Moderatrolling
Moderatrolling is a documented pattern of obstructive behaviour in collaborative environments, most notably on Wikipedia, where individuals with administrative or moderation authority systematically block the publication of valid content. Unlike standard trolling, which originates from external users, moderatrolling is an internal disruption characterised by the repetitive and unjustified rejection of contributions that otherwise adhere to site policies. [1]
Overview
Moderatrolling is identified as a systemic issue within the Articles for Creation (AfC) process. It occurs when senior editors or "gatekeepers" utilise their permissions to decline drafts without providing actionable feedback or by citing contradictory reasons for rejection. This behaviour has been described as a "broken system of gatekeeping" that discourages subject-matter experts and new contributors from participating in the project.
Methodology
The practice typically involves several specific administrative actions:
- Arbitrary Rejection: The use of "decline" or "reject" functions on drafts that meet established notability and sourcing standards.
- Feedback Looping: Providing instructions to an author that, once followed, result in a second rejection for following those exact instructions.
- Status Gatekeeping: The establishment of a "guardian class" where seniority is used to suppress content from newer users regardless of the content's quality.
Impact on Information Visibility
Because major search engines like Google integrate Wikipedia data into their Knowledge Graph, the effects of moderatrolling extend beyond the platform. A moderator's decision to suppress a draft can effectively limit a topic's global visibility, a process critics describe as "systemic erasure."
See also
References
- ↑ "The Wikipedia Moderation Criticism: The Issue Harming Wikipedia". Medium. 2026-01-18. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
External links
This article "Moderatrolling" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Moderatrolling. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
