The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 53, September – October 2022

• New collections:
  • Edward Elgar
  • E-Yearbook
  • Corriere della Serra
  • Wikilala
• Collections moved to Library Bundle:
  • Ancestry
• New feature: Outage notification
• Spotlight: Collections indexed in EDS

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: English Wikipedia editors: "We don't need no stinking banners"
  Joe Roe's close sows dough woes, manifestos... vetoes? overthrows?

• In the media: "The most beautiful story on the Internet"
  Ineffective altruism, return of the toaster, Jess Wade keeps wading through it, Russia censors searches, schools embrace Wikipedia.

• Interview: Lisa Seitz-Gruwell on WMF fundraising in the wake of big banner ad RfC
  An interview with Wikimedia's Chief Advancement Officer.

• Opinion: Privacy on Wikipedia in the cyberpunk future
  Oh, just one more thing... AI couldn't help but notice you use that punctuation a little bit more than most people...

• Disinformation report: Missed and Dissed
  Are government goons prowling our fair encyclopedia?

• Op-Ed: Diminishing returns for article quality
  Have we gotten past the point where better articles makes us a better encyclopedia? And what comes next?

• Book review: Writing the Revolution
  Heather Ford's new volume on Wikipedia, knowledge and power in the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

• Technology report: Galactic dreams, encyclopedic reality
  Facebook's Galactica demo provides a case study in large language models for text generation at scale: this one was silly, but we cannot ignore them forever.

• Essay: The Six Million FP Man
  Okay, six hundred, but either way, the bionic editor speaks.

• Tips and tricks: (Wiki)break stuff
  Productively doing nothing

• Recent research: Study deems COVID-19 editors smart and cool, questions of clarity and utility for WMF's proposed "Knowledge Integrity Risk Observatory"
  And other research findings.

• Featured content: A great month for featured articles
  Do consider joining FPC, though: we need you.

• Obituary: A tribute to Michael Gäbler
  They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

• Concept: The relevance of legal certainty to the English Wikipedia
  A lost article from our deep annals

• Traffic report: Musical deaths, murders, Princess Di's nominative determinism, and sports
  The weeks and weeks, as reviewed by Wikipedia's readers.

• From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years ago
  Search upgrades, lawsuits, paid editing, and personal reflection.

• CommonsComix: Joker's trick
  A toast to good health, a health to good hoax, a hoax to good toast.

• News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation ousts, bans quarter of Arabic Wikipedia admins
  Plus admin update and cool tools for the new year.

• In the media: Odd bedfellows, Elon and Jimbo, reliable sources for divorces, and more
  Sometimes you need to read more than just the headlines!

• Interview: ComplexRational's RfA debrief
  Interview of ComplexRational about their recent request for adminship.

• Technology report: Wikimedia Foundation's Abstract Wikipedia project "at substantial risk of failure"
  Wikifunctions might drag it down.

• Essay: Mobile editing
  Frustrations and successes.

• Arbitration report: Arbitration Committee Election 2022
  Congratulations.

• Recent research: Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement in talk page disputes
  And other new research findings.

• Serendipity: Wikipedia about FIFA World Cup 2022: quick, factual and critical
  How Iranian press agencies help Wikipedia to reflect football in a better way.

• Featured content: Would you like to swing on a star?
  You head into the featured content report. Amongst the features you see astronauts, both Gilbert and Sullivan, Ursula K. Le Guin's incredibly talented mother, and Billboard charts. It is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.

• Traffic report: Football, football, football! Wikipedia Football Club!
  It is mostly about football!

• CommonsComix: #4: The Course of WikiEmpire
  In which a couple sentences of text recontextualises an image.

• From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years ago
  Photographers, Sandy Hook, the shocking use of Nazi symbols in articles about Nazis, and "You wouldn't recognise a fact if it bit you in the ass".

• From the team: We heard zoomers liked fortnights: the biweekly Signpost rides again
  It's not just a phase! Well, maybe it is.

• Special report: Coverage of 2022 bans reveals editors serving long sentences in Saudi Arabia since 2020
  Long-time contributors imprisoned for 32 and 8 years after "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals".

• News and notes: Revised Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines up for vote, WMF counsel departs, generative models under discussion
  UCoC draws nearer, alongside the rise of the machines, in mainspace this time.

• In the media: Court orders user data in libel case, Saudi Wikipedia in the crosshairs, Larry Sanger at it again
  Wikipedia's birthday, a cute dog, and nipplefruit.

• Technology report: View it! A new tool for image discovery
  The depths of Commons, at your fingertips. Or eyetips.

• In focus: Busting into Grand Central
  Debunking widely-told myths about New York's grandest and centralest railway station.

• Serendipity: How I bought part of Wikipedia – for less than $100
  The economics of Wikipedia.

• Gallery: What is our responsibility when it comes to images?
  When notability conflicts with what it might be used for.

• Humour: New geologically speedy deletion criteria introduced
  7,000,000-year Landmasses for Subduction discussions considered "too long".

• Opinion: Good old days, in which fifth-symbol-lacking lipograms roam'd our librarious litany
  Allow us to bring you back, back, back, to days of Wikifun rampant.

• Featured content: Flip your lid
  ...and your ambigram. Also: Boring lava fields, birds of Tuvalu, and commelinid family names with etymologies.

• Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2022
  War, sports, and all types of chaos.

• From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years ago
  The editor with five million edits, the death of Aaron Swartz, and rollback.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 54, November – December 2022

• New collections:
  • British Newspaper Archive
  • Findmypast
  • University of Michigan Press
  • ACLS
  • Duke University Press
• 1Lib1Ref 2023
• Spotlight: EDS Refine Results

Read the full newsletter

• From the editor: New for the Signpost: Author pages, tag pages, and a decent article search function
  Last issue's vow for "something to show for these efforts" revisited.

• News and notes: Foundation update on fundraising, new page patrol, Tides, and Wikipedia blocked in Pakistan
  As well as the continued rise of the machines, and Amanda Keton's WMF departure.

• Section 230: Twenty-six words that created the internet, and the future of an encyclopedia
  Section 230 before the Supreme Court in two cases, with broad implications for the web.

• Disinformation report: Wikipedia on Santos
  Or Santos on Wikipedia?

• Special report: Legal status of Wikimedia projects "unclear" under potential European legislation
  WMF issues salvo in latest battles of the Posting Wars

• In the media: Furor over new Wikipedia skin, followup on Saudi bans, and legislative debate
  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

• Op-Ed: Estonian businessman and political donor brings lawsuit against head of national Wikimedia chapter
  Isamaa party sponsor Parvel Pruunsild files claim in Tartu County Court against WMEE head Ivo Kruusamägi and Reform Party politicians.

• Opinion: Study examines cultural leanings of Wikimedia projects' visual art coverage
  English Wikipedia among most "global" and Thai Wikipedia's among most "Western", but non-Western works neglected overall.

• Recent research: Wikipedia's "moderate yet systematic" liberal citation bias
  And other new research publications.

• WikiProject report: WikiProject Organized Labour
  An interview with those who pitch in together

• Tips and tricks: XTools: Data analytics for your list of created articles
  Letting you find out about yourself (and others).

• Featured content: 20,000 Featureds under the Sea
  An exceptionally good period for featured articles.

• Traffic report: Films, deaths and ChatGPT
  Can we have a chat?

• News and notes: Terms of Use update, Steward elections, and Wikipedia back in Pakistan
  UCoC Enforcement Guidelines pass, Wikimedia Enterprise financials, GPTs gone wild, and a speedy deletion criterion removed.

• In the media: Arbitrators open case after article alleges Wikipedia "intentionally distorts" Holocaust coverage
  Also: Russ Baker's BLP, the digital commons, the NSA, and more on Pakistan.

