Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2026-06-21/In the media
Who won a 14th century battle and who won the 2026 Iran war?
"Historical revision"
In "How Anonymous Wikipedia Editors Influence Global Narratives — and AI Systems", Toby Dershowitz and Ashley Rindsberg at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-Israel lobbying group, claim "Citogenesis on an institutional scale" and describe this as "one of the most consequential acts of historical revision in the digital age". Their criticism is focused on Wikipedia's coverage of Al-Jazeera, a media network that is banned in Israel.
Dershowitz and Rindsberg point out that Al-Jazeera is sponsored by the government of Qatar, which is an absolute monarchy, and add:
Reporters Without Borders ranks the country among the world's least free for journalism.
However, a quick look at the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (original here) shows that Qatar currently ranks at no. 75 – in other words, in the top half, and 41 places higher than Israel at no. 116. Dershowitz and Rindsberg go on to critique various edits to Al-Jazeera-related articles. These may well be worth studying, but caveat lector. As the above example shows, Dershowitz and Rindsberg have their own agendas and blind spots. Not all of their critiques ought to be taken at face value. – AK, B
14th century "hoax" discovered on Wikipedia
YouTuber Cambrian Chronicles uploaded "How a Hoax on Wikipedia Changed a Country's History", an investigation into the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Orewin Bridge, a page that has existed since 2005, revealing the only source for the article to be a 14th century chronicle by Walter of Guisborough, and that the other surviving sources from the time provided no support for.
The events of this day [...] in important historical works from the 20th century, are all based on the description given by this man, Walter of Guisborough. A man who described a battle that no sources ever corroborated, in a location never before mentioned, with a conclusion that disagrees with his contemporaries both in and outside of Wales. [...] In fact, the only source that Walter's battle of Orewin Bridge ever had anything in common with was his own description of the Battle of Sterling Bridge.
— Cambrian Chronicles (YouTube channel)
They assert that this work was meant to provide a narrative to reflect how the English should have conducted the Battle of Sterling Bridge, which they lost, to allow them to achieve victory. They also call the work a "hoax", reflecting the impact it has had on public perception of the battle. – M
Dissolution of the Community Tech team
- See related coverage in this issue's Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2026-06-21/Technology report
Various national and international media, including The Verge (paywalled), PC Magazine, The Times of India, heise, Il Foglio (in Italian) and The Register – with the latter claiming a planned "banner sabotage" – have reported that "hundreds of prolific Wikipedia editors are threatening to go on strike" over the dissolution of the Community Tech team at the Wikimedia Foundation. Reactions at User talk:Jimbo Wales#WMF technical team have also been discussed, including withdrawal of contributions both financial and volunteer time. – B
In brief
- A matter of trust: Jimmy Wales tells the WSJ Leadership Institute CEO Summit that trust is declining in journalism, politics and business because of AI (just trust me).
- You-know-who versus Grokipedia: "Grokipedia articles show selective political divergence from Wikipedia, research finds: Researchers identified ideological sourcing shifts between Wikipedia and Grokipedia articles." (Digital Watch by Geneva Internet Platform)
- AI detection: Wikipedia may have built the best AI writing detection guide says makeuseof.com.
- Topic ban catches media eye: "Wikipedia bans anti-Israel editor from editing articles on Israeli-Palestinian conflict" (Jewish News Syndicate) concerning a Contentious topic ban.
- National Indigenous Heritage Month: National Indigenous Heritage Month event at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, via CBC Television video.
- Future-proof: Raju Narisetti, Anusha Alikhan write "Wikipedia under siege: how to future-proof the internet's last best place" for Journalism Film Festival program.
- Lines drawn and erased: The MediaPost Media Insider commentary "Wikipedia Vs. Google Search: Game On!" says that Wikipedia "drew the line" on AI generated content "partly an act of self-defense for the entire information supply chain" but Google AI Overviews "erased" another line, replacing search results with "synthesis, delivered with the smooth confidence of a thing that cannot tell you why it chose this framing over another".
- Virginia is for lovers ... of Wikipedia: Prof. Peter Uetz edits, and encourages students in Virginia to do so, too. Via Virginia Commonwealth Uni News.
- Android came first: The Wikipedia game "Which came first?" is now available on iPhone. The game was originally released to Android platforms in June 2025.
- "Wikipedia made me do it": "Chicago cross-burning feared to be hateful racist threat turns out to be idiotic anti-Trump protest: 'Saw the Wikipedia page'" (New York Post). Some twists and turns and invitations for credulity from the reader...but maybe true that the burner of crosses didn't fully understand what that means.
- Will the real winner please stand up?: "Wikipedia Lists Result of Iran War as 'Iranian Victory'" (Newsweek) A Request for comments (RfC) to change the outcome to "inconclusive" was opened and, as of our deadline, remains under discussion.
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