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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2012
  5. Is Wikipedia Biased?

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

Is Wikipedia Biased?

  • Shane Greenstein
  • Feng Zhu
American Economic Review
vol. 102, no. 3, May 2012
(pp. 343–48)
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Abstract

This study empirically examines whether Wikipedia has a neutral point of view. It develops a method for measuring the slant of 28 thousand articles about US politics. In its earliest years, Wikipedia's political entries lean Democrat on average. The slant diminishes during Wikipedia's decade of experience. This change does not arise primarily from revision of existing articles. Most articles arrive with a slant, and most articles change only mildly from their initial slant. The overall slant changes due to the entry of articles with opposite slants, leading toward neutrality for many topics, not necessarily within specific articles.

Citation

Greenstein, Shane, and Feng Zhu. 2012. "Is Wikipedia Biased?" American Economic Review, 102 (3): 343–48. DOI: 10.1257/aer.102.3.343

JEL Classification

  • L82 Entertainment; Media
  • L86 Information and Internet Services; Computer Software