The English-language version of Wikipedia hosted anti-Israel bias that perpetuated misinformation and negative stereotypes, according to a report by the World Jewish Congress (WJC) published on Tuesday.
The report said that the bias appeared in the form of terminology, the way issues and conflicts had been framed and failed to provide context in articles. These issues were particularly identified among articles published since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the report said.
The WJC analysis of Wikipedia articles was carried out in partnership with Memetica. It was based on research, content analysis, and interviews with Israeli Wikipedia volunteer editors.
A pattern was identified in the report whereby some articles were found to have promoted the demonization or delegitimization of Israel, and negated mentions of terrorism and other threats faced by Israeli civilians. There was also a lack of critical Israeli voices, researchers and facts that may explain Israel's rationale for its policies, the report stated.
“We must act now, together, with our unwavering support for Israel,” said Manuel Valls, former French Prime Minister, who delivered the keynote address at Tuesday’s WJC event where the report was announced amid the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Valls identified online social networks as a source of “dangerous misinformation” and said he would “be carefully following the findings of [the] report on antisemitic bias in Wikipedia.”
Fixing Wikipedia's alleged bias problem
The WJC report recommended corrective measures to re-establish the neutrality of Wikipedia, authored by Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Lir, Ph.D., senior fellow researcher at Bar Ilan University and the University of Haifa.
These recommendations included the development of best practices to promote the publication of neutral content creation and the regular publication of transparency reports to uphold neutrality and accountability.
She explained that issues like bullying, editorial wars and the issue of anonymity complicated the issue of addressing Wikipedia’s bias.
“The platform, a source of knowledge for many people around the globe, is readily available to anyone with an internet connection,” Lir said, addressing the significant impact the bias could have.
Yfat Barak-Cheney, WJC Director of International Affairs and Human Rights, said the report also “represents a broader call to action for legislators, regulators and users to notice bias and the subsequent ill effects created through a wide range of internet platforms beyond social media.”