The Truth According to Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
The Truth According to Wikipedia (also referred to as Wiki's Waarheid and Wiki's Truth) is a Dutch
documentary film
about Wikipedia
directed by IJsbrand van Veelen. The documentary examines the reliability of Wikipedia
, and the dichotomy
between usage of experts versus amateur editors. The film includes commentary from Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales
and Larry Sanger
, The Cult of the Amateur
author Andrew Keen
, O'Reilly Media
chief executive officer
Tim O'Reilly
, and former editor-in-chief of Encyclopædia Britannica
Robert McHenry
. Keen argues that experts should serve as guardians of information during the Web 2.0
phenomenon; this point of view is supported by analysis from Sanger.
The documentary premiered at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam
in April 2008, and was broadcast by VPRO
television in the Netherlands. It was subsequently made available through American Public Television
. The Truth According to Wikipedia received a generally positive reception, with favorable commentary in a review from Film Quarterly
, and in an analysis published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
.
and the reliability of Wikipedia
. Veelen also addresses the idea that information wants to be free
. Individuals who are interviewed and appear as commentators in the film include Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales
and Larry Sanger
; the author of The Cult of the Amateur
, Andrew Keen
; author of How Wikipedia Works
and Wikipedia editor, Phoebe Ayers; Swahili Wikipedia
contributor Ndesanjo Macha; O'Reilly Media
chief executive officer
Tim O'Reilly
; We Think author Charles Leadbeater
; and previous editor-in-chief over Encyclopædia Britannica
, Robert McHenry
.
Discussion topics include how the contributions of both unqualified and expert users affect Wikipedia, and more broadly, the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Andrew Keen is featured prominently in the film, and puts forth a thesis
that veracity of information should be determined by experts who should function as guardians for such material. Keen's argument is supported in the film by commentary from Larry Sanger, who left Wikipedia over a conflict with Jimmy Wales regarding Sanger's desire for experts to be given additional influence on the project.
. Interviews were conducted by Marijntje Denters, Martijn Kieft and IJsbrand van Veelen. Marijntje Denters and William de Bruijn researched and gathered information for the film. Judith van den Berg served as film producer
, and film editors included Jos de Putter and Doke Romeijn. The film utilized 60 seconds of footage from a video made by Chris Pirillo
, who later objected that such usage was done without obtaining his permission or crediting him with the content. The documentary film
was released in 2008. The controversy over the blocking of Wikipedia by the People's Republic of China was ongoing during the time of the film's release. The film premiered globally at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam
on 4 April 2008. It was broadcast by VPRO
on 7 April 2008. The organization American Public Television
(APT) began to make the film available in Summer 2008, and was contracted to show the documentary as an APT program, from February 2009 through January 2011.
, where author Ben Walters called the film, "a sharp and wide-ranging overview of wiki
-pistemology made by the liberal Dutch broadcaster VPRO". In an analysis Teaching Seven Revolutions: A Tool Kit for Educating Globally Competent Citizens published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
, the documentary was given a rating of "Good". The documentary was given positive reception from Eric Schonfeld of TechCrunch, who commented, "The film is masterfully made and shows many points of view". Schonfeld was critical of the documentary for its emphasis on Andrew Keen throughout the film, and noted, "it ends up being more than anything else a vehicle for Keen to put forth his diatribes against Wikipedia. You definitely get the sense that he wins the argument in the movie." Of Keen's argument, Schonfeld observed, "he misses the point that the relatively small handful of people who do most of the writing and editing on Wikipedia may very well be experts in their topic areas, or become experts by writing and researching Wikipedia articles."
Commenting on the film himself, Keen called it "a really incisive new documentary". Media futurist, blog
ger, and writer
Gerd Leonhard recommended the film and called it "a great video to watch". Nicholas Carlson of Gawker Media
framed the documentary as a conflict between "Experts vs. amateurs", and distilled the essence of the film down to a 90-second version. Designer
and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media
Stephen Downes
characterized the documentary as an "Interesting video about Wikipedia and Web 2.0." Downes was critical of the film for using a documentary-style format in order to present its message, "The thing about this form - the video documentary - is that there is no really way (or requirement) to substantiate perspectives with argumentation and evidence." Ernst-Jan Pfauth of The Next Web observed, "Van Veelen managed to get some interesting and authoritative people for his camera." Pfauth posted questions raised by the film's analysis, "Are equality and truth really reconcilable ideals? And most importantly, has the Internet brought us wisdom and truth, or is it high time for a cultural counterrevolution?"
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
directed by IJsbrand van Veelen. The documentary examines the reliability of Wikipedia
Reliability of Wikipedia
The reliability of Wikipedia , compared to other encyclopedias and more specialized sources, is assessed in many ways, including statistically, through comparative review, analysis of the historical patterns, and strengths and weaknesses inherent in the editing process unique to Wikipedia.Several...
