Grappling with polarization on Wikipedia: the case of the biography of Ferdinand E. Marcos
ISSN: 0022-0418
Article publication date: 28 September 2023
Issue publication date: 22 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, the authors look at the case of Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines between 1965 and 1986. Documenting the life and career of Marcos on Wikipedia provides an excellent example of the pitfalls confronting those seeking to address disinformation without first reflecting deeply on the reasons why people subscribe to views deemed outlandish by the intellectual or cultural mainstream.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors sampled the version of the Marcos article on Wikipedia as it existed after the first edit of each year since its inception (2002). This resulted in 22 texts for analysis. Content and thematic analyses were conducted on these texts as well as on the entire body of talk page comments for the article.
Findings
The authors' work suggests that the basic elements of responsible encyclopedic writing have prevailed in the case of Wikipedia's biography of Marcos. However, this is not an unalloyed victory, as issues of polarization remain unaddressed.
Originality/value
Underlying revisionist or distorted claims about Ferdinand Marcos (and other controversial topics) lie very real grievances that give these claims traction for many people. Hence, it is not enough to “just present the facts” to readers. Rather, the authors argue that what is needed is a synthesis of positions that would allow for common ground to be found between them. This could be done in the case of Wikipedia by cultivating editors who are capable and willing to engage with the subject literature in a deeper and richer fashion.
Keywords
Citation
Luyt, B. and Sagun-Trajano, K. (2024), "Grappling with polarization on Wikipedia: the case of the biography of Ferdinand E. Marcos", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 80 No. 2, pp. 320-336. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2023-0078
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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