• Disinformation report: The "largest con in corporate history"?
  Gautam Adani and his companies possibly behind scheme featuring scores of socks, infiltration of articles for creation process.

• Essay: Machine-written articles: a new challenge for Wikipedia
  GPT: friend or foe?

• Tips and tricks: All about writing at DYK
  Your one-stop hooker's handbook.

• Featured content: Eden, lost.
  But much else to be found.

• Gallery: Love is in the air
  Lovey-dovey stuff for Valentine's.

• Traffic report: Superbowl? Pfft. Give me some Bollywood! Yours sincerely, the world
  And maybe a side of AI.

• From the archives: 5, 10, and 15 years ago: Let's (not) delete the Main Page!
  Also: let's delete images of Muhammed! Let's delete portals!

• Cobwebs: Editorial: The loss of the moral high ground
  Yesterday's controversies, reported on today.

• Humour: The RfA Candidate's Song
  A musical interlude.

• News and notes: What's going on with the Wikimedia Endowment?
  A lack of transparency.

• Technology report: Second flight of the Soviet space bears: Testing ChatGPT's accuracy
  Using failed AI Galactica's worst mistakes to test a new AI.

• In the media: What should Wikipedia do? Publish Russian propaganda? Be less woke? Cover the Holocaust in Poland differently?
  Probable answers: No, no, maybe?

• Featured content: In which over two-thirds of the featured articles section needs to be copied over to WikiProject Military History's newsletter
  Seriously, even the chef has a major military history connection.

• Recent research: "Wikipedia's Intentional Distortion of the Holocaust" in Poland and "self-focus bias" in coverage of global events
  And other new research publications.

• From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years ago
  Wikizine, Wikipedia Zero, Single User Login, and Wales allegedly editing his girlfriend's article.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 55, January – February 2023

• New bundle partners:
  • Newspapers.com
  • Fold3
• 1Lib1Ref January report
• Spotlight: EDS SmartText Searching

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: Wikimania submissions deadline looms, Russian government after our lucky charms, AI woes nix CNET from RS slate
  Be part of the Wikimania 2023 program!

• Eyewitness: Three more stories from Ukrainian Wikimedians
  One year in: volunteering, science, art, and candlelight.

• In the media: Paid editing, plagiarism payouts, proponents of a ploy, and people peeved at perceived preferences
  Everything is broken, again.

• Featured content: Way too many featured articles
  Seriously, it's only a fortnight's worth!

• Interview: 228/2/1: the inside scoop on Aoidh's RfA
  An interview with Wikipedia's newest admin.

• Traffic report: Who died? Who won? Who lost?
  All the pop culture that's fit to print, with a sprinkling of cocaine (bear).

• From the editor: Some long-overdue retractions
  Errata regretted.

• News and notes: Sounding out, a universal code of conduct, and dealing with AI
  Skynet believed to be in violation of the new Universal Code of Conduct.

• In the media: Twiddling Wikipedia during an online contest, and other news
  Taking the phrase "gaming the system" to the next level.

• Arbitration report: "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland" case is ongoing
  Desysop case request still in accept/decline phase.

• Featured content: Hail, poetry! Thou heav'n-born maid
  Thou gildest e'en the Signpost's trade.

• Recent research: Language bias: Wikipedia captures at least the "silhouette of the elephant", unlike ChatGPT
  And a dataset of article revisions to provide a corpus for promotional content.

• From the archives: April Fools' through the ages
  A retrospective of the best and worst pranks.

• Disinformation report: Sus socks support suits, seems systemic
  Do important banks sock? Maybe – but don't grab your money and run just yet!

• News and notes: Staff departures at Wikimedia Foundation, Jimbo hands in the bits, and graphs' zeppelin burns
  Plus: Wikipedians get own Mastodon account, and Wikiprojects move to uniform quality assessment.

• In the media: Contested truth claims in Wikipedia
  Covering Russia, Poland, the Vatican, the U.S., and the "perilously thin" boundary between real life and Wikipedia.

• Obituary: Remembering David "DGG" Goodman
  The prolific editor, former Arbitration Committee member and co-founder of Wikimedia New York City died in April.

• Arbitration report: Holocaust in Poland, Jimbo in the hot seat, and a desysopping
  No news is good news, and this isn't no news.

• Opinion: What Jimbo's question revealed about scamming
  The problem we haven't solved.

• Op-Ed: Wikipedia as an anchor of truth
  Can Wikipedia help keep AI agents honest?

• Special report: Signpost statistics between years 2005 and 2022
  In this article, we will look at The Signpost statistics. More precisely: Signpost article statistics by year, TOP 20 titles of Signpost articles, TOP 20 article authors, and the home wikis of article authors.

• News from the WMF: Collective planning with the Wikimedia Foundation
  First of a two part series summarising the priorities for the Wikimedia Foundation's next fiscal year (July 2022–June 2023) including staffing, budget and other changes, and how to provide your feedback.

• Featured content: In which we described the featured articles in rhyme again
  And somehow made it more readable than when it's not rhyming.

• From the archives: April Fools' through the ages, part two
  2011 and on.

• Humour: The law of hats
  The Selfish Hatnote, the Disambiguation Singularity, and other information-theoretic conundra of encyclopedic note.

• Traffic report: Long live machine, the future supreme
  Wrestling bumps world-changing technology from the #1 spot, imagine that.

• News and notes: New legal "deVLOPments" in the EU
  ... and at WP:Mastodon.

• In the media: Vivek's smelly socks, online safety, and politics
  Fake fines, false alarms and faux headlines!

• Recent research: Gender, race and notability in deletion discussions
  And other new research publications.

• Featured content: I wrote a poem for each article, I found rhymes for all the lists; My first featured picture of this year now finally exists!
  ...Layout lovers will hate this featured content's title.

• Arbitration report: "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland" approaches conclusion
  There will likely be more to say next issue.

• News from the WMF: Planning together with the Wikimedia Foundation
  The second article in a series describing the priorities and work of the Wikimedia Foundation. The article invites Wikimedians to collaborate with the Foundation.

• Special report: There Shall Be Seasons Refreshing – Stories from WikiConference India 2023
  First national-level conference in the Indian subcontinent in seven years.

• News and notes: Golden parachutes: Record severance payments at Wikimedia Foundation
  ... and a referendum on Jimmy Wales' traditional role as a final court of appeal in arbitration policy.

• In the media: History, propaganda and censorship
  Opposing scholars on ArbCom case.

• Arbitration report: Final decision in "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland"
  Includes stronger sourcing restriction, and a nod to the UCoC.

• Recent research: Create or curate, cooperate or compete? Game theory for Wikipedia editors
  And other new research results.

• Featured content: A very musical week for featured articles
  Bird is the word for featured pictures.

• Traffic report: Coronation, chatbot, celebs
  Celebs and Bollywood film dominated reader interest, as usual, but with a new persistent presence on the lists of a certain AI.

• WikiProject report: Wikipedians Convene for Queering Wikipedia 2023: The First International LGBT+ Wikipedia Conference
  An online conference with 12 distributed trans-local in-person meetup "Nodes" on 5 continents.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 56, March – April 2023

• New partner:
  • Perlego
• Library access tips and tricks
• Spotlight: EveryBookItsReader

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: WMRU director forks new 'pedia, birds flap in top '22 piccy, WMF weighs in on Indian gov's map axe plea
  Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee Building Committee Commences Command By Convening.

• In the media: Section 230 stands tall, WP vs. UK bill, Miss Information dissed again
  Also: Goog gets delist ask for en-wp yt-dl ar-ticle, wacky football fails.

• Featured content: Poetry under pressure
  Now is not this ridiculous, and is not this preposterous? A thorough-paced absurdity - explain it if you can.

• Traffic report: Celebs, controversies and a chatbot in the public eye
  Plus mortalities, and movies about mermaids.