, and the dichotomy
Dichotomy
A dichotomy is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts, meaning it is a procedure in which a whole is divided into two parts...
between usage of experts versus amateur editors. The film includes commentary from Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
and Larry Sanger
Larry Sanger
Lawrence Mark "Larry" Sanger is an American philosopher, co-founder of Wikipedia, and the founder of Citizendium....
, The Cult of the Amateur
The Cult of the Amateur
The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture is a 2007 book written by entrepreneur and Internet critic Andrew Keen...
author Andrew Keen
Andrew Keen
Andrew Keen is a British-American entrepreneur and author. He is particularly known for his view that the current Internet culture and the Web 2.0 trend may be debasing culture, an opinion he shares with Jaron Lanier and Nicholas G. Carr among others...
, O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media is an American media company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics...
chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Tim O'Reilly
Tim O'Reilly
Tim O'Reilly is the founder of O'Reilly Media and a supporter of the free software and open source movements.-Life and career:...
, and former editor-in-chief of Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
Robert McHenry
Robert McHenry
Robert Dale McHenry is an American editor, encyclopedist, and writer. McHenry worked from 1967 for Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. or associated companies, becoming editor-in-chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica in 1992, a position he held until 1997...
. Keen argues that experts should serve as guardians of information during the Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
phenomenon; this point of view is supported by analysis from Sanger.
The documentary premiered at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in April 2008, and was broadcast by VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
television in the Netherlands. It was subsequently made available through American Public Television
American Public Television
American Public Television is the largest syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States.-History:...
. The Truth According to Wikipedia received a generally positive reception, with favorable commentary in a review from Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly
Film Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
, and in an analysis published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
.
Contents
Director IJsbrand van Veelen examines questions about Wikipedia, including whether it will harm traditional encyclopaedias, including Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
and the reliability of Wikipedia
Reliability of Wikipedia
The reliability of Wikipedia , compared to other encyclopedias and more specialized sources, is assessed in many ways, including statistically, through comparative review, analysis of the historical patterns, and strengths and weaknesses inherent in the editing process unique to Wikipedia.Several...
. Veelen also addresses the idea that information wants to be free
Information wants to be free
Information wants to be free is a slogan of technology activists invoked against limiting access to information. According to criticism of intellectual property rights, the system of governmental control of exclusivity is in conflict with the development of a public domain of...
. Individuals who are interviewed and appear as commentators in the film include Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
and Larry Sanger
Larry Sanger
Lawrence Mark "Larry" Sanger is an American philosopher, co-founder of Wikipedia, and the founder of Citizendium....
; the author of The Cult of the Amateur
The Cult of the Amateur
The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture is a 2007 book written by entrepreneur and Internet critic Andrew Keen...
, Andrew Keen
Andrew Keen
Andrew Keen is a British-American entrepreneur and author. He is particularly known for his view that the current Internet culture and the Web 2.0 trend may be debasing culture, an opinion he shares with Jaron Lanier and Nicholas G. Carr among others...
; author of How Wikipedia Works
How Wikipedia Works
How Wikipedia Works is a 2008 book by Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews, and Ben Yates. It is a how-to reference for using and contributing to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, targeted at "students, professors, and everyday experts and fans"...
and Wikipedia editor, Phoebe Ayers; Swahili Wikipedia
Swahili Wikipedia
The Swahili Wikipedia is the Swahili language edition of Wikipedia. As of 28 October 2011, the Swahili Wikipedia has over 22,000 articles, making it the 80th-largest Wikipedia. It is also currently one of the only two language editions of Wikipedia in Niger–Congo languages with over 1,000...
contributor Ndesanjo Macha; O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media
O'Reilly Media is an American media company established by Tim O'Reilly that publishes books and Web sites and produces conferences on computer technology topics...
chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Tim O'Reilly
Tim O'Reilly
Tim O'Reilly is the founder of O'Reilly Media and a supporter of the free software and open source movements.-Life and career:...
; We Think author Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater is a British author and former advisor to Tony Blair.He first came to widespread notice in the 1980s as a regular contributor to the magazine Marxism Today. Later he was Industrial Editor and Tokyo Bureau Chief at the Financial Times...
; and previous editor-in-chief over Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, Robert McHenry
Robert McHenry
Robert Dale McHenry is an American editor, encyclopedist, and writer. McHenry worked from 1967 for Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. or associated companies, becoming editor-in-chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica in 1992, a position he held until 1997...
.
Discussion topics include how the contributions of both unqualified and expert users affect Wikipedia, and more broadly, the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Andrew Keen is featured prominently in the film, and puts forth a thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
that veracity of information should be determined by experts who should function as guardians for such material. Keen's argument is supported in the film by commentary from Larry Sanger, who left Wikipedia over a conflict with Jimmy Wales regarding Sanger's desire for experts to be given additional influence on the project.
