New Year, new Wikipedia list.
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@gmachine Honestly, while I really don't care for AI, the relentless hype around it, or the effect it has on the environment, I can see it from the WMF position which is that the AI companies were scraping this (free) content already and thrashing their servers so I see this as the "least harm" position. The content was already free. Do I hope all these companies fold after losing every single righteous lawsuit against them? Sure do. For now I'm also okay with WMF getting paid.
@jessamyn Ok, that's good then! I of course also fully understand WMF's pragmatism behind the decision, I'm guess I'm just a bit worried about creating a financial dependence on these exploitative big tech companies.
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@jessamyn Ok, that's good then! I of course also fully understand WMF's pragmatism behind the decision, I'm guess I'm just a bit worried about creating a financial dependence on these exploitative big tech companies.
@gmachine I hear you. The vibe I get, and I may be wrong about this, is this is more about diversifying their revenue stream than any specific cash flow problems. Despite their annual urgent-feeling fundraisers, I feel that the foundation is doing okay $$$-wise.
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When Helen Macdonald says you've got the best author photo she's ever seen and gives your first book a glowing review, people take notice. But maybe not Wikipedia people. Now that Jonathan Slaght's got a second book about Amur tigers (and the first one about fish owls won a lot of awards) it's high time he was in Wikipedia.
@jessamyn oh snap I know Jonathan… well not him really, his kid, who is in my sons scout troop. He’s a cool kid. For some reason he knows a lot about owls!
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@jessamyn oh snap I know Jonathan… well not him really, his kid, who is in my sons scout troop. He’s a cool kid. For some reason he knows a lot about owls!
@drnixon Hahaha. I told Jonathan on Bluesky that I liked the book (which I did) but stopped short of telling him "SO I WROTE THIS WHOLE WIKIPEDIA PAGE" Maybe someday...
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@jessamyn To any book critic, "So you don't like my book? The Owl might differ with you. So be careful walking at night. His friends will find you."
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@gmachine I hear you. The vibe I get, and I may be wrong about this, is this is more about diversifying their revenue stream than any specific cash flow problems. Despite their annual urgent-feeling fundraisers, I feel that the foundation is doing okay $$$-wise.
"Patrons" always impact the editorial decisions of public interest information institutions.
Examples:
1. David Koch joining the PBS board of directors.
https://truthout.org/articles/the-corporate-dictatorship-of-pbs-and-npr/Nova & Frontline never did another hard hitting expose of Koch Network's anti-democracy, policies of immiseration, & climate denial again.
Directors Reveal How PBS Quashed Airing of Negative Koch Brothers Film - Truthdig
"Democracy Now!" asks whether PBS resorted to self-censorship in order to appease the Koch brothers when it decided not to show a documentary that portrayed David Koch--a major donor to public television--in an unflattering light.
Truthdig (www.truthdig.com)
David Koch vs. PBS
Jane Mayer on how the conservative industrialist is shaping public television—by funding it.
The New Yorker (www.newyorker.com)
Global Warming, Koch and NOVA
Have NOVA broadcasts tackled global warming directly? The ombudsman has doubts.
PBS Public Editor (www.pbs.org)
PBS Self-Destructs, by Eugenia Williamson
And what it means for viewers like you
Harper's Magazine (harpers.org)
PBS pulls ads from @Harpers after critical essay
Piece argues public broadcaster has fallen under the sway of political influence and outside money
Columbia Journalism Review (www.cjr.org)
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"Patrons" always impact the editorial decisions of public interest information institutions.
Examples:
1. David Koch joining the PBS board of directors.
https://truthout.org/articles/the-corporate-dictatorship-of-pbs-and-npr/Nova & Frontline never did another hard hitting expose of Koch Network's anti-democracy, policies of immiseration, & climate denial again.
Directors Reveal How PBS Quashed Airing of Negative Koch Brothers Film - Truthdig
"Democracy Now!" asks whether PBS resorted to self-censorship in order to appease the Koch brothers when it decided not to show a documentary that portrayed David Koch--a major donor to public television--in an unflattering light.
Truthdig (www.truthdig.com)
David Koch vs. PBS
Jane Mayer on how the conservative industrialist is shaping public television—by funding it.
The New Yorker (www.newyorker.com)
Global Warming, Koch and NOVA
Have NOVA broadcasts tackled global warming directly? The ombudsman has doubts.
PBS Public Editor (www.pbs.org)
PBS Self-Destructs, by Eugenia Williamson
And what it means for viewers like you
Harper's Magazine (harpers.org)
PBS pulls ads from @Harpers after critical essay
Piece argues public broadcaster has fallen under the sway of political influence and outside money
Columbia Journalism Review (www.cjr.org)
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2. Bill Ackman & Harvard University -- The destruction of reputation at elite universities
The venal think their megadonations gives them control of legacy admissions, partisan slant, management, and endowment fund looting.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/03/bill-ackman-billionaire-attacks-claudine-gay-harvard-twitter-xThe White Supremacist curriculum...
