Republicans investigate Wikipedia over allegations of organized bias

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

08/27/25 1:39 PM ET


Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee opened a probe into alleged organized efforts to inject bias into Wikipedia entries and the organization’s responses.

Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chair of the panel’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, information technology, and government innovation, on Wednesday sent an information request on the matter to Maryana Iskander, chief executive officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia.

The request, the lawmakers said in the letter, is part of an investigation into “foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars to influence U.S. public opinion.” The panel is seeking documents and communications about Wikipedia volunteer editors who violated the platform’s policies, as well as the Wikimedia Foundation’s efforts to “thwart intentional, organized efforts to inject bias into important and sensitive topics.”

“Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences,” Comer and Mace wrote in the letter.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5473331-wikipedia-bias-probe-republicans/

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EPSTEIN FILES!

Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), chair of the panel’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, information technology, and government innovation, on Wednesday sent an information request

Notice how when it is the GOP who does this, they call them "information requests" but when it's Democrats, they are dubbed ( "sternly worded" ) "letters" and that characterization (or mischaracterization) works its magic of generationg circular firing squads?

[groundloop]

1. The GQP once again fulfill their role as professional victims.

[hildegaard28]

2. Well you

See, Republicans, there's this little thing called the first amendment that allows Wikipedia, and the American people in general, to be as biased as they want to be. Ain't nothing you can do about it.

[markodochartaigh]

3. This sounds like one of those accusations that is a confession.

“Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences,”

[Botany]

7. An edit is needed ... please forgive me.

“Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences,”

Edited

“Multiple studies and reports have highlighted efforts to manipulate information on FOX NEWS
for propaganda aimed at all audiences,”

[Scarlet Begalas]

28. Bias

But of course bias is OK when Rethugs do it.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

4. Jesus.Fucking.CHRIST.

[Klarkashton]

5. It's as if they didn't control the whole government

And instead were out in the cold being whipped with cat o nine tails begging for mercy.

[Scarlet Begalas]

29. Klarkashton

The thing is, when it comes to fascists, they'r not satisfied until they crush all dissent.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. When did the government get the power to regulate free speech on Wikipedia?

Republicans don't like it, they can rewrite it, that's how it operates.

[jfz9580m]

32. Good point

If you don’t like what’s on Wikipedia then make an account and make your case the civilized way.

[yardwork]

8. WTAF!!

[Skittles]

9. "truth has a liberal bias"

repukes HATE the truth

[thought crime]

25. They literally can't handle the truth.

They need alternative facts, official lies, conspiracy theories and of course, religion to prop up their belief in whatever they wish was true.

[JawJaw]

31. I subscribe to the GAB mailing list (strictly for amusement!)

Their latest newsletter proclaims the advent of the GAB AI browser extension, to allow their brow-beaten right wing audience to inhabit a parallel internet (as they describe it) and generate rightwing AI responses to twitter posts. JFC, these people...

https://imgur.com/a/IRVFRWr

[bmichaelh]

10. Wikipedia articles have many authors

They do not know how Wikipedia works.

Most anyone can submit a change to an article if they think it is wrong.

Granted, sometimes they have to correct articles, because of a joke.

Onetime, Senator McConnell's Wikipedia article said he was a turtle.

That was not because of some conspiracy.

[Midwestern Democrat]

42. Wikipedia shows the weakness of not having one overriding editor who has final say - of course, you hope that top editor

knows what he's doing. There have been many articles where I thought a previous version was superior before a new round of changes.

[chowder66]

11. These people must be made out of fucking 200 year old glass or egg shells because these people

CAN NOT handle a damn thing.

They have to control as much as possible to feel less terrified of everything. They think they have bravado, or are Type A's but they are just scared-shitless little creeps and creep-ettes who have zero coping abilities.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. If you want to see what conservatives would do to wikapedia

Just take a look at the insane asylum called "Conservapedia". A looney collection of the dumbest, most insane things that conservative believe.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

14. Out of curiosity, I checked out Conservapedia occasionally in the past.

The bias in those articles is laughable!

Comer and Mace are a couple of stooges that couldn’t find their way out of a shithouse..

[Scarlet Begalas]

30. ThoughtCriminal

And, of course they stole the idea for their name from Wikipedia. Because they're not original thinkers.

[Vinca]

13. It's a private enterprise. They can be as biased as they want.

[Marthe48]

15. Maybe rwnj will realize after all these bogus investigations

that nothing they do is licit, popular, or meaningful. No amount of spinning, lying, erasing, will change the basic fact that rwnj are unlikable crooks.

[Shipwack]

17. Unlikely. 8 investigations failed to convince them about Benghazi. nt

[travelingthrulife]

38. The endless 'investigations' are only meant to cripple us. DC courts are nearly

defunct from their firehouse approach to the law.

[Marthe48]

40. I was being snotty

I can't pass up an opportunity to point how how blind rwnj are to their own failures.

[Shipwack]

16. This phrase makes little sense.

The request, the lawmakers said in the letter, is part of an investigation into “foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars to influence U.S. public opinion.”

I interpret this as

some foreign people are writing opinions unflattering to the US. These people are attending institutions that receive funding from the US. These people are trying to influence public opinion by expressing their own views.

Do I have the right of it? How much free time do these politicians have that they can get butthurt over a Wikipedia article?

[hildegaard28]

27. I take it

To mean that they don’t think professors at taxpayer funded institutions should be able to express opinions they don’t like.

[Zorro]

18. How about turning over that Fox News rock?

Bet they'd find lots of foreign influences there.

[Six117]

19. "Republicans investigate"

Sounds like the beginning of an oxymoron. 🤔

[Karasu]

20. Facts don't care about your feelings. Fuck their party and the fascist horse it rode in on.

[Jack Valentino]

21. "Truth has a liberal bias"

while Republicans have a pathological liar bias

[Karasu]

24. Yep. We all know as much, but their entire "anti-bias" crusade is just an attempt to rework all of reality to fit the

insane views they already fucking believe and reduce literally fucking everything to a matter of opinion.

In combination with social media, they are the reason why we've been living in a post-factual world for the last decade.

[Jack Valentino]

41. Some of us--- or rather most of THEM, but not US...

[Uncle Joe]

22. If there is one thing Mace needs, it's organized bias, she only had 8 people show up for her rally.

I guess they think trashing the 1st Amendment will turn out at least 9 or 10 people?

Thanks for the thread BumRushDaShow

[mwooldri]

23. I hope the Wikipedia folks reply is ....

"Citation needed".

[The Wizard]

26. They're playing to the base, and I mean base.(NT)

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. Any bias I've seen on Wikipedia has generally been Republicans or dodgy business types covering up their own misdeeds

Embarrassing facts edited out, that kind of thing. Organised among their employees, perhaps.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. The GOP excels at "projection".

[wolfie001]

35. They'll have a gaggle of Mar-a-Lardo ladies look over the website

It'll be completely ruined in no time. I hope they have $20 million to spare so they can buy a bit-coin bribe. Probably be an annual charge.

[orangecrush]

36. Well, there goes that source.

[emulatorloo]

37. Comer needs to find a different hobby.

[travelingthrulife]

39. He should go back to farming.

His wisdom is lacking.