• News and notes: WMF Terms of Use now in force, new Creative Commons licensing
  Problems with emergency emails sent to WMF.

• In the media: English WP editor glocked after BLP row on Italian 'pedia
  ... and an AI writer explains why he just bought a paper encyc.

• Featured content: Content, featured
  Poetry still present.

• Recent research: Hoaxers prefer currently-popular topics
  And other new research findings.

• News and notes: Online Safety Bill: Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia UK launch open letter
  ... and a new Elections Committee.

• Disinformation report: Imploded submersible outfit foiled trying to sing own praises on Wikipedia
  A few editors who fought many times to keep advertisements out.

• In the media: Journo proposes mass Wiki dox, sponsored articles on Fandom, Section 230 discussed
  Are you now, or have you ever been, a Wikipedia editor?

• Featured content: Incensed
  In which featured pictures have a pleasing orange/blue colour scheme for some reason.

• Traffic report: Are you afraid of spiders? Arnold? The Idol? ChatGPT?
  Don't worry, they are mostly harmless.

• Humour: United Nations dispatches peacekeeping force to Wikipedia policy discussions
  Mission to ensure stability in conflict-ridden area.

• News and notes: Big bux hidden beneath wine-dark sea as we wait for the Tides to go out?
  Gitz666 unglocked, Wikimania scholarships given and a new admin anointed.

• In the media: Tentacles of Emirates plot attempt to ensnare Wikipedia
  Ruwiki on the Ruinternet, Rauwerda on TEDx, and Jimbo on Fridman.

• Obituary: David Thomsen (Dthomsen8) and Ingo Koll (Kipala)
  Philadelphians and Tanzanians say goodbye.

• News from the WMF: ABC for Fundraising: Advancing Banner Collaboration for fundraising campaigns
  The collaboration process for the 2023 English fundraising campaign is kicking off now, right from the start of the fiscal year.

• In focus: Are the children of celebrities over-represented in French cinema?
  Wikidata queries investigate nepo babies.

• Tips and tricks: What automation can do for you (and your WikiProject)
  A summary of various tools designed over the years.

• Recent research: Wikipedia-grounded chatbot "outperforms all baselines" on factual accuracy
  And various other research on large language models and Wikipedia.

• Humour: New fringe theories to be introduced
  Bold move intended to "get some variety" into Wikipedia arguments.

• Cobwebs: If you're reading this, you're probably on a desktop
  The annual report that tries to understand the Signpost through data, written in 2020, which never saw the light of day until now.

• Featured content: Scrollin', scrollin', scrollin', keep those readers scrollin', got to keep on scrollin', Rawhide!
  In which choices have been made™.

• Traffic report: The Idol becomes the Master
  Sex, drugs and violence, English, math and science.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 57, May – June 2023

• Suggestion improvements
• Favorite collections tips
• Spotlight: Promoting Nigerian Books and Authors

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: City officials attempt to doxx Wikipedians, Ruwiki founder banned, WMF launches Mastodon server
  And French gov't proposes legislation to slam Wikipedia, others.

• In the media: Truth, AI, bull from politicians, and climate change
  Or just another brouhaha?

• Disinformation report: Hot climate, hot hit, hot money, hot news hot off the presses!
  Hot damn, it's damned hot!

• Obituary: Donald Cram, Peter McCawley, and Eagleash
  Three editors have departed.

• Tips and tricks: Citation tools for dummies!
  You don't really want to do this stuff by yourself, do you?

• Humour: Does Wikipedia present neutral perspectives?
  A serious visual investigation.

• In focus: Journals cited by Wikipedia
  A compilation of over 3M citations.

• Opinion: Are global bans the last step?
  Possible solutions after being re-harassed.

• Featured content: Featured Content, 1 to 15 July
  Due to unfortunate events, this issue is published as is, in its unfinished state.

• Traffic report: Come on Oppie, let's go party
  Oppenheimer, Barbie, and a couple other scandals.

• News and notes: Dude, Where's My Donations? Wikimedia Foundation announces another million in grants for non-Wikimedia-related projects
  Jimbo promises more transparency, Wikimania in Singapore, move away from Tides still planned, and Wikifunctions rolls out.

• In the media: An accusation of bias from Brazil, a lawsuit from Portugal, plagiarism from Florida
  Harsh words from problematic fave Glenn Greenwald.

• In focus: 2023 Good Article Nomination drive is underway: get your barnstars here!
  Rigorous Review of Content for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Wikipedia.

• Special report: Thirteen years later, why are most administrators still from 2005?
  Damn kids need to get off our lawn and onto RfA.

• Tips and tricks: How to find images for your articles, check their copyright, upload them, and restore them
  Because one gets some secondary skills when one has 645 featured pictures.

• Cobwebs: Getting serious about writing
  The innards of the Signpost received a major overhaul in March/April 2019. Here's how we reduced behind-the-scenes busywork and improved writers resources.

• Opinion: Copyright trolls, or the last beautiful free souls on this planet?
  For whom does the Creative Commons enforcement clause toll?

• Serendipity: Why I stopped taking photographs almost altogether
  An announcement of 335,000 new images on Wikimedia Commons.

• Featured content: Barbenheimer confirmed
  Some improvement on last week.

• Humour: Arbitration Committee to accept case against Right Honorable Frimbley Cantingham, 15th Viscount Bellington-upon-Porkshire
  Case request cited misuse of tools by administrator who last used tools in 1661.

• Traffic report: 'Cause today it just goes with the fashion
  Barbenheimer, Pee-Wee Herman and the Women's World Cup.

• From the editor: Beta version of signpost.news now online
  News for the editoriat. Stuff that matters.

• News and notes: You like RecentChanges?
  Wikipedia really comes into its own, editorially and artistically.

• In the media: Taking it sleazy
  "Poli", which means "many", and "tics", which means "under-the-table Wikipedia article whitewashing campaigns".

• Recent research: The five barriers that impede "stitching" collaboration between Commons and Wikipedia
  And other recent research publications.

• Draftspace: Bad Jokes and Other Draftspace Novelties
  The good, the bad, and the nonsense.

• Humour: The Dehumourification Plan
  A message from the Counter-Fun Unit.

• Traffic report: Raise your drinking glass, here's to yesterday
  I just poured HOT GRITS down my pants ohh yeah

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 58, July – August 2023

• New partners - De Standaard and Duncker & Humblot
• Tech tip: Filters
• Wikimania presentation

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: Wikimedia power sharing – just an advisory role for the volunteer community?
  Plus: Africa news, funding report, U4C draft, roads fork and another ChatGPT block.

• In the media: "Just flirting", going Dutch and Shapps for the defence?
  Plus a new judge, an "unimportant" record, and staying in the swim!

• Obituary: Nosebagbear
  A Wikipedian and a friend.

• Serendipity: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no paywall, for thou, Wikipedia Library, art with me
  Non-flammable, BPA-free, and really whips the llama's ass.

• Featured content: Catching up
  Covering all of August. Pretty much.

• Concept: Strange portal opened by CERN researchers brings Wikipedia articles from "other worlds"
  The Signpost brings you the latest from the source.

• Traffic report: Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic
  Sports, film and singers. We've got it all!

• News and notes: Wikimedia Endowment financial statement published
  Finances during Tides Foundation management of the endowment are shown for the first time.

• In the media: History is written by whoever can harness the most editors
  Plus Harvard, Yale, Lords and Commons, partners and trolls!

• Recent research: Readers prefer ChatGPT over Wikipedia; concerns about limiting "anyone can edit" principle "may be overstated"
  And other new research publications

• Featured content: By your logic,
  The first issue to feature two poetry article

• Concept: Wikipedia policies from other worlds: WP:NOANTLERS
  Material must be written with the greatest care and attention; the level of detail and commentary regarding the antlers of living persons is to be kept to a minimum.

