Fun with Wiki Scanner! American Enterprise Institute wiki revisions
WikScanner strikes again!
Here are some interesting edits to wikipedia entries made by someone using an IP address belonging to the oil and gas sector supported American Enterprise Institute:
Under the entry for "Great Global Warming Swindle" the statement: " On [[March 13]], [[2007]], [[George Monbiot]] argued the documentary was based upon already debunked science." was revised to state:
"On [[March 13]], [[2007]], environmental activist [[George Monbiot]] argued the documentary was based upon already debunked science."
Another interesting revision to the "Great Global Warming Swindle" was the dropping of "enthusiastically" from the following statement:
" [[Steven Milloy]], who runs the Web site Junkscience.com, enthusiastically endorsed the documentary on [[March 18]], [[2007]]."
Another interesting edit not related to global warming and climate made by someone using an IP address belonging to the American Enterprise Institute is in the Wikipedia entry for "stem cell controversy."
The words "religiously motivated" were removed from the following statement: "The fundamental assertion of those who oppose embryonic stem cell research is the [[religion|religiously]] motivated belief that human life is inviolable, combined with the opinion that human life begins when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell to form a single cell."
So what?
What is so significant about this? Anyone can edit wikipedia. None of that sounds particularly sinister.
Interesting not sinister
Sure anyone can edit wikipedia, and groups like the AEI have every right to make edits -- nothing sinister here. It does however point to interesting revisions that are an attempt to shape a wikipedia entry to one's own version of what is true -- in other words shaping perception.
Monbiot
George Monbiot an environmental activist! What a sinister insinuation from evil skeptical revisionists circles. Anyone who has ever read an article by George knows that he is an industry stooge, an agent provocateur planted inside the green scene to discredit real friends of the environment.