Rightwing website challenges 'liberal bias' of Wikipedia (original) (raw)

It has been attacked many times in its short life, most notably in the form of bombardments from a former aide to Robert F Kennedy and the editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica. But now the online reference site Wikipedia has a new foe: evangelical Christians.

A website founded by religious activists in the US aims to counter what they claim is "liberal bias" on Wikipedia, the open encyclopaedia that has become one of the most popular sites on the web.

The founders of Conservapedia.com say that the site offers a "much-needed alternative" to Wikipedia, which they believe is "increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American".

Although entries on Wikipedia are open for anyone to edit, conservative campaigners say that they are unable to make changes to articles on the site because of inherent bias by its global team of volunteer editors. Instead they have chosen to build a clone, which they hope will promote Christian values.

"I've tried editing Wikipedia, and found that the biased editors who dominate it censor or change facts to suit their views," Andy Schlafly, the founder of Conservapedia, told the Guardian. "In one case my factual edits were removed within 60 seconds - so editing Wikipedia is no longer a viable approach."

Among his criticisms listed on Conservapedia, Mr Schlafly explains how many Wikipedia articles often use British spelling instead of American English and says that it "refuses" to give enough credit to Christianity for the Renaissance. "Facts against the theory of evolution are almost immediately censored," he continues.

Mr Schlafly, an attorney by day, is the son of prominent American conservative Phyllis Schlafly, renowned for her opposition to feminism and the equal rights amendment. He says Conservapedia was created last November as a project for home-schooled children - and believes it could eventually become a reference for teachers in the US. "It is rapidly becoming one of the largest and most reliable online educational resources of its kind," he said.

Wikipedia has come in for criticism for its open approach, most notably from Dale Hoiberg, the editor-in-chief of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mr Hoiberg disputed a survey in scientific journal Nature which found that the website was just as accurate as its venerable counterpart. Tennessee journalist John Seigenthaler, meanwhile, also caused a stir when he attacked the site for publishing defamatory comments suggesting he had been accused of involvement in the assassinations of both John and Bobby Kennedy in the 1960s.

Despite such controversy, however, the arrival of Conservapedia has been met with derision by much of the wider internet community. A number of articles on the site have been defaced by those who are angered by its accusations - but Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, said that he was not upset by the rightwing site's claims.

"Free culture knows no bounds," he said. "We welcome the reuse of our work to build variants. That's directly in line with our mission."

Wikipedia v Conservapedia

Dinosaurs

Wikipedia: Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago.

Conservapedia: They are mentioned in numerous places throughout the Good Book. For example, the behemoth in Job and the leviathan in Isaiah are almost certainly references to dinosaurs.

Harry Potter

Wikipedia: Since 1999, the Harry Potter books have sat atop the American Library Association's list of most protested books, with some American churches banning the books altogether.

Conservapedia: The English 'public' schools Hogwarts resembles are Protestant institutions; but at Hogwarts, chapel is conspicuously absent. A failure to mention Christianity, combined with the presence of wizardry, have led some to wonder whether Rowling is substituting paganism for Christianity."

US Democratic party

Wikipedia: Since the 1890s, the Democratic party has favoured 'liberal' positions. In recent decades, the party advocates civil liberties, social freedoms, equal rights, equal opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and a free enterprise system tempered by government intervention.
Conservapedia: The official platform of the Democratic party emphasizes strengthening America. Rightwing critics claim, however, that the Democrat voting record reveals a true agenda of cowering to terrorism, treasonous anti-Americanism, and contempt for America's founding principles such as freedom of religion.