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/arts/national-humanities-endowment-grants.html
Harvard endowment fund takes $218M bet on gold and bitcoin combined in first-ever positions
The Kitco News Team brings you the latest news, videos, analysis and opinions regarding Precious Metals, Crypto, Mining, World Markets and Global Economy.
(www.kitco.com)
Billionaires and Harvard's Endowment Are Piling Into a BlackRock ETF That Could Climb More Than 1,000%, According to Experts
Detailed price information for Blackrock Inc (BLK-N) from The Globe and Mail including charting and trades.
The Globe and Mail (www.theglobeandmail.com)
Bill Ackman Says He Has Funded Francesca Gino’s Legal Defense Since June 2024 | News | The Harvard Crimson
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill A. Ackman ’88 said he has been funding the legal defense of Francesca Gino, a former Harvard Business School professor accused of research fraud, since June 2024, challenging his alma mater in yet another high-profile dispute.
(www.thecrimson.com)
Ackman Backs Harvard Prof Accused of Research Misconduct
A prominent critic of Harvard University says he’s financially supporting a former professor’s discrimination and breach-of-contract lawsuit against the institution.
Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs (www.insidehighered.com)
Bill Ackman Strikes Back
Bill Ackman’s fight against Harvard has made him the public face of a billionaire class anxious it no longer rules the world.
Intelligencer (nymag.com)
Trump Administration Appeals Order Restoring $2.7 Billion in Funding to Harvard | Harvard Magazine
The appeal, which had been expected, came two days before the deadline to file.
Harvard Magazine (www.harvardmagazine.com)
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2. Bill Ackman & Harvard University -- The destruction of reputation at elite universities
The venal think their megadonations gives them control of legacy admissions, partisan slant, management, and endowment fund looting.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/03/bill-ackman-billionaire-attacks-claudine-gay-harvard-twitter-xThe White Supremacist curriculum...
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/arts/national-humanities-endowment-grants.html
Harvard endowment fund takes $218M bet on gold and bitcoin combined in first-ever positions
The Kitco News Team brings you the latest news, videos, analysis and opinions regarding Precious Metals, Crypto, Mining, World Markets and Global Economy.
(www.kitco.com)
Billionaires and Harvard's Endowment Are Piling Into a BlackRock ETF That Could Climb More Than 1,000%, According to Experts
Detailed price information for Blackrock Inc (BLK-N) from The Globe and Mail including charting and trades.
The Globe and Mail (www.theglobeandmail.com)
Bill Ackman Says He Has Funded Francesca Gino’s Legal Defense Since June 2024 | News | The Harvard Crimson
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill A. Ackman ’88 said he has been funding the legal defense of Francesca Gino, a former Harvard Business School professor accused of research fraud, since June 2024, challenging his alma mater in yet another high-profile dispute.
(www.thecrimson.com)
Ackman Backs Harvard Prof Accused of Research Misconduct
A prominent critic of Harvard University says he’s financially supporting a former professor’s discrimination and breach-of-contract lawsuit against the institution.
Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs (www.insidehighered.com)
Bill Ackman Strikes Back
Bill Ackman’s fight against Harvard has made him the public face of a billionaire class anxious it no longer rules the world.
Intelligencer (nymag.com)
Trump Administration Appeals Order Restoring $2.7 Billion in Funding to Harvard | Harvard Magazine
The appeal, which had been expected, came two days before the deadline to file.
Harvard Magazine (www.harvardmagazine.com)
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3. Nikole Hannah Jones, Tenure, and UNC's donor Hussman.
Billionaires think their money gives them hire, fire, retire control of supposedly autonomous organizations.
https://zora.medium.com/unc-threw-shade-on-nikole-hannah-jones-1619-project-denying-her-tenure-78f0767f37ae
Nikole Hannah-Jones finally has been granted tenure. But the damage is already done.
Or: How to trash a university’s reputation in three easy steps.
Mother Jones (www.motherjones.com)
UNC Journalism School Tried To Give Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure. A Top Donor Objected
The star New York Times reporter's bid for a tenured professorship has run aground on racial politics and an approach to journalism that runs counter to the donor whose name adorns the school.
NPR (www.npr.org)
Institutions get bullied to abandon DEI, ESG, climate research
https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2025/02/03/koch-spent-91-million-to-influence-higher-education-in-2023/
Koch Fleet of Organizations Invests More Than Ever in Expanding Its Influence - EXPOSEDbyCMD
Charles Koch’s fleet of organizations spent a combined net total of $833 million in 2023 to influence public policy, elections, and certain charitable causes — marking its highest spending total to date.
