.”
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales welcomes “kind and thoughtful” conservatives into the Wikipedia community – Credit: Getty
Musk’s criticism of Wikipedia escalated in January following the circulation of a video from a rally celebrating President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Several users on X suggested that Musk’s gesture appeared akin to a Nazi salute. Musk rejected this interpretation and criticized a Wikipedia entry about the incident, which some claimed drew parallels to the gesture. He reposted an article from X, accusing Wikipedia of perpetuating “legacy media propaganda.”
Wales responded on X, stating that the article accurately reflected verifiable facts: “It’s true that you made that gesture (twice), it’s true that people compared it to a Nazi salute (many), and it’s true that you denied any intention behind it. That’s a fact—all elements of it.”
Musk later tweeted:
Legacy media propaganda is considered a “valid” source by Wikipedia, so of course it is simply an extension of legacy media propaganda. https://t.co/lwQlM51FRX
Wikipedia’s editing guidelines mandate that all entries are written from a neutral perspective, meaning that “all significant views published by reliable sources on a topic must be represented fairly and without editorial bias.” Wales emphasized in the BBC interview that Wikipedia welcomes contributors from all political perspectives as long as they adhere to neutrality rules. “If someone is a kind, thoughtful conservative intellectual, we would love for them to join Wikipedia,” he remarked. “But if someone is a zealous activist with an agenda, I would consider them ‘boring and annoying.’
“Don’t assume just because Elon calls us Walkpedia that we’ve found a new home in Woke,” he added.
Grokipedia was initially slated for launch on October 20, but Musk claimed it was delayed “to clear out propaganda.” He asserted that the site would be live by the end of the week; however, it remains offline as of this writing.
BBC Science Focus reports that Musk’s team did not respond to requests for comment.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
