Can everyone please calm down. This is (nearly) only hyperbole. Thank you.
/jeblad On Thu, Apr 23, 2020 at 8:51 AM Fæ <fae...@gmail.com> wrote: > OPEN LETTER > > Dear Katherine Maher, > > The WMF home website landing page (https://wikimediafoundation.org) > yesterday featured a full-page banner directing all visitors globally > to https://www.earthdaylive2020.org. This is a site used for Americal > political lobbying, refer to the email discussion attached. > > Could you, or the responsible member of your management team, please > explain exactly how this happened? > > There is zero doubt that this was a serious operational error, misuse > of WMF development time and a misuse of the Wikimedia brand. It is > certain that you will agree that the buck stops with the CEO. The > decision to use the Foundation's website for American lobbying is in > conflict with your not for profit status and is in conflict with the > charitable status promoted to donors worldwide. > > If the management team and yourself are going to continuing political > lobbying and using WMF resources to raise funds for Americal political > organizations which have no agreed relevance to the mission of the > Foundation, there must be a published transparent governance review by > the WMF board of trustees to examine and agree on this significant > operational change to the public Foundation strategy and the terms for > the CEO. > > Thank you in advance. > > Link to Phabricator task to implement the banner: > https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T250508 > CC: María Sefidari as WMF Chair. > > Fae > > On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 at 05:50, K. Peachey <p858sn...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T250508 > > > > On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 at 09:53, Chris Gates via Wikimedia-l > > <wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org> wrote: > > > > > > Hi, > > > > > > It seems that they just gave a link to that website, which...eh... > > > When I opened it, I heard one sentence of the stream before I stopped > it > > > and read the rest of the webpage: "and then we give thanks to spirit, > for > > > the air we breathe, for the earth..." After reading the rest of the > > > webpage, I un-paused it, and am currently listening to a bit of > propaganda > > > promoting unions and more extensive labor laws. > > > > > > The linked website is explicitly political, explicitly on the American > > > left, and explicitly in favor of certain highly contentious American > > > political proposals. I would like to hear the reasoning for why that > link > > > has been shown, and it seems to me simply unjustifiable. The WMF is the > > > host of a series of community-built projects, not a political activism > > > organization. > > > > > > Regards, > > > Vermont > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 5:12 PM Ziko van Dijk <zvand...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > > > Hello, > > > > I can confirm that I see the same also here in the Netherlands. > Which is > > > > strange, there are no general elections here before 2021... > > > > An explanation about this link would be interesting. > > > > Kind regards > > > > Ziko > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Am Mi., 22. Apr. 2020 um 22:50 Uhr schrieb Yair Rand < > yyairr...@gmail.com > > > > >: > > > > > > > > > The WMF corporate site (wikimediafoundation.org) currently has a > > > > > full-page ad with the text "We are watching Earth Day Live today. > Will > > > > > you?". This links to an external site with the text "Click here to > sign > > > > on > > > > > to the US Youth Climate Strike Coalition Earth Day Demands - From > > > > congress > > > > > and the next president, we demand a People’s Bailout, a Green New > Deal, > > > > and > > > > > Land Back for Indigenous Peoples", and prompting readers to > "Pledge to > > > > vote > > > > > for our future" and to subscribe to "US Climate Strike". > > > > > > > > > > Everyone here already knows how unacceptable this is, and why, so > I don't > > > > > think this requires any further explanation. The WMF should > immediately > > > > > take this down, and make certain that this kind of thing can't > happen > > > > > again. They've failed yet again at preventing inappropriate > > > > > political activism in WMF's communications, and must take serious > action > > > > to > > > > > fix this constant stream of terrible failures. > > > > > > > > > > -- Yair Rand > -- > fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: 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 and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