EXPOSEDbyCMD (www.exposedbycmd.org)
After exit of Claudine Gay, Bill Ackman paints bull's-eye on diversity programs
Diversity, equity and inclusion is "inherently a racist and illegal movement," hedge fund billionaire says in 4,000-word screed.
(www.cbsnews.com)
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/15/investing/bill-ackman-harvard
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3/
3. Nikole Hannah Jones, Tenure, and UNC's donor Hussman.
Billionaires think their money gives them hire, fire, retire control of supposedly autonomous organizations.
https://zora.medium.com/unc-threw-shade-on-nikole-hannah-jones-1619-project-denying-her-tenure-78f0767f37ae
Nikole Hannah-Jones finally has been granted tenure. But the damage is already done.
Or: How to trash a university’s reputation in three easy steps.
Mother Jones (www.motherjones.com)
UNC Journalism School Tried To Give Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure. A Top Donor Objected
The star New York Times reporter's bid for a tenured professorship has run aground on racial politics and an approach to journalism that runs counter to the donor whose name adorns the school.
NPR (www.npr.org)
Institutions get bullied to abandon DEI, ESG, climate research
https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2025/02/03/koch-spent-91-million-to-influence-higher-education-in-2023/
Koch Fleet of Organizations Invests More Than Ever in Expanding Its Influence - EXPOSEDbyCMD
Charles Koch’s fleet of organizations spent a combined net total of $833 million in 2023 to influence public policy, elections, and certain charitable causes — marking its highest spending total to date.
EXPOSEDbyCMD (www.exposedbycmd.org)
After exit of Claudine Gay, Bill Ackman paints bull's-eye on diversity programs
Diversity, equity and inclusion is "inherently a racist and illegal movement," hedge fund billionaire says in 4,000-word screed.
(www.cbsnews.com)
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/15/investing/bill-ackman-harvard
@Npars01 wow, thanks for taking the time to write that all out (with links and all)!
I will make sure to click through them! -
When Helen Macdonald says you've got the best author photo she's ever seen and gives your first book a glowing review, people take notice. But maybe not Wikipedia people. Now that Jonathan Slaght's got a second book about Amur tigers (and the first one about fish owls won a lot of awards) it's high time he was in Wikipedia.
Bobby Gosh was a local musician and producer who you may know from such hits as Dr. Hook's song "A Little Bit More" or Bjork's music box pieces on Vespertine. He may or may not have opened for Streisand during her happening in Central Park. He definitely wrote the Honeycomb Hideout jingle. He was an art collector. An unapologetic weed eater, Gosh's life is full of amazing facts and what I suspect are some embellishments. Definitely a local legend who will be well missed.
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Bobby Gosh was a local musician and producer who you may know from such hits as Dr. Hook's song "A Little Bit More" or Bjork's music box pieces on Vespertine. He may or may not have opened for Streisand during her happening in Central Park. He definitely wrote the Honeycomb Hideout jingle. He was an art collector. An unapologetic weed eater, Gosh's life is full of amazing facts and what I suspect are some embellishments. Definitely a local legend who will be well missed.
When I started this article about Rice Estes, it's because I thought he was a Black librarian raised in South Carolina committed to ending segregation in public libraries in the South. As it turns out, that article was wrong and he was all those things, except he was white. He was married to well-known author Eleanor Estes. She had a long Wikipedia page, he had none. He did not do a lot of public activism after the 60s (that I found) but what he did then was important.
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@wcaleb Well, if the image isn't in the public domain, then there's a pretty narrow set of fair use reasons. One thing Wikipedia allows is fair use for an image of a deceased person (a few others you see a lot are book covers and album covers) AS LONG AS you include a fair use justification. This is one of those things where it's complex enough (but not difficult, just fiddly) that it's worth having someone step you through it. I wrote this thing up a few years ago
How To: Adding fair use images to people's Wikipedia pages
I've always got some nerdy Wikipedia project going. I think improving Wikipedia's coverage of marginalized voices is worthwhile work, even as I understand and agree with many of the criticisms of the place. My most recent project was to look at the list of African American librarians (108 in total)
librarian.net (www.librarian.net)
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@wcaleb Well, if the image isn't in the public domain, then there's a pretty narrow set of fair use reasons. One thing Wikipedia allows is fair use for an image of a deceased person (a few others you see a lot are book covers and album covers) AS LONG AS you include a fair use justification. This is one of those things where it's complex enough (but not difficult, just fiddly) that it's worth having someone step you through it. I wrote this thing up a few years ago
How To: Adding fair use images to people's Wikipedia pages
I've always got some nerdy Wikipedia project going. I think improving Wikipedia's coverage of marginalized voices is worthwhile work, even as I understand and agree with many of the criticisms of the place. My most recent project was to look at the list of African American librarians (108 in total)
librarian.net (www.librarian.net)
@wcaleb I would be happy to answer any other questions about this. I often, when I'm avoiding doomscrolling (as you mentioned in your blog post - relatable!) will look into public domain image archives which haven't been wholesale added to Wikimedia Commons to see if any of them could illustrate Wikipedia pages. I work on biography mainly so I will often do a keyword search for "portrait" for example and go from there. Here's another thing I wrote, a long time ago
I need to find a public domain image of _______. How do I do that?
