We're hiring! SciLine is seeking a bilingual Engagement Manager to help expand the reach of the organization’s programs to new and emerging audiences. For more information and to apply: recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...
@aaas.org
24.06.2025 16:26 — 👍 3 🔁 7 💬 1 📌 3
Interest in writing for SciLine - SciLine
SciLine seeks U.S.-based freelance reporters familiar with scientific research.
—pieces that guide journalists in using scientific evidence in local reporting
—500-1,500 word stories
—$0.50-$1/word, depending on the type of story
More details here: www.sciline.org/interest-in-...
25.06.2025 02:01 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Childhood vaccines: Schedule, hesitancy, and exemptions - SciLine
WEDNESDAY Briefing! Covering this week's CDC ACIP meeting? Add science to your story by attending our media briefing on childhood vaccines, their schedules, hesitancy, and how exemptions impact public health. On-the-record Q&A included! bit.ly/440Ofk8
24.06.2025 18:59 — 👍 0 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Fuerza responds to scenes where alleged ICE enforcement is reported. If officers are indeed with ICE, they hit record and spread the word. They also speak directly with those being detained.
They are part of a growing scrappy network of volunteers protecting neighbors from ICE. bit.ly/4lgke5N
18.06.2025 17:36 — 👍 10635 🔁 4025 💬 360 📌 222
I’m at #IRE25 this week. Come see me at our @sciline.org table to talk about how we can help with free tools and support in accessing scientific research and expertise.
18.06.2025 19:02 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
I'm at the Collaborative Journalism Summit in Denver today and tomorrow. Hit me up to talk about how @realsciline.bsky.social can help your organization meet this moment with scientific evidence and expertise as misinformation spreads about vaccines, climate disasters, health and wellness and more.
15.05.2025 15:41 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
I know how naive this sounds but I actually thought the moral panic over free speech at universities would mean that leftist speech would be protected when the far right gained power and tried to clamp down.
09.05.2025 12:08 — 👍 95 🔁 19 💬 6 📌 3
![April 24, 2025
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. AKA Wikipedia
P.O. Box 98204
Washington, DC 20090-8204
VIA EMAIL: business@wikimedia.org
legal@wikimedia.org
To Whom it May Concern,
As the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I regularly receive requests for
information, clarification, and official comment. I regard such inquiries with the seriousness they
warrant and respond appropriately through formal correspondence, such as this letter.
It has come to my attention that Wikipedia, which operates via its fiscal sponsor, the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., is engaging in a series of activities that could violate its obligations under
Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. As a nonprofit corporation, which is
incorporated in the District of Columbia, the Wikimedia Foundation is subject to specific legal
obligations and fiduciary duties consistent with its tax-exempt status. In addition, the public is
entitled to rely on a reasonable expectation of neutrality, transparency, and accountability in its
operations and publications.
In its 2023 IRS Form 990, the Wikimedia Foundation describes its mission as, “empower[ing]
and engag[ing] people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free
license or in the public domain and to disseminate it effectively and globally. . . [.]”
As you know, Section 501(c)(3) requires that organizations receiving tax-exempt status operate
exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational
purposes. . . [.]” It has come to my attention that the Wikimedia Foundation, through its wholly
owned subsidiary Wikipedia, is allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d52g57qhdyydkmwtuueco57q/bafkreihhp6g5zmurxfppfewzghbtoq53pwkxgjs4tmknvts3fz2jtxntsi@jpeg)
April 24, 2025
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. AKA Wikipedia
P.O. Box 98204
Washington, DC 20090-8204
VIA EMAIL: business@wikimedia.org
legal@wikimedia.org
To Whom it May Concern,
As the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I regularly receive requests for
information, clarification, and official comment. I regard such inquiries with the seriousness they
warrant and respond appropriately through formal correspondence, such as this letter.
It has come to my attention that Wikipedia, which operates via its fiscal sponsor, the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., is engaging in a series of activities that could violate its obligations under
Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. As a nonprofit corporation, which is
incorporated in the District of Columbia, the Wikimedia Foundation is subject to specific legal
obligations and fiduciary duties consistent with its tax-exempt status. In addition, the public is
entitled to rely on a reasonable expectation of neutrality, transparency, and accountability in its
operations and publications.
In its 2023 IRS Form 990, the Wikimedia Foundation describes its mission as, “empower[ing]
and engag[ing] people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free
license or in the public domain and to disseminate it effectively and globally. . . [.]”
As you know, Section 501(c)(3) requires that organizations receiving tax-exempt status operate
exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational
purposes. . . [.]” It has come to my attention that the Wikimedia Foundation, through its wholly
owned subsidiary Wikipedia, is allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread
propaganda to the American public. Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its
platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current
and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the
interests of the United States. Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise
of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s “educational” mission.
