Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to the nonprofit operator of Wikipedia alleging a pattern of liberal bias in articles on the collaborative encyclopedia.
"I write to request information about ideological bias on the Wikipedia platform and at the Wikimedia Foundation," Cruz wrote to Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander in a letter dated October 3. "Wikipedia began with a noble concept: crowdsource human knowledge using verifiable sources and make it free to the public. That's what makes reports of Wikipedia's systemic bias especially troubling."
Citing research from the conservative Manhattan Institute, Cruz wrote that "researchers have found that articles on the site often reflect a left-wing bias." Cruz alleged that "bias is particularly evident in Wikipedia's reliable sources/perennial sources list" because it describes "MSNBC and CNN as 'generally reliable' sources, while listing Fox News as a 'generally unreliable' source for politics and science. The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center gets a top rating, but the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, is a 'blacklisted' and 'deprecated' source that Wikipedia's editors have determined 'promotes disinformation.'"
Cruz asked for "documents sufficient to show how the Wikimedia Foundation or the Wikipedia Community determines the categorization of sources on the reliable sources/perennial sources list." A Wikipedia page says the categorization is "determined through public discussion and consensus," and that Fox News had its rating lowered in 2020 "because Fox News downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic, because of allegations that it spread misinformation about climate change, and because it reported on the false concept of 'no-go zones' for non-Muslims in British cities."
Cruz accused the foundation of "financially support[ing] left-wing organizations that contribute to Wikipedia content," and said that "a coordinated group of editors pushed antisemitic narratives on Wikipedia while whitewashing the activities of groups like Hamas." Wikipedia responded to edit wars on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict by banning eight editors in January.
Cruz acknowledged that the organization took action on the allegations of biased editing, but questioned its motives. "The Wikimedia Foundation has said it is taking steps to combat this editing campaign, raising further questions about the extent to which it is intervening in editorial decisions and to what end," Cruz wrote.
The Wikimedia Foundation provided a statement when contacted by Ars today.
"We can confirm receipt of a letter from Senator Ted Cruz," the statement said. "Wikipedia is supported by strong safeguards and high-quality volunteer oversight; it is a living encyclopedia that is always improving. We welcome the opportunity to further educate policymakers on the important work of Wikipedia, and the Wikimedia Foundation stands by its unwavering commitment to protect editors' exercise of free expression. Through rigorous policies, editorial standards, user privacy protections, and transparent processes, nearly 260,000 volunteers have created over 65 million articles in 300 languages. Wikipedia seeks to inform, not persuade."
Cruz pressures Wikipedia after criticizing FCC chair
Cruz sent the letter about two weeks after criticizing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr for threatening ABC with station license revocations over political content on Jimmy Kimmel's show. Cruz said that using the government to dictate what the media can say "will end up bad for conservatives" because when Democrats are back in power, "they will silence us, they will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly." Cruz said that Carr threatening ABC was like "a mafioso coming into a bar going, 'Nice bar you have here, it'd be a shame if something happened to it.'"
Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, doesn't mind using his authority to pressure Wikipedia's operator, however. "The Standing Rules of the Senate grant the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation jurisdiction over communications, including online information platforms," he wrote to the Wikimedia Foundation. "As the Chairman of the Committee, I request that you provide written responses to the questions below, as well as requested documents, no later than October 17, 2025, and in accordance with the attached instructions."
We asked Cruz's office to explain why a senator pressuring Wikipedia is appropriate while an FCC chair pressuring ABC is not and will update this article if we get a response.
Among other requests, Cruz asked for "documents sufficient to show what supervision, oversight, or influence, if any, the Wikimedia Foundation has over the editing community," and "documents sufficient to show how the Wikimedia Foundation addresses political or ideological bias."
Cruz has separately been launching investigations into the Biden administration for alleged censorship. He issued a report allegedly "revealing how the Biden administration transformed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) into an agent of censorship pressuring Big Tech to police speech," and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday titled, "Shut Your App: How Uncle Sam Jawboned Big Tech Into Silencing Americans."
Cruz's letter to Wikimedia seeks evidence that could figure into his ongoing investigations into the Biden administration. "Provide any and all documents and communications—including emails, texts, or other digital messages—between any officer, employee, or agent of the Wikimedia Foundation and any officer, employee, or agent of the federal government since January 1, 2020," the letter said.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Review