Okay, but seriously, please stop resurrecting this thread. If you think it's important that something be done, start a new one, and *actually suggest something* rather than just copying articles from somewhere else.
Austin On Fri, Apr 3, 2015 at 1:58 AM, Andreas Kolbe <jayen...@gmail.com> wrote: > Article in Eurasianet today: "Wikipedia Founder Distances Himself from > Kazakhstan PR Machine" > > http://www.eurasianet.org/node/72831 > > ---o0o--- > > [...] > > On March 20, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales hosted an Ask Me Anything > <http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2zpkxx/we_are_jameel_jaffer_of_the_aclu_wikipedia/cpl4maq> > conversation > (AMA) on Reddit, a social-networking platform. Before long the audience was > questioning Wales’s and Wikipedia’s roles in helping to improve > Kazakhstan’s image. Back in 2011, Wales awarded > <http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66343> a once-and-future Kazakh government > employee, Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, the inaugural “Wikipedian of the Year” for > his work with WikiBilim, a Kazakh-language platform criticized both for > receiving state funds and for publishing multiple articles toeing the > authoritarian government’s line. At the time, Wales told EurasiaNet.org, > “As far as I know, the WikiBilim organization is not politicized.” > > But during the AMA, Wales backpedaled on his decision to name Kenzhekhanuly > the first Wikipedian of the Year. > > Wales was on the receiving end of a fresh round of criticism last year when > Kenzhekhanuly was named deputy governor of Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda > region. During the AMA, a commenter asked Wales if he would have bestowed > the award had he known Kenzhekhanuly would go on to serve as deputy > governor. “If I had known in 2011 that someone would get a job that I > disapprove of in 2014, would I refuse to give them an award in 2011?” Wales > responded. “Yes, I would have refused to give that award.” > > Wales also clarified that Kenzhekhanuly “was not a government official” at > the time of the award – which is, technically, true. However, according to > Kenzhekhanuly’s LinkedIn profile > <https://www.linkedin.com/pub/rauan-kenzhekhanuly/24/8b7/b16>, before > receiving the award he had served both as a policy adviser to the governor > in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, as well as first secretary at > Kazakhstan’s embassy in Moscow. After the AMA, Wales said by email that he > was “not aware” Kenzhekhanuly had held those positions. > > [...] > > ---o0o--- > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines > Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
