Not Enough Love for Wikipedia?

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A noted Wikipedia editor recently published a blog post that stated it doesn’t  get sufficient coverage in the news media; he went on to say  that it’s because  of this  that Wikipedia  is treated like a foreign country. This post was written by a Wikipedia English administrator, Robert Fernandez. He also stated that this poor news coverage has come about because the media just doesn’t understand:

• The mechanics of Wikipedia
• Non-Wikipedia Wikimedia projects
• The role of the Foundation
• Other important issues that involve the encyclopedia & the community

Media coverage matters

He agreed that it’s obviously a mistake from a PR perspective to insult the very people who you expect should give you media coverage. However, he added that apart from the media, the Wikimedia Foundation that tends to be all-too-silent most of the time is also to blame for this dismal situation. Doesn’t the company play a pivotal role in getting its stories to the larger public and it should take some onus to ensure that its work is given the recognition it deserves.

The other aspect that should be kept in view is that Wikipedia is quite a complex organization.  Since it has a number of levels, it’s even more important that the company help people understand this aspect. Instead of just making generic statements, the company should have been more specific about the areas in which it wants additional coverage.

When stories must be told

Though it may seem so, it’s not true that media outlets aren’t aware about the important and relevant work that Wikipedia is doing. The fact is that not too many stories actually roll out of the company’s machinery.  A look at the TNW archives makes it very clear that a fair share of stories have been written about Wikipedia as well as Jimmy Wales, its founder. Tech journalists do take note of this company whenever there is any breaking news or when any release comes through.

But Fernandez was trying to make a point and he noted that the social network Twitter is featured on various media channels at least 90 times more often in its coverage by The New York Times. He said that this it proves his point- that if a particular organization has loads of stories to tell, it goes without saying that it should be working far harder to get those stories to a wider audience. The answer lies in looking in the mirror, before throwing blame at the media.