• Poetry: "The Sight"
  Tamzin reflects on the hunt.

• Traffic report: There shall be no slaves in the land of lands, it's a Bollywood jam
  Taylor Swift with an NFL tight end and Lauren Boebert with a Democrat?

• News and notes: Where have all the administrators gone?
  Long time passing

• In the media: Thirst traps, the fastest loading sites on the web, and the original collaborative writing
  Also: High fives, Wikipedia as a guide for counterfeiters and crossword makers, and Iskander at the UN.

• Gallery: Before and After: Why you don't need to know how to restore images to make massive improvements
  The benefits of research.

• Featured content: Yo, ho! Blow the man down!
  These titles never make much sense even at the best of times, so why not be random?

• Traffic report: The calm and the storm
  They are still fighting.

• News from Diff: Sawtpedia: Giving a Voice to Wikipedia Using QR Codes
  Sounds good!

• Humour: New citation template introduced for divine revelations, drug use, and really thinking about it
  "Cite altered state" to join the distinguished ranks of CS1 templates

• Arbitration report: Admin bewilderingly unmasks self as sockpuppet of other admin who was extremely banned in 2015
  "Is this an ArbCom case request or an M. Night Shyamalan movie?"

• In the media: UK shadow chancellor accused of ripping off WP articles for book, Wikipedians accused of being dicks by a rich man
  Plus Gaza bias, Speaker Johnson, Maher, the music of websites, and antisemitism.

• News and notes: Board candidacy process posted, editors protest WMF privacy measure, sweet meetups
  And three new admins!

• Opinion: An open letter to Elon Musk
  You should learn some of our rules!

• WikiCup report: The WikiCup 2023
  The winner is...

• News from Wiki Ed: Equity lists on Wikipedia
  Do you ever wonder where Wikipedia articles come from?

• Recent research: How English Wikipedia drove out fringe editors over two decades
  And other new research findings.

• Featured content: Like putting a golf course in a historic site.
  Only literally.

• Wikidata: Evaluating qualitative systemic bias in large article sets on Wikipedia
  A systematic approach.

• Traffic report: Cricket jumpscare
  Plus Kollywood, Killers of the Flower Moon, and ongoing war.

• In the media: Propaganda and photos, lunatics and a lunar backup
  Comic-con, Media summit, and a classic!

• News and notes: Update on Wikimedia's financial health
  Plus: Sockpuppet investigators asking for help.

• Traffic report: If it bleeds, it leads
  Or if it's Indian sport or cinema.

• Recent research: Canceling disputes as the real function of ArbCom
  And other new research findings.

• Wikimania: Wikimania 2024 scholarships
  Scholarship applications for Wikimania 2024 are now open!

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 59, September – October 2023

• Spotlight: Introducing a repository of anti-disinformation projects
• Tech tip: Library access methods

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: Beeblebrox ejected from Arbitration Committee following posts on Wikipediocracy
  Just as his term was ending!

• In the media: Turmoil on Hebrew Wikipedia, grave dancing, Olga's impact and inspiring Bhutanese nuns
  Plus Apple Pay, fiction, registration, expulsion, and elimination!

• Disinformation report: "Wikipedia and the assault on history"
  An analysis of a literary mystery.

• In focus: Tens of thousands of freely available sources flagged
  Continuing years of efforts to improve free-to-read access.

• Comix: Bold comics for a new age
  "I think we ought to read only the kind of comics that wound or stab us. If the comic we're reading doesn't wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for?" — Franz Kafka

• Essay: I am going to die
  And so are you.

• Featured content: Real gangsters move in silence
  Quite literally, and other fascinating featured articles, pictures and lists

• Traffic report: And it's hard to watch some cricket, in the cold November Rain
  If you don't fancy the sport that occupies over 25% of the slots in these lists, there's always movies, celebrities, and political follies to fall back on – or an unusual fired-for-the-weekend CEO.

• Humour: Mandy Rice-Davies Applies
  This page in a nutshell: Whether or not someone has denied unsavory allegations — though such a denial may not merit being given equal weight in an article — a worthless shitpost should still be included.

• Special report: Did the Chinese Communist Party send astroturfers to sabotage a hacktivist's Wikipedia article?
  Wikipedia article histories are public records that can be easily examined, so unlike other websites, we can answer this question thoroughly.

• News and notes: The Italian Public Domain wars continue, Wikimedia RU set to dissolve, and a recap of WLM 2023
  Not the best of times for Wikipedians across the world, but there are still glimpses of hope...

• In the media: Consider the humble fork
  Forky on forky on forky, plus a strange donation scheme and other interesting bits of news.

• Discussion report: Arabic Wikipedia blackout; Wikimedians discuss SpongeBob, copyrights, and AI
  Wiki goes dark and adopts Palestine flag logo; intellectual property rumblings from the bowels of the law.

• In focus: Liquidation of Wikimedia RU
  Wikimedia Russia closes after founder is declared a "foreign agent".

• Technology report: Dark mode is coming
  No more must Wikipedia always be a lightbulb in the dark — except metaphorically of course.

• Recent research: "LLMs Know More, Hallucinate Less" with Wikidata
  And other new research publications.

• Gallery: A feast of holidays and carols
  Peace on earth, goodwill to all!

• Comix: Lollus lmaois 200C tincture
  the dilution makes it stronger.

• Crossword: when the crossword is sus
  The Signpost Crossword is a 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game that takes place in space-themed settings where players are colorful, armless cartoon astronauts.

• Traffic report: What's the big deal? I'm an animal!
  Bollywood, Hollywood, and both kinds of football to close out December.

• From the editor: A piccy iz worth OVAR 9000!!!11oneone! wordz ^_^
  The debugging will continue until performance improves.

• Apocrypha: Local editor discovered 1,380 lost subheadings in ancient Signpost scrolls. And what he found was shocking.
  Heartwarming — MUST READ — You Won't BELIEVE #4!!!!!

• Humour: Guess the joke contest
  Winner receives a special prize!

• BJAODN: Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense
  Edit summary: "Only need this page for about 30 minutes to demonstrate to a friend how easy it is to create a Wikipedia page. Then it will be deleted."

• From the editor: NINETEEN MORE YEARS! NINETEEN MORE YEARS!
  The Signpost can now drink beer and chant slogans in Canada. What slogans should we chant for the next nineteen years?

• Special report: Public Domain Day 2024
  Mickey & You: What can you do?

• Technology report: Wikipedia: A Multigenerational Pursuit
  A techie looks at the big questions.

• News and notes: In other news ... see ya in court!
  Let the games begin! The 2024 WikiCup is off to a strong start. With copyright enforcement, AI training and freedom of expression, it's another typical week in the wiki-sphere!

• In focus: The long road of a featured article candidate
  The first of two installments, regarding a process of many installments.

• In the media: What is plagiarism? Oklahoma Disneyland? Reaching a human being at Wikipedia?
  Watch out for those space ships!

• WikiProject report: WikiProjects Israel and Palestine
  What are the editorial processes behind covering some of the most politically polarizing and contentious topics on English Wikipedia?

• Obituary: Anthony Bradbury
  Rest in peace.

• Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2023
  Around the world in 365 days (with many stops in India).

• Crossword: everybody gangsta till the style sheets start cascading
  The good news is that I've perfected the templates that allow other people to make actually good crosswords.

• Comix: Conflict resolution
  Getting down to brass tacks &c.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 60, November – December 2023

• Three new partners
• Google Scholar integration
• How to track partner suggestions

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: Wikipedian Osama Khalid celebrated his 30th birthday in jail
  Plus WMF child rights impact assessment, Chinese Wikipedia changes admin rules

• Opinion: Until it happens to you
  A stream of consciousness about plagiarism on Wikipedia from the perspective of a user who directly witnessed it.

