Musk says Wikipedia 'broken', citing alleged anti-Trump bias
3 Min Read
Elon Musk has recently increased his support for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, marking a notable shift in his political engagement.
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Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, October 17, 2024. (AP)
In a recent post on his X platform, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk claimed that Wikipedia is "broken" and accused the platform of bias against conservative figures, particularly former President Donald Trump.
Wikipedia is broken https://t.co/luZErdUJ1x
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 29, 2024
Musk's critique was sparked by an article on Pirate Wires by writer Ashley Rindsberg, who alleged that certain Wikipedia entries unfairly characterize Trump as a "fascist" and promote a political slant against right-wing ideologies.
Rindsberg's article highlighted specific Wikipedia pages, such as "Trumpism," "Racial views of Donald Trump," and "Donald Trump and fascism," arguing that these pages use sources that reinforce a negative view of Trump.
According to Rindsberg, the "Trumpism" page labels Trump's ideology as "authoritarian" and "neo-nationalist," citing sources with perceived political biases.
Musk echoed this critique, previously stating that the encyclopedia is influenced by "far-left activists" and calling on users to reconsider donating to the site.
Read more: Palestine's battle against Zionist editing on Wikipedia
The criticism follows a June report by the Manhattan Institute, which found that Wikipedia entries on right-wing leaders often employ emotionally charged words, such as "anger" and "disgust," potentially shaping public perception negatively.
The report also suggested that this bias might affect the data fed into AI systems, potentially leading to skewed responses from language models.
Electoral contributions
Elon Musk has recently increased his support for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, marking a notable shift in his political engagement.
Musk has made public endorsements, including speaking at campaign events in key swing states like Pennsylvania, and has created a pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, to fund voter mobilization efforts.
This PAC allows Musk to contribute substantial resources—over $80 million by some accounts—toward Trump’s reelection, focusing on states critical to securing the electoral college.
Musk has used his social media platform, X, to promote the campaign and encourage voter registration, framing the election as pivotal for the "fate of civilization."
Read more: Elon Musk offers to serve in Trump administration without pay or title
Musk’s political involvement also includes direct appearances at rallies and events, where he advocates for early voting among Trump’s base and challenges election integrity concerns, reflecting Trump's narrative.
This marked a significant development for Musk, who had previously described himself as politically independent but had become an influential surrogate in Trump's campaign.
