US Attack on Wikipedia: How Serious Is the Free Encyclopedia?

RND - Editorial Network Germany US Attack on Wikipedia: How Serious Is the Free Encyclopedia? Matthias Schwarzer • 10 hrs. • 5 mins Read US President Donald Trump's entourage has been waging a campaign against Wikipedia for weeks. It's an attack that's been long in the making – now it could become serious. US Attorney Ed Martin, who is close to Trump, has sent a letter to the free encyclopedia Wikipedia. He says he wants to determine whether the website's parent company, the Wikimedia Foundation, falsely holds non-profit status. The accusation: Wikipedia is allegedly subject to propaganda and foreign influence. In a letter published by the Washington Post, Martin demands that Wikimedia provide detailed information about its editorial processes and security measures by May 15. The US Attorney also wants to know how Wikipedia protects its information from foreign actors. Martin states: "Wikipedia allows the manipulation of information on its platform, including the rewriting of important historical events and biographical information about current and former U.S. leaders, as well as other matters concerning the national security and interests of the United States." He continues: "The disguise of propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational materials is contrary to Wikimedia's 'educational' mission." The Wikimedia Foundation itself rejects this portrayal: "Wikipedia is one of the last places on the internet that fulfills the promise of the internet, containing more than 65 million articles written to inform rather than persuade," the foundation emphasizes in a statement. There are guidelines for content that ensure that information is presented "as accurately, fairly, and neutrally as possible." "Our vision is a world in which everyone can freely participate in the sum of all knowledge," the letter continues. Prosecutor himself spread propaganda The case is remarkable on several levels. First, because it is not the first of its kind. In recent weeks, Martin had sent several letters to scientific publications – according to an NPR report, several medical journals were affected. The lawyer also sent them lengthy lists of questions and accused them of allegedly "taking sides" in scientific debates. The letters are perceived as attempts at intimidation. The case is also interesting because of Martin himself. The current US prosecutor, who is now accusing Wikipedia of propaganda, had himself long been involved in such propaganda. Between 2016 and 2024, Martin, as a Republican politician, made a total of 150 TV appearances on Russian state media outlets such as RT and Sputnik. There, he spun conspiracy theories, some of which were directed against the US itself and echoed Russian narratives. Martin also questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election and advocated for those who stormed the Capitol in January 2021. In January 2025, Donald Trump appointed him interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. This position represents the federal government before the district court there. He is the first U.S. Attorney for DC in at least 50 years to be appointed without experience as a judge or federal prosecutor. This rather infamous information, incidentally, is also included in his Wikipedia article. And finally, the case is notable for another reason: It is part of a long campaign that has been targeting the free encyclopedia for months by those close to Trump. Campaign against Wikipedia Trump advisor Elon Musk, in particular, has recently targeted the website. The tech billionaire says he considers Wikipedia to be too "left" and too "woke," without further elaborating on what he actually means by this. "Defund Wikipedia until balance is restored!" he wrote on his platform X. Wikipedia is allegedly an "extension of traditional media propaganda," Musk wrote. He further suggested that Wikipedia was controlled by "left-wing radical activists." Over the Christmas period, the tech billionaire called on his community to boycott donations to the website. The Heritage Foundation, which is close to Trump, is also a thorn in the side of Wikipedia. As "Forward" magazine reported in January, the foundation plans to intimidate volunteer authors on the platform. Using text analysis and data leak analysis, they claim they intend to reveal the identities of Wikipedians—which would make them potential victims.