Brief
Wikithon volunteers edit Wikipedia’s arms‑trade pages in London event
Around two dozen editors met at Somerset House Studios to add sourced data on companies such as Palantir and Project Maven.
By Felo News Desk · Published
About 24 volunteers gathered in a central London classroom on 20 October for a “wikithon” focused on Wikipedia’s arms‑trade pages, the Guardian reported. The event, organised by the n‑Space programme at Somerset House Studios, provided vegan Ethiopian food and training on Wikipedia’s editing standards.
What happened
Participants ranged from veteran editors in their 70s to students new to the platform. They worked on pages covering firms such as Palantir, Project Maven and Nitro‑Chem, aiming to add publicly available information and improve article structure. The session lasted several hours, during which attendees were instructed on Wikipedia’s policies against original research and unsourced conclusions.
What the reports add
The Guardian noted that while anyone can edit Wikipedia, only roughly 270,000 active volunteers shape its content. It highlighted ongoing criticism of the encyclopedia for geographic and gender bias, citing that a small proportion of biographies are about women. The article also mentioned that the arms‑industry pages are often less detailed than other topics, prompting the wikithon’s focus.
What was said
Co‑founder Agnes Cameron told the Guardian, “Wikipedia pages about the arms industry, in general, are not always super‑detailed.” She added, “The interesting thing about Wikipedia editing is that you’re encouraged to edit things you care about… We’re toeing quite a difficult line.” Cameron emphasized that the event is “not an anti‑arms‑industry campaigning event” but rather an effort to provide “factual information on Wikipedia.”
How it came about
The wikithon is part of the n‑Space programme’s broader aim to train volunteers in digital literacy and public‑interest editing. By gathering participants in person, the organisers hope to address Wikipedia’s noted lack of diversity among editors and improve coverage of under‑reported subjects such as the global arms trade.
Key facts
- Around two dozen volunteers attended the London wikithon on 20 October. (theguardian.com)
- The event focused on improving Wikipedia pages for Palantir, Project Maven and Nitro‑Chem. (theguardian.com)
- Co‑founder Agnes Cameron said the goal was factual, not anti‑arms‑industry, editing. (theguardian.com)
- Wikipedia has roughly 270,000 active editors, with noted gender and geographic bias. (theguardian.com)
Sources
- [1] theguardian.com — originally reported as “‘A difficult line’: meet the editors tackling Wikipedia’s arms trade pages”
