Wikipedia talk:Wikipedia Signpost/2019-10-31/In focus

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• As probably the most active editor in English Wikipedia on China-related topics, I have to say this TV program seems like yet another clueless media report about Wikipedia. Throughout my decade of editing career on English Wikipedia, I've yet to see any evidence of concerted pro-China editing and most China-related disputes do not end in China's favour. Pro-China POV pushers certainly exist, just as from any major country, but they're usually quickly reverted and do not return. If China were truly serious about manipulating Wikipedia, I'd expect to see tons of new editors on top articles such as Xi Jinping, Jiang Zemin, etc., which is definitely not the case. -Zanhe (talk) 23:49, 31 October 2019 (UTC)

  @Zanhe: I think there's an element of sensationalism to the story as reported by Click. When I realised that the "editorial tug of war that...caused the state of Taiwan to constantly blink in and out of existence over the course of a single day" was really a minor 11-minute affair, I was quite disappointed in the BBC. At the same time, they claim to have identified almost 1,600 contentious edits to 22 "politically sensitive" articles (though sadly they did not identify to which articles or language Wikipedia they belonged). The journal articles, the comments from the academics, and the statements from the Taiwanese community are all a cause for concern about a growing political trend in China and the desire for the government to tell its side of things. I think it's something we should be on the lookout for. -Indy beetle (talk) 00:39, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

  I'd add that the concerns raised by BBC are not limited to the English Wikipedia. While the Chinese government may not have been so successful at POV pushing on enwiki, it doesn't mean their efforts are necessarily futile in other language versions, most notably the Chinese Wikipedia. And yes, state-sponsored editing is not limited to China, but that doesn't make it right. feminist (talk) 12:18, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

• I found this puzzling: "some [editors] have told us that their personal information has been sprayed [released] ...". Given that Wikipedia doesn't keep any personal information other than an email address (optional) for an editor, it's not obvious how numerous editors would have their real-life identities exposed. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 04:28, 2 November 2019 (UTC)
  • I believe they just mean outing or doxxing. Smallbones_(smalltalk) 05:25, 2 November 2019 (UTC)
    • Doxxing, especially when you realize those are previous event organizers, where their identity can be easily identified.--1233 ( T / C） 10:16, 6 November 2019 (UTC)
• I do not understand how this the state's actions. I have many Chinese friends in real life and online. This is a real position that they hold. So to sum it up to state-led action by the propaganda department is ridiculous. 50.126.105.22 (talk) 04:31, 17 November 2019 (UTC)