[Just-the-News] Larry Sanger laments overwhelming sourcing to "globalist, progressive mainstream sources" and says site has become "an opponent of vigorous democracy."
Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia, is warning that the online encyclopedia has become too one-sided and overloaded with liberal sources in a way that harms democracy.
"In short, and with few exceptions, only globalist, progressive mainstream sources — and sources friendly to globalist progressivism — are permitted," Sanger wrote on his website in an article last week headlined "Wikipedia is more one-sided than ever."
"It is not too far to say that Wikipedia, like many other deeply biased institutions of our brave new digital world, has made itself into a kind of thought police that has de facto shackled conservative viewpoints with which they disagree," he added. "Democracy cannot thrive under such conditions: I maintain that Wikipedia has become an opponent of vigorous democracy."
Sanger cited as examples the entries for Black Lives Matter, the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump's two impeachments, and other politically divisive topics.
He also lamented that conservative sites like Fox News, the New York Post, and the Federalist are banned as official sources.
"Those might be contrarian or conservative, but they are hardly 'radical'; they are still mainstream," he wrote. "So, how on earth can such viewpoints ever be given an airing on Wikipedia? Answer: often, they cannot, not if there are no 'reliable sources' available to report about them."
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