Wikipedia coverage of firearms
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The coverage of firearms on Wikipedia has been criticized for systemic bias in downplaying the connection between firearms and mass shootings. However, the articles were noted for their detailed coverage of the technical aspects of firearm function.
News coverage[edit]
In 2017, The Week reported that Wikipedia editors removed information about mass shootings from the AR-15 article, a semi-automatic assault weapon based on the M16 military rifle which is the best-selling firearm in America.[1] According to the Washington Post, four of the five deadliest shootings in United States history—Sandy Hook, Aurora, Orlando, and Sutherland Springs—were committed with the AR-15.[2][1] According to the article, this removal made it difficult to make the connection that all of the recent shootings had been committed with the same type of weapon.[1][3]
The day after the 2018 Parkland shooting, more than 200,000 people viewed the AR-15 page.[2][3] However, at the time there was no information on gun control efforts, although there was also a passage more than 1,000 words long describing the gun's parts. The Verge noted that most editors on the page belonged to WikiProject Firearms, a group of editors with expertise or interest in firearms.[3][4] According to the article, "on Wikipedia, as in the real world, the users with the deepest technical knowledge of firearms are also the most fervent gun owners and the most hostile to gun control".[3] For example, AR-15 variations used to be described on the Modern Sporting Rifles page, which critics describe as a public relations-related relabeling by the gun industry.[3][2]
Haaretz reported that the WikiProject "served as the focal point for the group of pro-gun editors involved with the Colt AR-15 and AR-15 articles, allowing them to work in unison across a number of fronts in a way that mirrors a political-interest group". These editors did not restrict their focus to the AR-15 type rifles and also edited the pages on assault rifles and handguns, removing the detail that these weapons had been developed for policing and military use. However, the article also noted that the editors also corrected factual errors relating to gun coverage.[5]
Efforts by some Wikipedia editors to add information about mass shootings to the article resulted in a backlash from members of WikiProject Firearms. In a discussion about adding information about mass shootings to the Smith & Wesson article, Trekphiler wrote, "There are millions of weapons in civilian hands, including thousands of AR-15s, and none of them have harmed anyone. This is the usual gun confiscator garbage." In another case, when the search "AR-15" redirected to "Colt AR-15", editors removed information on crimes that had been committed with other types of AR-15 rifles. Some editors argued that information about mass shootings was already available on other articles relating to the shootings, and it would be duplicative to include the same information in articles on weapons.[3]
Members of WikiProject Firearms also are active on the National Rifle Association (NRA)'s page, arguing for the removal of criticism of the NRA related to its failure to defend Philando Castile, a black gun owner killed by police.[3][2] Some editors argued that the inclusion gave undue weight to the claim that the NRA was racist; however, another editor, Snooganssnoogans, wrote that the pro-NRA editors had not raised a "policy-based reason" for excluding the criticism of the NRA. The editors associated with WikiProject Firearms also tried to preserve the organization's claim to be "the oldest continuously operating civil rights organization", which has been challenged by Media Matters.[3]
Wikimedia response[edit]
A representative of Wikimedia Foundation told The Verge that the articles in question "are actively being discussed and edited by volunteer editors, and will likely continue to change... While it will always be a work in progress, Wikipedia is constantly improving as more editors engage and contribute to its articles, leading to a more balanced representation of the facts over time."[3][4][2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Walther, Matthew (7 November 2017). "The adolescent cult of the AR-15". The Week. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Brennan, David (7 March 2018). "A pro-gun group edited the AR-15 Wikipedia page to hide the extent of mass shootings associated with the rifle". Newsweek. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Brandom, Russell (6 March 2018). "How gun buffs took over Wikipedia's AR-15 page". The Verge. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Pro-gun Wikipedia users spark fierce editing war". Sky News. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ↑ Benjakob, Omer (March 18, 2018). "Gun Enthusiasts Are Waging a War of Attrition on Wikipedia, and It Looks Like They're Winning". Haaretz. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
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