NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Congressional staffer edits to Wikipedia

The Congressional staffer edits to Wikipedia refers to a number of edits by Congressional staffers of the United States Congress to the Wikipedia biographies of their candidates or opponents, and the controversies surrounding them, mostly in early to mid-2006. In several instances, the edits became controversial and received media attention, such as for Marty Meehan, Norm Coleman, Conrad Burns, and Joe Biden,^[1] among others. Others such as Gil Gutknecht were reported but received less widespread attention. Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Martin Thomas Marty Meehan (born December 30, 1956) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. ... Norman Bertram Norm Coleman, Jr. ... Conrad Ray Burns (born January 25, 1935) is a former United States Senator from Montana. ... Joseph Robinette Joe Biden, Jr. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ...

Biographical information on various politicians was edited by their own staff to remove undesirable information (including pejorative statements quoted, or broken campaign promises), add favorable information or "glowing" tributes, add negative information to opponents' biographies, or replace the article in part or whole by staff authored biographies.^[2]

Background

On January 27, 2006, The Sun of Lowell, Massachusetts, published an article ^[3] entitled "Rewriting history under the dome". This story unveiled the editing by Congressional staff members of Congressman Marty Meehan's Wikipedia entry. is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sun is a daily newspaper based in Lowell, Massachusetts, serving towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the Greater Lowell area and beyond. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government - Type Manager-City council - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... Martin Thomas Marty Meehan (born December 30, 1956) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. ...

Further investigation by Wikipedia members discovered well over a thousand edits by IP addresses allocated to the US House of Representatives and Senate. Most of the edits were considered to show good faith by Wikipedia editors. A minority of edits were considered improper. At least one of the addresses involved was blocked from further editing.^[4] Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... Good faith, or in Latin bona fides, is the mental and moral state of honesty, conviction as to the truth or falsehood of a proposition or body of opinion, or as to the rectitude or depravity of a line of conduct, even if the conviction is objectively unfounded. ...

Norm Coleman

Later in January 2006, Senator Norm Coleman's chief of staff, Erich Mische, "confirmed that the senator's staff had done so...the editing was done to correct inaccuracies and delete information".^[6] Norman Bertram Norm Coleman, Jr. ... Norman Bertram Norm Coleman Jr. ...

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said "It appears to be a major rewrite of the article to make it more favorable."^[6] Jimmy Donal Jimbo Wales, (born August 7, 1966)[2] is an American Internet entrepreneur best known for his role in founding Wikipedia, as well as other wiki-related projects, including the charitable organization Wikimedia Foundation, and the for-profit company Wikia, Inc. ...

Mische stated: "What's to stop someone from writing in that Norm Coleman was 7 feet 10 inches, with green hair and one eye smack dab in the middle of his head? That's about as silly as this gets ... When you put 'edia' in there, it makes it sound as if this is a benign, objective piece of information."^[6]

Mid-2006: end of the trend

As of mid-2006, there have been no additional reports of improper editing from congressional sites. After a congressional staffer emailed Mr. Wales to ask about the appropriate way to request an update to Wikipedia, he suggested that she post information to the article's "talk" or discussion page. ^[7]

Gil Gutknecht

On August 16, 2006, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reported that the office of Representative Gil Gutknecht tried twice — on July 24 and August 14, 2006 — to remove a 128-word section in the Wikipedia article on him, replacing it with a more flattering 315-word entry taken from his official congressional biography. Most of the removed text was about the 12-year term-limit Gutknecht imposed on himself in 1995 (Gutknecht ran for re-election in 2006, breaking his promise). A spokesman for Gutknecht did not dispute that his office tried to change his Wikipedia entry, but questioned the reliability of the encyclopedia.^[8]^{[not in citation given]} is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ...

Gutknecht's office used the account "Gutknecht01" for the first edits on July 24;^[9] that account was then notified (via its talk page) of Wikipedia policies against self-editing. For the second set of edits on August 16, his office used an anonymous Congressional IP address.^[10] is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Conrad Ray Burns (born January 25, 1935) is a former United States Senator from Montana. ... Morton Brilliant was the initial campaign manager for Democrat Cathy Coxs 2006 gubernatorial campaign in Georgia. ... David Lee Davis (born November 6, 1959) is a Republican politician from Tennessee and a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 6th district, which is composed of parts of Washington County and Hawkins County. ...