Production
The Truth According to Wikipedia was directed by IJsbrand van Veelen. Van Veelen had previously directed Google Behind the ScreenGoogle Behind the Screen
Google: Behind the Screen is a documentary film about Google, Inc. from 2006, directed by IJsbrand van Veelen.-See also:* Google: The Thinking Factory...
. Interviews were conducted by Marijntje Denters, Martijn Kieft and IJsbrand van Veelen. Marijntje Denters and William de Bruijn researched and gathered information for the film. Judith van den Berg served as film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and film editors included Jos de Putter and Doke Romeijn. The film utilized 60 seconds of footage from a video made by Chris Pirillo
Chris Pirillo
Christopher Joseph Pirillo is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome, which is a network of blogs, web forums, mailing lists, and online communities. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help, where he also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon...
, who later objected that such usage was done without obtaining his permission or crediting him with the content. The documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
was released in 2008. The controversy over the blocking of Wikipedia by the People's Republic of China was ongoing during the time of the film's release. The film premiered globally at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
on 4 April 2008. It was broadcast by VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
on 7 April 2008. The organization American Public Television
American Public Television
American Public Television is the largest syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States.-History:...
(APT) began to make the film available in Summer 2008, and was contracted to show the documentary as an APT program, from February 2009 through January 2011.
Reception
The Truth According to Wikipedia received a positive review in the journal Film QuarterlyFilm Quarterly
Film Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
, where author Ben Walters called the film, "a sharp and wide-ranging overview of wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
-pistemology made by the liberal Dutch broadcaster VPRO". In an analysis Teaching Seven Revolutions: A Tool Kit for Educating Globally Competent Citizens published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
, the documentary was given a rating of "Good". The documentary was given positive reception from Eric Schonfeld of TechCrunch, who commented, "The film is masterfully made and shows many points of view". Schonfeld was critical of the documentary for its emphasis on Andrew Keen throughout the film, and noted, "it ends up being more than anything else a vehicle for Keen to put forth his diatribes against Wikipedia. You definitely get the sense that he wins the argument in the movie." Of Keen's argument, Schonfeld observed, "he misses the point that the relatively small handful of people who do most of the writing and editing on Wikipedia may very well be experts in their topic areas, or become experts by writing and researching Wikipedia articles."
Commenting on the film himself, Keen called it "a really incisive new documentary". Media futurist, blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Gerd Leonhard recommended the film and called it "a great video to watch". Nicholas Carlson of Gawker Media
Gawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
framed the documentary as a conflict between "Experts vs. amateurs", and distilled the essence of the film down to a 90-second version. Designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
Stephen Downes
Stephen Downes
Stephen Downes is a designer and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media. Downes has explored and promoted the educational use of computer and online technologies since 1995...
characterized the documentary as an "Interesting video about Wikipedia and Web 2.0." Downes was critical of the film for using a documentary-style format in order to present its message, "The thing about this form - the video documentary - is that there is no really way (or requirement) to substantiate perspectives with argumentation and evidence." Ernst-Jan Pfauth of The Next Web observed, "Van Veelen managed to get some interesting and authoritative people for his camera." Pfauth posted questions raised by the film's analysis, "Are equality and truth really reconcilable ideals? And most importantly, has the Internet brought us wisdom and truth, or is it high time for a cultural counterrevolution?"
See also
- How Wikipedia WorksHow Wikipedia WorksHow Wikipedia Works is a 2008 book by Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews, and Ben Yates. It is a how-to reference for using and contributing to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, targeted at "students, professors, and everyday experts and fans"...
- La révolution WikipédiaLa révolution WikipédiaLa révolution Wikipédia , published in France in 2007, is a multi-authored study of Wikipedia focusing on the online encyclopedia's reliability and its likely influence on printed reference books. Special attention is given to the French Wikipedia...
- Truth in Numbers?Truth in Numbers?Truth in Numbers? Everything, According to Wikipedia is a 2010 American documentary film which explores the history and cultural implications of the online user-editable encyclopedia Wikipedia. The film attempts to answer the question of whether all kinds of individuals or just experts should be...
- The Wikipedia RevolutionThe Wikipedia RevolutionThe Wikipedia Revolution: How A Bunch of Nobodies Created The World's Greatest Encyclopedia is a 2009 history book by new media researcher and writer Andrew Lih....
- Wikipedia – The Missing Manual
- The World and WikipediaThe World and WikipediaThe World and Wikipedia: How We are Editing Reality is a book written by the British linguist Andrew Dalby and published by Siduri Books on 25 September 2009....
External links
- The Truth According to Wikipedia, YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, account VPROinternational - The Truth According to Wikipedia, at watchdocumentary.com