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Wikipedia Arbitrators Ban Scientology Edits

By Howard M. Friedman

The online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which normally invites the public to edit encyclopedia entries, has imposed a ban on editorial input from all IP addresses owned or operated by the Church of Scientology or its affiliates. The Register and OS News report on the decision (full text) handed down by Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee on May 28. This is the fourth Scientology related arbitration in four years. Previously anti-Scientology editors have also been banned. The arbitration opinion, handed down May 28, reads in part:

This longstanding dispute is a struggle between two rival factions: admirers of Scientology and critics of Scientology.... Editors from each side have gamed policy to obtain advantage.... Aggravating factors have been (i) the presence of editors openly editing from Church of Scientology equipment and apparently coordinating their activities; and (ii) the apparent presence of notable critics of Scientology, from several Internet organisations, apparently editing under their own names and citing either their own or each other's self-published material.... Each side wishes the articles within this topic to reflect their point of view and have resorted to battlefield editing tactics, with edits being abruptly reverted without any attempt to incorporate what is good, to maintain their preferred status quo.

This is apparently the first time that Wikipedia has imposed such a broad organizational ban on editorial contributors.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on May 31, 2009 (boomark / email).