Reference question of the day was about finding public domain images. Everyone's got their go-tos. If I am looking for illustrations or old photos specifically I'll often use other people's searches on top of the Internet Archive's content. Here's a little how to. 1. Check the Internet Archive Bo
librarian.net (www.librarian.net)
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@wcaleb I would be happy to answer any other questions about this. I often, when I'm avoiding doomscrolling (as you mentioned in your blog post - relatable!) will look into public domain image archives which haven't been wholesale added to Wikimedia Commons to see if any of them could illustrate Wikipedia pages. I work on biography mainly so I will often do a keyword search for "portrait" for example and go from there. Here's another thing I wrote, a long time ago
I need to find a public domain image of _______. How do I do that?
Reference question of the day was about finding public domain images. Everyone's got their go-tos. If I am looking for illustrations or old photos specifically I'll often use other people's searches on top of the Internet Archive's content. Here's a little how to. 1. Check the Internet Archive Bo
librarian.net (www.librarian.net)
@wcaleb I used a Wikipedia tool called Petscan (I am not a programmer, this was just clicking and typing) to generate a list of all Wikipedia bios of deceased librarians that did not have a picture. Then I put it in my sandbox and I work down it when I need to lose myself in something compelling but also not too difficult. Then I just go looking for pictures, make them small, and work on my fair use justifications for them. I think bio articles pop a lot more with images
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@wcaleb Looks like there's a free to use image of him here. Gosh the Schomburg Center is so good. You could download that image, re-upload it to Wikimedia Commons (a different place from Wikipedia images, it's more confusing than it needs to be) and crop it and put it in the article. Feel free to try it and ask me if you wind up in a dead end. I'm jessamyn@gmail if email is easier than Masto.
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@wcaleb Excellent. Be aware that if a free image exists, even if it's a crummy one, sometimes the nerds of Wikipedia will insist that one gets used instead. I think your fair use rationale looks pretty solid, so I hope it sticks. That's a good picture of him.
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When I started this article about Rice Estes, it's because I thought he was a Black librarian raised in South Carolina committed to ending segregation in public libraries in the South. As it turns out, that article was wrong and he was all those things, except he was white. He was married to well-known author Eleanor Estes. She had a long Wikipedia page, he had none. He did not do a lot of public activism after the 60s (that I found) but what he did then was important.
Alexs D. Pate wrote a NYT bestseller in 1995 (the novel Amistad, based on the movie screenplay, I know, it's confusing) and many other award-winning books. There was some drama about his original WP page (deleted because it was thought to be advertising/promotion - I never saw that version) but the WP editor did not contest the speedy-delete tag, so speedy-deleted it was. I've got some questions about Pate's life story (hard to find cites), but not about his notability.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexs_Pate
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Alexs D. Pate wrote a NYT bestseller in 1995 (the novel Amistad, based on the movie screenplay, I know, it's confusing) and many other award-winning books. There was some drama about his original WP page (deleted because it was thought to be advertising/promotion - I never saw that version) but the WP editor did not contest the speedy-delete tag, so speedy-deleted it was. I've got some questions about Pate's life story (hard to find cites), but not about his notability.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexs_PateLeo Manso designed some exceptional paperback and hardcover book jackets. He was also an accomplished artist and helped get the Provincetown MA arts scene going in the 1940s. No idea why Wikipedia didn't have an article about him but it does now.
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Leo Manso designed some exceptional paperback and hardcover book jackets. He was also an accomplished artist and helped get the Provincetown MA arts scene going in the 1940s. No idea why Wikipedia didn't have an article about him but it does now.
@jessamyn How was there no Wikipedia article?!? He's super interesting.
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Leo Manso designed some exceptional paperback and hardcover book jackets. He was also an accomplished artist and helped get the Provincetown MA arts scene going in the 1940s. No idea why Wikipedia didn't have an article about him but it does now.
Community Auditions was a Boston area tv show which ran for 37 years. It featured live performances of local folks doing talent show stuff. Dave Maynard, local radio legend, hosted. It was very "of its time" and totally imprinted itself on my partner while I had never heard of it. In the early shows people would vote for their favorite performer via postcard and the results would be announced the following week. In the reboot of the show, you voted via social media.