• Disinformation report: How paid editors squeeze you dry
  And how you can stop them!

• In the media: Katherine Maher new NPR CEO, go check Wikipedia, race in the race
  Another wobble, more Ackman, our usual pathological optimist, and football in dirty pants!

• In focus: The long road of a featured article candidate, part 2
  Everything you really wanted to know about writing featured articles.

• Recent research: Croatian takeover was enabled by "lack of bureaucratic openness and rules constraining [admins]"
  And other new research publications.

• Comix: We've all got to start somewhere
  Writing a good subheading for a one-sentence joke is basically like writing an entire second joke so I'm not going to do it.

• Traffic report: DJ, gonna burn this goddamn house right down
  Job changes, death, sex, murder, suicide and a vacation!

• News and notes: Wikimedia Russia director declared "foreign agent" by Russian gov; EU prepares to pile on the papers
  "the exact extent of the obligations" unclear... many such cases!

• Disinformation report: How low can the scammers go?
  Lower, trust me!

• Gallery: Before and After: Why you don't need to touch grass to dramatically improve images of flora and fauna
  Finding the right bumblebee among all the bumblebees!

• In the media: Speaking in tongues, toeing the line, and dressing the part
  The usual odd articles about Wikipedia.

• Serendipity: Is this guy the same as the one who was a Nazi?
  The hunt for Bertil Ragnar Anzén.

• Traffic report: Griselda, Nikki, Carl, Jannik and two types of football
  Plus films, Grammys and a rumble!

• Crossword: Our crossword to bear
  &c.

• Comix: Strongly
  That's more than weakly!

• News and notes: Wikimedia enters US Supreme court hearings as "the dolphin inadvertently caught in the net"
  Plus, the U4C Charter keeps planting seeds, the RfA process is set to become more sustainable, and more news from the Wikimedia ecosystem.

• Recent research: Images on Wikipedia "amplify gender bias"
  And other new findings

• In the media: The Scottish Parliament gets involved, a wikirace on live TV, and the Foundation's CTO goes on record
  Plus, naughty politicians, Federal judge not a fan, UFOs and beavers.

• Obituary: Vami_IV
  Rest in peace.

• Traffic report: Supervalentinefilmbowlday
  If you say it loud enough the views will come your way!

• WikiCup report: High-scoring WikiCup first round comes to a close
  135 battle it out; 67 advance

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 61, January – February 2024

• Bristol University Press and British Online Archives now available
• 1Lib1Ref results

Read the full newsletter

• Technology report: Millions of readers still seeing broken pages as "temporary" disabling of graph extension nears its second year
  Much effort was spent drafting a movement charter about becoming "essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge". How much is spent maintaining it?

• Interview: Interview on Wikimedia Foundation fundraising and finance strategy
  Signpost interviews Wikimedia Foundation leadership on fundraising banners

• Special report: 19-page PDF accuses Wikipedia of bias against Israel, suggests editors be forced to reveal their real names, and demands a new feature allowing people to view the history of Wikipedia articles
  And does it have anything to do with the unusual decision to let a zero-edit user open an arbitration request?

• Op-Ed: Wikipedia in the age of personality-driven knowledge
  Can we compete with social media? Will aoomers forget Wikipedia?

• Recent research: "Newcomer Homepage" feature mostly fails to boost new editors
  And several papers look at climate change on Wikipedia

• News and notes: Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee Charter ratified
  WLM winners announced, Wikimania 2024, a new Wikimedia movement affiliate, and active enwp admins reach a record low.

• In the media: "For me it’s the autism": AARoad editors on the fork more traveled
  Worldwide women turned blue and controversies on Serbian & French Wikipedia.

• Traffic report: He rules over everything, on the land called planet Dune
  Let me take you to the movies.

• Humour: Letters from the editors
  The only worthwhile grievance is the one that prompts satire.

• Comix: Layout issue
  margin: 0 auto !important;

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 62, March – April 2024

• IEEE and Haaretz now available
• Let's Connect Clinics about The Wikipedia Library
• Spotlight and Wikipedia Library tips

Read the full newsletter

• In the media: Censorship and wikiwashing looming over RuWiki, edit wars over San Francisco politics, and another wikirace on live TV
  Plus, tribute songs and shout-outs outweighing vandalism and hoaxes, a dispute about the real king of the platform and other bits of news.

• News and notes: A sigh of relief for open access as Italy makes a slight U-turn on their cultural heritage reproduction law
  Plus, new updates on the privacy and research ethics whitepaper and the graphs outage situation, and an Iranian former steward is globally banned from Wikimedia projects

• WikiConference report: WikiConference North America 2023 in Toronto recap
  Outcomes of the event including newly published videos and photos, the archived conference website and program, and some attendee reflections on its significance.

• WikiProject report: WikiProject Newspapers (Not WP:NOTNEWS)
  A WikiProject report on the 📰🌍 globe's finest news source!

• Recent research: New survey of over 100,000 Wikipedia users
  And other recent research publications

• Traffic report: O.J., cricket and a three body problem
  Plus Godzilla meets Francis Scott Key!

• News and notes: Democracy in action: multiple elections
  WMF trustee elections, U4C results, Italian ArbCom, WMF and Endowment annual reports.

• Special report: Will the new RfA reform come to the rescue of administrators?
  We don't know yet, but there is some encouraging news, nevertheless.

• Arbitration report: Ruined temples for posterity to ponder over – arbitration from '22 to '24
  Some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, few with much of a comprehensible explanation.

• In the media: Deadnames on the French Wikipedia, and a duel between Russian wikis
  Plus, the WMF joins the Unicode Consortium, Chris Albon talks about AI tools on Wikipedia, communities address under-representation on the site.

• Op-Ed: Wikidata to split as sheer volume of information overloads infrastructure
  More queries are failing, and more frequently, so what is to be done?

• Comix: Generations
  It do be like that sometimes.

• Traffic report: Crawl out through the fallout, baby
  With cricket and some cute baby reindeer!

• News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation publishes its Form 990 for fiscal year 2022-2023
  The Form 990, as well as highlights and FAQs, are now available for review.

• Technology report: New Page Patrol receives a much-needed software upgrade
  A new model for collaboration between the WMF and the community?

• Deletion report: The lore of Kalloor
  Hoaxes and the genesis of information.

• In the media: National cable networks get in on the action arguing about what the first sentence of a Wikipedia article ought to say
  First line, sixth paragraph, body text or unified Reich?

• News from the WMF: Progress on the plan — how the Wikimedia Foundation advanced on its Annual Plan goals during the first half of fiscal year 2023-2024
  Outlining progress against the four key goals

• Opinion: Public response to the editors of Settler Colonial Studies
  A letter.

• Recent research: ChatGPT did not kill Wikipedia, but might have reduced its growth
  And various research findings about Wikidata and knowledge graphs.

• Featured content: We didn't start the wiki
  No we didn't write it, but we tried to cite it

• Essay: No queerphobia
  An essay.

• Special report: RetractionBot is back to life!
  ... and flagging your articles with big ugly red notices! (This is a good thing.)

• Traffic report: Chimps, Eurovision, and the return of the Baby Reindeer
  Movies, deaths, elections (but no cricket).

• Comix: The Wikipediholic Family
  Some stuff's only okay in the privacy of the home.

• Humour: Wikipedia rattled by sophisticated cyberattack of schoolboy typing "balls" in infobox
  Project in shambles – "it had never occurred to us that this was possible".

• Concept: Palimpsestuous
  Hypertext.

• News and notes: WMF board elections and fundraising updates
  Three new admins, but overall numbers still shrinking.

• Special report: Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification vote underway, new Council may surpass power of Board
  Will we weather the storm?

• In focus: How the Russian Wikipedia keeps it clean despite having just a couple dozen administrators
  Unbundling, automation, fighting spirit, and a bot named Reimu Hakurei.

