Week 8: Is the Neutrality of Wikipedia Truly "Neutral"?-------MUYE

 Blog Week 8: Is the Neutrality of Wikipedia Truly "Neutral"?

1) Read the summary

This week's course focuses on one of the core editorial policies of Wikipedia: "The Neutral View" (NPOV). According to the reading materials, NPOV does not require editors to have no stance, but rather to present all important viewpoints in the entries, especially those supported by mainstream academic circles or authoritative sources. This policy aims to ensure the objectivity and comprehensiveness of the entries. We also learned how to identify "biased statements", avoid "original research", and understand that "neutrality" does not equal "neutrality", but rather to "present disputes fairly".


2) Interesting discoveries

I find that Wikipedia is not completely "decentralized" or "equal for all" as it claims. For instance, when dealing with controversial topics such as politics, religion or history, the "neutrality" of an entry often relies on the viewpoints of mainstream media or academic publications, which means that marginalized or non-mainstream voices find it difficult to enter the entry. More interestingly, editors' reliance on "reliable sources" sometimes obscures the diversity that truly exists in society. For instance, the experiences of non-Western countries are often overlooked due to language barriers or the lack of academic support in English.


3) Discussion perspective

I would like to raise a thought-provoking question: When "neutrality" is based on a specific knowledge system (such as Western mainstream academia), does it still have global applicability? For instance, regarding a certain political event, the mainstream media in different countries may report it completely differently. Then, should Wikipedia also embody this kind of "differential neutrality"? Or, does there exist a more dynamic and open "pluralistic neutrality" standard?

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