In addition, Wikipedia’s operations are directed by its board that is composed primarily of
foreign nationals, subverting the interests of American taxpayers. Again, educational content is
directionally neutral; but information received by my Office demonstrates that Wikipedia’s
informational management policies benefit foreign powers.
Moreover, we are aware that search engines such as Google have agreed to prioritize Wikipedia
results due to the relationship that Wikipedia has established with these tech platforms. If the
content contained in Wikipedia articles is biased, unreliable, or sourced by entities who wish to
do harm to the United States, search engine prioritization of Wikipedia will only amplify
propaganda to a larger American audience.
Lastly, it has come to our attention that generative AI platforms receive Wikipedia data to train
large-language models. This data is now consumed by masses of Americans and American
teachers on a daily basis. If the data provided is manipulated, particularly by foreign actors and
entities, Wikipedia’s relationship with generative AI platforms have the potential to launder
information on behalf of foreign actors.
In light of these concerns, my Office seeks information pertaining to Wikimedia’s compliance
with the laws governing its tax-exempt status. To assist with our investigation of this matter, I
request the following documents and information, covering the time period of January 1, 2021 to
the present, as soon as possible but no later than May 15, 2…
5. What policy does the Foundation have in place to ensure that content submissions,
editorial decisions, and article revisions reflect a broad spectrum of viewpoints, including
those that may be in tension with the views of major financial or institutional backers?
6. What is the Foundation’s official process for addressing credible allegations that editors
or contributors have materially misled readers, engaged in bad-faith edits, or otherwise
manipulated content in ways that undermine Wikipedia’s commitment to neutrality?
Similarly, what is the Foundation’s official process for auditing or evaluating the actions,
activities, and voting patterns of editors, admins, and committees, including the
Arbitration Committee, in order to ensure the Foundation’s policies and the policies of its
projects are enforced? Detail all instances in which these processes have been utilized in
the last six years.
7. Does the Foundation maintain a public, formally adopted policy explicitly prohibiting
hateful content and conduct by editors? If so, what enforcement mechanisms are in place
to ensure compliance and accountability, and which namespaces and content on the
platform do these mechanisms apply to? Further, how does the Foundation ensure that
sources used in writing content on Wikipedia and elsewhere do not violate its policies,
including but not limited to those against discrimination?
8. Given growing public concerns regarding the large-scale manipulation of particular
categories of content by ideologically motivated editors, what safeguards exist to detect
and prevent undue influence by individuals or coordinated networks who use editorial or
administrative authority to systematically distort content? Provide details regarding
actions taken by the Foundation using these safeguards over the last six years.
Additionally, detail any changes over time to these safeguards.
9. In view of public criticisms, including those expressed by Wikipedia Co-Founder Dr.
Lawrence M. Sanger, r…
effects of that content on search results and data already used to train LLMs? What
measures does the Foundation take to ensure that these companies, as well as the broader
public, understand misinformation, bias, and other problems across its projects, including
Wikipedia?
I look forward to your cooperation with my letter of inquiry after request. Thank you in advance
for your assistance. Please respond by May 15, 2025. Should you have further questions
regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call my office or schedule a time to meet in
person.
All the best.
Edward R. Martin, Jr.
United States Attorney for the District of Columbia
New Ed Martin letter—this time to Wikipedia about its tax-exempt status. In it, he asks about topics including its editorial practices, editor anonymity, "hateful content and conduct by editors," and content used to train LLMs. www.thefp.com/p/trump-pros...
Letter: drive.google.com/file/d/1ocNy...
25.04.2025 20:22 — 👍 904 🔁 362 💬 97 📌 155
Applications are being accepted for our editorial and marketing internships through May 15, 2025. If you have an interest in science communications or non-profit marketing, send us your cover letter and resume through the portal link below.
24.04.2025 21:23 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
That's the sound of prison officials in Texas running screaming into an emergency meeting.
23.04.2025 14:27 — 👍 78 🔁 10 💬 1 📌 0
We have two paid internships at SciLine this summer, for students interested in helping journalists access and understand scientific research and expertise.
Editorial internship: bit.ly/3EbukoF
Marketing internship: bit.ly/42eimUj
@realsciline.bsky.social
21.04.2025 13:09 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
Are you a smart, early-career journalist with an interest in fact-checking? Join our team as an editorial fellow!
Fellows receive $26.67/hour, plus benefits including health, dental, and vision.
Applications are due April 20 at 11:59 PST:
04.04.2025 21:21 — 👍 197 🔁 83 💬 6 📌 4