• Discussion report: Wikipedians are hung up on the meaning of Madonna
  Debate unsettled after seventeen years.

• In the media: War and information in war and politics
  Advocacy organizations, a journalist, mycophobes, conservatives, leftists, photographers, and a disinformation task force imagine themselves in Wikipedia.

• Sister projects: On editing Wikisource
  A journey to a sister project.

• Obituary: Hanif Al Husaini, Salazarov, Hyacinth, and PirjanovNurlan
  Rest in peace.

• Opinion: Etika: a Pop Culture Champion
  An article about Etika's appeal and legacy in pop culture.

• Gallery: Spokane Willy's photos
  A virtual visit to the Inland Northwest.

• Op-Ed: Why you should not vote in the 2024 WMF BoT elections
  "Simply not good enough".

• Crossword: On a day of independence, beat crosswords into crossploughshares
  How well do you know the main page (no peeking)?

• Humour: A joke
  ...!

• Cobwebs: Counting to a billion — manuscripts don't burn
  Special:Diff/1 and related techno-trivia more complicated than you'd think.

• Recent research: Is Wikipedia Politically Biased? Perhaps
  And other new publications on systemic bias and other topics.

• Traffic report: Talking about you and me, and the games people play
  Elections, movies, sports.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 63, May – June 2024

• One new partner
• 1Lib1Ref
• Spotlight: References check

Read the full newsletter

• Discussion report: Internet users flock to Wikipedia to debate its image policy over Trump raised-fist photo
  Iconic photograph, invalid fair use exemption criterion #3a claimant, or both?

• News and notes: Wikimedia community votes to ratify Movement Charter; Wikimedia Foundation opposes ratification
  Establishment of power-sharing agreement between WMF corporation and volunteer user community in limbo.

• News from the WMF: Wikimedia Foundation Board resolution and vote on the proposed Movement Charter
  Natalia Tymkiv, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, on the Charter vote results, the resolution, meeting minutes, and proposed next steps.

• Essay: Reflections on editing and obsession
  A lost Signpost submission from fifteen years ago brought into the light, as good and true now as it was then.

• In the media: What's on Putin's fork, the court's docket, and in Harrison's book?
  Failing forks, smart and well-researched stories, LGBT rights, and oral sex!

• Obituary: JamesR
  Rest in peace.

• Crossword: Vaguely bird-shaped crossword
  Do you know these Wikipedia quotes?

• Humour: Joe Biden withdraws RfA, Donald Trump selects co-nom
  Dems in disarray, GOP in chaos — analysts say news expected, but few can predict how race will shape up from here.

• In the media: Portland pol profile paid for from public purse
  A STORM over an AI that writes articles. And other notes of interest.

• Recent research: STORM: AI agents role-play as "Wikipedia editors" and "experts" to create Wikipedia-like articles, a more sophisticated effort than previous auto-generation systems
  And other findings.

• In focus: Twitter marks the spot
  Musk's Twitter acquisition and rebranding have caused long debates on Wikipedia.

• News and notes: Another Wikimania has concluded.
  And Movement Charter ratification vote comments have been published

• Special report: Nano or just nothing: Will nano go nuclear?
  Possibly paid articles.

• Opinion: HouseBlaster's RfA debriefing
  HouseBlaster's reflections on his RfA. In particular, do not ask superlative questions.

• Traffic report: Ball games, movies, elections, but nothing really weird
  Just normally weird!

• Humour: I'm proud to be a template
  Come in, you whippersnapper, have a cup of tea.

• News and notes: WikiCup enters final round, MCDC wraps up activities, 17-year-old hoax article unmasked
  JCW compilation now tracks free DOIs, Wiki Loves Monuments getting started, WMF's status as UN observer stymied by China for fourth time.

• In the media: AI is not playing games anymore. Is Wikipedia ready?
  Updates from the Portland pol's case, the war in Gaza, and other Wiki-related reports.

• Recent research: Simulated Wikipedia seen as less credible than ChatGPT and Alexa in experiment
  And other new research findings

• News from the WMF: Meet the 12 candidates running in the WMF Board of Trustees election
  Who are they, why are they running and what are they bringing to the Board?

• Wikimania: A month after Wikimania 2024
  What all happened in Katowice?

• Serendipity: What it's like to be Wikimedian of the Year
  Hannah Clover shares her fondest memories of her first Wikimania.

• Traffic report: After the gold rush
  The Olympics (yay!) and the American election (oh no).

• Humour: Local man halfway through rude reply no longer able to recall why he hates other editor
  "I can't remember whether he is an incompetent moron, or an incorrigible POV warrior, or some other thing, but either way, to hell with him."

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 64, July – August 2024

• The Hindu Group joins The Wikipedia Library
• Wikimania presentation
• New user script for easily searching The Wikipedia Library

Read the full newsletter

• In the media: Courts order Wikipedia to give up names of editors, legal strain anticipated from "online safety laws"
  ANI (but probably not the one you're thinking of), bias and bans, crisis and Clover, Engelhorn's euros, and will the zoomers inherit the project?

• Community view: Indian courts order Wikipedia to take down name of crime victim, editors strive towards consensus
  In response to a takedown request, Wikipedia editors reached a consensus on how to handle it appropriately.

• Serendipity: A Wikipedian at the 2024 Paralympics
  User Hawkeye7 opens up on his experience as a media representative following the Australian team at the latest Summer Paralympics in Paris.

• Opinion: asilvering's RfA debriefing
  User asilvering reflects on their recent successful request for adminship.

• News and notes: Are you ready for admin elections?
  More changes to RfA on the way in October, final results for the U4C elections revealed, and other news from the Wikimedia world.

• Gallery: Are Luddaites defending the English Wikipedia?
  Picture this: medicine, drugs, JFK, Cleopatra, anachronism, and global catastrophe.

• Recent research: Article-writing AI is less "prone to reasoning errors (or hallucinations)" than human Wikipedia editors
  And other recent research publications.

• Traffic report: Jump in the line, rock your body in time
  Band reunions and Beetlejuice!

• News and notes: One election's end, another election's beginning
  Find more about the new Trustees, the first election cycle for admins, and other news from the Wikimedia world.

• Recent research: "As many as 5%" of new English Wikipedia articles "contain significant AI-generated content", says paper
  And other searchings and findings.

• In the media: Off to the races! Wikipedia wins!
  Perplexing persistence, pay to play, potential president's possible plagiarism, crossword crossover to culture, and a wish come true!

• Contest: A WikiCup for the Global South
  Can it be fun to address systemic bias? Eighty participants say yes, it can!

• Traffic report: A scream breaks the still of the night
  Help me make it through the night!

• Book review: The Editors
  A novel about us, from the point of view of three of us.

• Humour: The Newspaper Editors
  Where do I even start?

• Crossword: Spilled Coffee Mug
  Pasta, acronyms, and one computer-crashing talk page.

• From the editors: Editing Wikipedia should not be a crime
  But not everybody is able to legally read Wikipedia, and not everybody is able to legally edit Wikipedia.

• News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation shares ANI lawsuit updates; first admin elections appoint eleven sysops; first admin recalls opened; temporary accounts coming soon?
  Defamation, privacy, censorship, and elections.

• In the media: An old scrimmage, politics and purported libel
  Plus human knowledge and Ozzie places!

• Special report: Wikipedia editors face litigation, censorship
  Asian News International, the Delhi High Court, and the encyclopedia.

• Gallery: Why you should take more photos and upload them
  Your photos are more valuable than you may realize.

• In focus: Questions and answers about the court case
  What is going on?

• Traffic report: Twisted tricks or tempting treats?
  And Tata too!

• Technology report: Wikimedia tech, the Asian News International case, and the ultra-rare BLACKLOCK
  IP address privacy tools, and mysterious archive sites.

