MichaelWDean
Regular Member
imported post
Permalink:
http://www.libertarianpunk.com/2010/03/paid-anti-gun-lobbyists-engaged-in-anti-gun-edit-war-on-wikipedia-allegedly/
Paid anti-gun lobbyists engaged in anti-gun edit war on Wikipedia (allegedly).
I’m saying “allegedly” because these folks probably have an army of lawyers and I’m just stating opinion here, reporting what others on Wikipedia have said.
There are a few people on Wikipedia who have been making edits to gun-rights articles, (allegedly) removing even encyclopedic wording that shows open carry, CCWs and gun ownership in a positive light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Open_carry#Massive_Conflict_of_Interest_in_Editing
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ACoalition_to_Stop_Gun_Violence&diff=278582353&oldid=278581331#Neutrality_Dispute
Here’s an example of an edit this user, ForwardThinkers, made:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Concealed_carry_in_the_United_States&diff=348597527&oldid=348078605}
ForwardThinkers stripped most of the useful and true information from the article on Concealed Carry. (It was later reverted by more neutral and senior editors.)
If you look at the edit history of this user,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Forward_Thinkers
they pretty much sit around all day, every day, making edits on Wikipedia, and these edits are later reverted by other editors. Me thinks they might be paid to do this.
Also, this user,
PeaceLoveHarmony
, is “engaged in an edit” war, according to more senior Wikipedia editors, and has been threatened with getting kicked off the site for editing gun-rights articles in a negative light.
This user: SaltyBoatr
Engages in a lot of edits of RKBA articles, including adding a “connection” between Open Carry and “extremist groups” here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Open_carry&action=historysubmit&diff=348599545&oldid=348571952
But that user is unlikely to get spanked, he abides by the rules of Wikipedia, and also edits non-RKBA articles, stuff on sports, etc. That goes a long way on Wikipedia for not seeming “spammy” or “sockpuppty.” In fact, he’s been awarded a “BarnStar” (Wikipedia award for outstanding service.)
This non-spammy user GB fan, actually removed the link to OpenCarry.org link on the Open Carry article on Wikipedia, but it was simply a “notability challenge”, a common and needed filtering technique on Wikipedia. Several users challenged the challenge, here,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Open_carry#Removal_of_OpenCarry.org_link
and the link was returned to the site.
ACTION?
I’m only pointing this out. I’m not asking people to challenge this on Wikipedia, unless they are long-time Wikipedia users with many useful edits, and who understand the way Wikipedia works. Any new user who jumps in and starts making feisty edits will usually have their edits deleted. There’s a protocol, and it has to be followed. And old users have more sway than new users, especially old users with many useful edits, with attribution, on a number of topics.
I’d say if there are any long-time Wikipedia users with many useful edits, and who understand the way Wikipedia works, they keep an eye on the anti-gun editors and challenge edits.
– Michael W. Dean
Permalink:
http://www.libertarianpunk.com/2010/03/paid-anti-gun-lobbyists-engaged-in-anti-gun-edit-war-on-wikipedia-allegedly/
Paid anti-gun lobbyists engaged in anti-gun edit war on Wikipedia (allegedly).
I’m saying “allegedly” because these folks probably have an army of lawyers and I’m just stating opinion here, reporting what others on Wikipedia have said.
There are a few people on Wikipedia who have been making edits to gun-rights articles, (allegedly) removing even encyclopedic wording that shows open carry, CCWs and gun ownership in a positive light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Open_carry#Massive_Conflict_of_Interest_in_Editing
Do the other editors realize that ForwardThinkers is the NEW EDITING NAME of a full-time paid lobbyist for The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV)–a gun control group? In fact, “CSGV “was his old editing sign-in name. Talk about conflict of interest! ForwardThinkers has been repeatedly warned in the past not to make substantive edits to gun rights pages by other editors and admins, yet he persists in doing so. This sort of meddling by paid lobbyists and their cronies is POISONING wikipedia, and compromising its neutrality.
Here’s where ForwardThinkers admits he’s “the Director of Communications” for anti-gun rights group the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3ACoalition_to_Stop_Gun_Violence&diff=278582353&oldid=278581331#Neutrality_Dispute
Here’s an example of an edit this user, ForwardThinkers, made:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Concealed_carry_in_the_United_States&diff=348597527&oldid=348078605}
ForwardThinkers stripped most of the useful and true information from the article on Concealed Carry. (It was later reverted by more neutral and senior editors.)
If you look at the edit history of this user,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Forward_Thinkers
they pretty much sit around all day, every day, making edits on Wikipedia, and these edits are later reverted by other editors. Me thinks they might be paid to do this.
Also, this user,
PeaceLoveHarmony
, is “engaged in an edit” war, according to more senior Wikipedia editors, and has been threatened with getting kicked off the site for editing gun-rights articles in a negative light.
This user: SaltyBoatr
Engages in a lot of edits of RKBA articles, including adding a “connection” between Open Carry and “extremist groups” here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Open_carry&action=historysubmit&diff=348599545&oldid=348571952
But that user is unlikely to get spanked, he abides by the rules of Wikipedia, and also edits non-RKBA articles, stuff on sports, etc. That goes a long way on Wikipedia for not seeming “spammy” or “sockpuppty.” In fact, he’s been awarded a “BarnStar” (Wikipedia award for outstanding service.)
This non-spammy user GB fan, actually removed the link to OpenCarry.org link on the Open Carry article on Wikipedia, but it was simply a “notability challenge”, a common and needed filtering technique on Wikipedia. Several users challenged the challenge, here,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Open_carry#Removal_of_OpenCarry.org_link
and the link was returned to the site.
ACTION?
I’m only pointing this out. I’m not asking people to challenge this on Wikipedia, unless they are long-time Wikipedia users with many useful edits, and who understand the way Wikipedia works. Any new user who jumps in and starts making feisty edits will usually have their edits deleted. There’s a protocol, and it has to be followed. And old users have more sway than new users, especially old users with many useful edits, with attribution, on a number of topics.
I’d say if there are any long-time Wikipedia users with many useful edits, and who understand the way Wikipedia works, they keep an eye on the anti-gun editors and challenge edits.
– Michael W. Dean
