Education

Feminists Plan Mass-Editing Party To ‘Correct’ Wikipedia

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Rob Shimshock Education Reporter
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The University of Colorado, Boulder is hosting a feminist Wikipedia edit-a-thon to fix what it sees as a “gender gap” in Wikipedia’s articles and to resist the Trump administration.

The five-hour event at UC Boulder is part of an international effort called Art+Feminism by New York’s Museum of Modern Art to improve the representation of women on Wikipedia, as reported by ArtNews. As of 2011, women comprised less than 15 percent, approximately, of the site’s editors, according to The New York Times.

“It’s a mix of people, but they usually come with the goal of righting a wrong,” said Stacey Allan, who hosted an edit-a-thon last year, according to The Frame. “They will come with someone in mind that they were shocked to find didn’t already exist on Wikipedia, and they want to make sure they correct that today.”

“Wikipedia is something that belongs to all of us. It’s not a privately held resource, its content isn’t motivated by the whims of any owners,” said Art+Feminism’s organizers. “When you have a government actively pushing ‘alternative facts,’ improving the reliability and completeness of Wikipedia is an important act of everyday resistance.”

The Museum of Modern Art’s edit-a-thon will also host Kimberly Drew, its social media manager, to talk about fake news and the process of finding reliable sources.

“Despite its wide reach, Wikipedia suffers from a gender gap,” says the UC Boulder page. “And its content is skewed by the lack of women’s voices.”

“We’re gathering women and allies together to celebrate women’s cultural achievements and edit Wikipedia articles about women in the arts.”

The event welcomes Wikipedia editors of any skill level and “especially” encourages black women and women with varying gender identities to participate. While New York’s Museum of Modern Art will be hosting a central edit-a-thon, others will be hosted at locations worldwide, such as Ontario and Washington, D.C.

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