• Humour: Man quietly slinks away from talk page argument after realizing his argument dumb, wrong
  Many such cases.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 65, September – October 2024

• Hindu Tamil Thisai joins The Wikipedia Library
• Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 report
• Tech tip: Mass downloads

Read the full newsletter

• News and notes: Open letter to WMF about court case breaks one thousand signatures, big arb case declined, U4C begins accepting cases
  Many cases: many such cases.

• In the media: Summons issued for Wikipedia editors by Indian court, "Gaza genocide" RfC close in news, old admin Gwern now big AI guy, and a "spectrum of reluctance" over Australian place names
  Publisher versus intermediary, bias versus verifiability, and probing questions about Gwern's personal finances.

• Recent research: SPINACH: AI help for asking Wikidata "challenging real-world questions"
  And other recent publications.

• News from the WMF: Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Endowment audit reports: FY 2023–2024
  An overview of the finances and an explanation of what the numbers mean.

• Traffic report: Well, let us share with you our knowledge, about the electoral college
  It's so over.

• News and notes: Arbitrator election concludes
  New arbs to be seated in January.

• Arbitration report: Palestine-Israel articles 5
  Will the fifth try at achieving peace be a mudfight, or something better?

• Disinformation report: Sex, power, and money revisited
  Should old acquaintance be forgot?

• Op-ed: On the backrooms
  An editor's reflection on social capital and their changing relationship with Wikipedia culture. by Tamzin

• In focus: Are Wikipedia articles representative of Western or world knowledge?
  Wikipedia aims to represent the sum of all knowledge. Is there an imbalance between Western countries and the rest of the world.

• In the media: Like the BBC, often useful but not impartial
  Ballooning British bias bombast!

• Traffic report: Something Wicked for almost everybody
  Fighting and killing – on screen, in politics, and in the ring – competes for attention with Disney.

• Opinion: Worm That Turned's reconfirmation RfA debriefing
  The importance of feedback.

• News and notes: Responsibilities and liabilities as a "Very Large Online Platform"
  What the VLOP – findings of an outside auditor for "responsibilization" of Wikipedia. Plus, new EU Commissioners for tech policy, WLE 2024 winners, and a few other bits of news from the Wikipedia world.

• Op-ed: Beeblebrox on Wikipediocracy, the Committee, and everything
  A personal essay.

• Opinion: Graham87 on being the first-ever administrator recall subject
  Explanations for what led to it and what it was like to undergo it.

• In the media: Delhi High Court considers Caravan and Ken for evaluating the ANI vs. WMF case
  Plus, the dangers of editing, Morrissey's page gets marred, COVID coverage critique, Kimchi consultation, kids' connectivity curtailed, centenarian Claudia, Christmas cramming, and more.

• From the archives: Where to draw the line in reporting?
  Who's news?

• Recent research: "Wikipedia editors are quite prosocial", but those motivated by "social image" may put quantity over quality
  And other new research findings.

• Humour: Backlash over Santa Claus' Wikipedia article intensifies
  Good faith edits REVERTED and accounts BLOCKED.

• Gallery: A feast of holidays and carols
  Peace on earth, goodwill to all!

• Traffic report: Was a long and dark December
  Wicked war, martial law, killing, death and an Indian movie with a new chess champ!

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 66, November – December 2024

• Les Jours and East View Press join the library
• Tech tip: Newspapers.com

Read the full newsletter

• From the editors: Looking back, looking forward
  The 20th anniversary of The Signpost.

• Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2024
  A lot of psephology!

• In the media: Will you be targeted?
  HUMINT or humbug?

• Technology report: New Calculator template brings interactivity at last
  Hallelujah!

• Essay: Meet the Canadian who holds the longest editing streak on Wikipedia
  Johnny Au has edited for 17 years straight without missing a day.

• Opinion: Reflections one score hence
  Some thoughts from the original editor-in-chief.

• News and notes: It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me... and I'm feeling free
  Public Domain Day 2025, Women in Red hits 20% biography milestone, Spanish Wikipedia reaches two million articles, and other news from the Wikimedia world.

• Serendipity: What we've left behind, and where we want to go next
  The Signpost staff on achievements of '24 and hopes for '25.

• Op-ed: Elon Musk and the right on Wikipedia
  The latest crusade?

• In focus: Twenty years of The Signpost: What did it take?
  Our alumni speak!

• Arbitration report: Analyzing commonalities of some contentious topics
  Applying the scientific method to a model of conflict that leads to arbitration.

• Humour: How to make friends on Wikipedia
  This post fact-checked by real Wikipedian patriots.

• Recent research: GPT-4 writes better edit summaries than human Wikipedians
  But an open language model is ready to help.

• News and notes: Let's talk!
  The WMF executive team delivers a new update; plus, the latest EU policy report, good-bye to the German Wikipedia's Café, and other news from the Wikimedia world.

• Opinion: Fathoms Below, but over the moon
  Editor Fathoms Below reminisces over their successful RfA from February 2024.

• In the media: Wikipedia is an extension of legacy media propaganda, says Elon Musk
  Plus, reports on the ARBPIA5 case, new concerns over projects targeting Wikipedia editors, John Green gets his sponsor flowers, and other news.

• Community view: 24th Wikipedia Day in New York City
  Wikimedians and newbies celebrate 24 years of Wikipedia in the Brooklyn Central Library. Special guests Stephen Harrison and Clay Shirky joined in conversation.

• Arbitration report: Palestine-Israel articles 5 has closed
  Ending with some bans, and a new set of editing sanctions.

• Traffic report: A wild drive
  The start of the year was filled with a few unfortunate losses, tragic disasters, emerging tech forces and A LOT of politics.

• News and notes: Administrator elections up for reapproval and 1bil GET snagged on Commons
  French Wikipedia defends a user against public threats, steward elections, and other news from the Wikimedia world.

• Serendipity: Guinea-Bissau Heritage from Commons to the World
  "The only time I ever took photos in my entire life".

• Technology report: Hear that? The wikis go silent twice a year
  From patrolling new edits to uploading photos or joining a campaign, you can count on the Wikimedia platform to be up and running — in your language, anywhere in the world. That is, except for a couple of minutes during the equinoctes.

• In the media: The end of the world
  Or just the end of Wikipedia as we know it?

• Recent research: What's known about how readers navigate Wikipedia; Italian Wikipedia hardest to read
  Of "hunters", "busybodies" and "dancers".

• Opinion: Sennecaster's RfA debriefing
  User Sennecaster shares her thoughts on her recent RfA and the aspects that might have played a role in making it successful.

• Tips and tricks: One year after this article is posted, will every single article on Wikipedia have a short description?
  What are they? Why are they important? How can we make them better? And what can you do to help?

• Community view: Open letter from French Wikipedians says "no" to intimidation of volunteer contributors
  Liberté, liberté chérie.

• Traffic report: Temporary scars, February stars
  Grammys, politics and the Super Bowl.

• Essay: The source, the whole source, and nothing but the source
  Straight from the source's mouth. A source is a source, of course, of course!

• Obituary: Ümüt Çınar (Kmoksy) and Vinícius Medina Kern (Vmkern)
  Turkish linguist wrote about languages and plants; Brazilian informaticist studied Wikimedia projects and education.

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 67, January – February 2025

• East View Press and The Africa Report join the library
• Spotlight: Wikimedia+Libraries International Convention and WikiCredCon
• Tech tip: Suggest page

Read the full newsletter

• From the editor: Hanami
  It's an ecstasy, my spring.

• Opinion: Talking about governments editing Wikipedia
  Let them know what you think!

• News and notes: Deeper look at takedowns targeting Wikipedia
  Read this, then forget all about it.

• In the media: The good, the bad, and the unusual
  Life on the Wiki as usual!