References

^ http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060130-6079.html
^ See for example: this article on the scandal. The activites documented were:
- Marty Meehan (replacement with staff-written biography)
- Norm Coleman (rewrite to make more favorable, claimed to be "correcting errors")
  "Web site's entry on Coleman revised Aide confirms his staff edited biography, questions Wikipedia's accuracy". St. Paul Pioneer Press(Associated Press). )
- Conrad Burns (Montana; Removal of quoted pejorative statements the Senator had made, and replacing them with "glowing tributes" as "the voice of the farmer")
  (Williams, Walt (2007-01-01). Burns' office may have tampered with Wikipedia entry. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.)
- Joe Biden (removal of unfavorable information)
  http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060130-6079.html
- Gil Gutknecht (staff rewrite and removal of information evidencing broken campaign promise; multiple attempts)
  On August 16, 2006, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reported that the office of Representative Gil Gutknecht tried twice — on July 24 and August 14, 2006 — to remove a 128-word section in the Wikipedia article on him, replacing it with a more flattering 315-word entry taken from his official congressional biography. Most of the removed text was about the 12-year term-limit Gutknecht imposed on himself in 1995 (Gutknecht ran for re-election in 2006, breaking his promise). A spokesman for Gutknecht did not dispute that his office tried to change his Wikipedia entry, but questioned the reliability of the encyclopedia. ("Gutknecht joins Wikipedia tweakers", Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, August 16, 2006, accessed August 17, 2006) ^[^{not in citation given]}.
  Multiple attempts, first using a named account, then an anonymous IP account.
^ http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3444567
^ Wikipedia editors made a fairly extensive survey of edits from Congressional IP ranges: Wikipedia:Congressional Staffer Edits. Wikipedia. Retrieved on June 22, 2006.
^ http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3444567
^ ^a ^b ^c "Web site's entry on Coleman revised Aide confirms his staff edited biography, questions Wikipedia's accuracy". St. Paul Pioneer Press(Associated Press).
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Congressional_Staffer_Edits
^ "Gutknecht joins Wikipedia tweakers", Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, August 16, 2006, accessed August 17, 2006
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gil_Gutknecht&diff=65633218&oldid=65024590
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gil_Gutknecht&diff=69644632&oldid=69638576

Martin Thomas Marty Meehan (born December 30, 1956) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. ... Norman Bertram Norm Coleman, Jr. ... Conrad Ray Burns (born January 25, 1935) is a former United States Senator from Montana. ... The Bozeman Daily Chronicle is a daily newspaper printed in Bozeman, Montana. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph Robinette Joe Biden, Jr. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | History of Wikipedia Wikipedia, a project to produce a free content encyclopedia that can be edited by anyone, formally began on 15 January 2001 as a complement to the similar, but expert-written, Nupedia project. ... Silvia Saint in a Bomis T-Shirt. ... Nupedia was a Web-based encyclopedia whose articles were written by experts and licensed as free content. ... Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. ... Jimmy Wales speaking at Wikimania Wikimania[1] is a conference for users of the wiki projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... MediaWiki is a web-based wiki software application used by all projects of the Wikimedia Foundation, all wikis hosted by Wikia, and many other wikis, including some of the largest and most popular ones. ... Jimmy Donal Jimbo Wales, (born August 7, 1966)[2] is an American Internet entrepreneur best known for his role in founding Wikipedia, as well as other wiki-related projects, including the charitable organization Wikimedia Foundation, and the for-profit company Wikia, Inc. ... Lawrence Mark Larry Sanger (born July 16, 1968) has been involved with various online encyclopedia projects. ... Tim Shell, 2005 Timothy Robert Shell (born May 5, 1968 [1]) is an American internet entrepreneur. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Florence Nibart-Devouard (category) Wikinews has news related to: Bravitude and Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation on the main French TV network Wikinews interviews Florence Devouard, chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Florence Nibart-Devouard (born September 10, 1968) is the Chair of the Board... Angela Beesley (born 1977 in Norwich, England)[2] is a British Internet entrepreneur. ... The Wikipedia community is the group of people who edit and volunteer their time to build Wikipedia[1][2][3][4][5] and to select what content in Wikipedia is best representative of the projects work. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Essjay controversy was a February 2007 incident where a prominent English Wikipedia administrator known as Essjay was found to have made false claims about his academic qualifications and professional experience in a telephone interview with The New Yorker. ... Fake photo proving that Henryk Batuta Street exists The real Batuta Street in Warsaw The Henryk Batuta hoax was a hoax perpetrated on the Polish Wikipedia from November 2004 to February 2006. ... In May 2005, Wikipedia contributor Brian Chase anonymously posted a hoax in the entry for John Seigenthaler, Sr. ... Citizendium (a citizens compendium of everything) is an online wiki-based encyclopedia first intended to begin as a progressive or gradual fork of the English Wikipedia,[1] though a decision to start largely from scratch was then made before launch. ... Conservapedia is a wiki-based encyclopedia project with the stated purpose of creating an encyclopedia written from a socially and economically conservative viewpoint supportive of Conservative Christianity and anti science. ... The Enciclopedia Libre Universal en EspaÃ±ol is a Spanish language WikiWiki encyclopedia, released under the GFDL. It uses the MediaWiki software. ... The Interpedia was the name given to the first proposals for an Internet encyclopedia which would allow anyone to contribute by writing articles and submitting them to the central catalog of all Interpedia pages. ... Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia, is a satirical parody of Wikipedia. ... Wikibooks logo Wikibooks, previously called Wikimedia Free Textbook Project and Wikimedia-Textbooks, is a wiki for the creation of books. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... WikiZnanie (Russian: ) is a Russian language WikiWiki encyclopedia released under the BSL DPL license. ... Wikinfo, formerly known as Internet-Encyclopedia (renamed in January 2004), is a fork of the English Wikipedia initiated by Fred Bauder in July 2003. ... Wikitruth is a website critical of Wikipedia. ... Wikiweise is a German language encyclopedia started by Ulrich Fuchs, administrator in the German Wikipedia, in April 2005. ...

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