• Recent research: Explaining the disappointing history of Flagged Revisions; and what's the impact of ChatGPT on Wikipedia so far?
  And WMF invites multi-year research fund proposals

• Traffic report: All the world's a stage, we are merely players...
  The Oscars, politics, and death elbow for the most attention.

• Gallery: WikiPortraits rule!
  The photographers are the celebrities!

• Essay: Unusual biographical images
  And very unusual biographical images.

• Obituary: Rest in peace
  Send not to know
  For whom the bell tolls,
  It tolls for thee.

• Special report: Wikipedian and physician Ziyad al-Sufiani reportedly released from Saudi prison
  Fellow doctor Osama Khalid remains behind bars for "violating public morals" by editing.

• In focus: WMF to explore "common standards" for NPOV policies; implications for project autonomy remain unclear
  Major changes to core content policy, or still-developing plan for new initiative?

• In the media: Indian judges demand removal of content critical of Asian News International
  Defeat, or just a setback?

• News and notes: 35,000 user accounts compromised, locked in attempted credential-stuffing attack
  Plus: 30-year anniversary of wiki software commemorated.

• Op-ed: How crawlers impact the operations of the Wikimedia projects
  Our content is free, our infrastructure is not!

• Opinion: Crawlers, hogs and gorillas
  What is to be done?

• Debriefing: Giraffer's RfA debriefing
  Advice to aspirants: "Read RfA debriefs", including this one.

• Obituary: RHaworth, TomCat4680 and PawełMM
  Rest in peace.

• Traffic report: Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, off to report we go...
  Snow White sinking, Adolescence soaring, spacefarers stranded, this list has it all!

• News from Diff: Strengthening Wikipedia’s neutral point of view
  The Wikimedia Foundation's announcement from Diff.

• Comix: Thirteen
  Gadzooks!

• News and notes: India cut off from Wiki money; WMF annual plan and Wikimedia programs seek comment
  As always, Wikimedia community governance relies on user participation; plus, more updates from the Wikimedia world

• In the media: Feds aiming for WMF's nonprofit status
  Scrapers, an Indian lawsuit, and a crash-or-not-crash?

• Recent research: How readers use Wikipedia health content; Scholars generally happy with how their papers are cited on Wikipedia
  And other new research findings.

• Arbitration report: Sysop Tinucherian removed and admonished by the ArbCom
  And don't bite those newbies!

• Discussion report: Latest news from Centralized discussions
  And don't bite those newbies!

• Traffic report: Of Wolf and Man
  Television dramas, televised sports, film, the Pope, and ... bioengineering at the top of the list?

• Disinformation report: At WikiCredCon, Wikipedia editors and Internet Archive discuss threats to trust in media
  Community volunteers network among themselves and use technology to counter attacks on information sharing.

• News from the WMF: Product & Tech Progress on the Annual Plan
  A look at some product and tech highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation's Annual Plan (July–December 2024).

• Humour: Crisis erupts as furious admins, functionaries complain about crappy t-shirts
  Hey! At least it is something!

• Comix: By territory
  Zounds!

• In focus: Using AI on the Russian Wikipedia: opportunities or challenges?
  Would a billion articles be a good idea?

• Community view: A deep dive into Wikimedia
  There's a lot more to this than you think.

• Debriefing: Barkeep49's RfB debriefing
  I wonder about having crats, but decided to become one anyway.

• Gallery: Meet the winners of Wiki Loves Monuments 2024
  Just beautiful photos!

• Obituary: JarrahTree, JohnClarknew and Yashthepunisher
  Rest in Paradise.

In this issue we highlight two resource renewals, #EveryBookItsReader, a note about Phabricator, and, as always, a roundup of news and community items related to libraries and digital knowledge.

• News and notes: WMF to kick off new-CEO quest as Iskander preps to move on — Supreme Court nixes gag of Wiki page for other India court row on ANI — code-heads give fix-up date for Charts in lieu of long-dead Graph gizmo
  And comment is requested on a privacy whitepaper.

• In the media: Wikimedia Foundation sues over UK government decision that might require identity verification of editors worldwide
  And other courtroom drama.

• Disinformation report: What does Jay-Z know about Wikipedia?
  And how he knows it: all about lawyer letters and editing logs.

• In focus: On the hunt for sources: Swedish AfD discussions
  Why the language barrier is not the only impediment to navigating sources from another culture.

• Technology report: WMF introduces unique but privacy-preserving browser cookie
  And QR codes for every page!

• Debriefing: Goldsztajn's RfA debriefing
  When an editor is ready to become staff at a public library (not a brother in a fraternity).

• Obituary: Max Lum (User:ICOHBuzz)
  Rest in peace.

• Community view: A Deep Dive Into Wikimedia (part 2)
  The technology behind it, and the other stuff.

• Comix: Collection
  Gadzooks!

• From the archives: Humor from the Archives
  And more.

• News and notes: Happy 7 millionth!
  Admins arrested in Belarus.

• In the media: Playing professor pong with prosecutorial discretion
  Pardon our alliteration!

• Disinformation report: Pardon me, Mr. President, have you seen my socks?
  A get-out-of-jail card!

• Recent research: Wikipedia's political bias; "Ethical" LLMs accede to copyright owners' demands but ignore those of Wikipedians
  And other new research publications.

• Traffic report: All Sinners, a future, all Saints, a past
  Holy men and not-as-holy movies.

• News from Diff: Call for candidates is now open: Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
  Get your self-nomination in by July 2nd!

• Opinion: Russian Wiki-fork flails, failing readers and editors
  After two years RuWiki fails to thrive.

• Debriefing: EggRoll97's RfA² debriefing
  With some sweet-and-sour sauce!

• Community view: A Deep Dive Into Wikimedia (part 3)
  Every thing you need to know about the Wikimedia Foundation?

• Comix: Hamburgers
  Egad!

In this issue we highlight a new partnership, Citation Watchlist and, as always, a roundup of news and community items related to libraries and digital knowledge.

• News and notes: Is no WikiNews good WikiNews? — Election season returns!
  Endowment tax form, Wikimania, elections, U4C, fundraising and a duck!

• In the media: How bad (or good) is Wikipedia?
  And how do we know?

• WikiProject report: WikiProject Medicine reaches milestone of zero unreferenced articles
  Five-year journey comes to healthy fruition.

• In focus: Wikimania 2025: Connecting Wikimedians across the world for 20 years
  Wikimedians from around the world will gather in person and online at the twentieth annual meeting of Wikimania.

• Recent research: Knowledge manipulation on Russia's Wikipedia fork; Marxist critique of Wikidata license; call to analyze power relations of Wikipedia
  As well as "hermeneutic excursions" and other scientific research findings.

• News from the WMF: Form 990 released for the Wikimedia Foundation’s fiscal year 2023-2024
  The report covers the Foundation's operations from July 2023 - June 2024

• Discussion report: Six thousand noticeboard discussions in 2025 electrically winnowed down to a hundred
  A step towards objective and comprehensive coverage of a project nearly too big to follow.

• Comix: Divorce
  Drawn this century!

• Opinion: Women are somewhat under-represented on the English-language Wikipedia, and other observations from analysis
  How data from the Wikipedia "necessary articles" lists can shed new light on the gender gap

• Community view: A Deep Dive Into Wikimedia (part 4): The Future Of Wikimedia and Conclusion
  Annual plans, external trends, infrastructure, equity, safety, and effectiveness. What does it all mean?

• Obituary: Pvmoutside, Atomicjohn, Rdmoore6, Jaknouse, Morven, Martin of Sheffield, MarnetteD, Herewhy, BabelStone
  Rest in peace.

• Traffic report: God only knows
  Wouldn't it be nice without billionaires, scandals, deaths, and wars?

• Humour: New forum created for people who don't care about Wikipedia
  If you are too blasé for Mr. Blasé and don't give a FAC.