Wikipedia unveils guidance for PR professionals using the site
Wikipedia has today unveiled guidance, drafted by the CIPR, for PR professionals using the site, with a main recommendation being that they should not directly edit Wikipedia pages relating to their organisation or brand.
Instead, PR professionals should suggest amendments to the community of regular Wikipedia editors.
The guidance, hosted on Wikimedia UK, received more than 160 direct edits and over 120 contributions to the discussion page during its consultation period.
Jane Wilson, CEO of the CIPR, said: “This guidance is aimed at helping public relations practitioners reach a better understanding of how to properly engage with one of the most visited sources of information on the internet and clearly lays out the process through which PR people can positively contribute to the encyclopaedia. The main theme of the guidance is quite simple – where there is a clear conflict of interest created by the relationship between the public relations professional and the subject of the Wikipedia entry, such as a client or employer, they should not directly edit it.
“The fact that so many prestigious PR bodies have backed the guidance is testimony to the quality of the work and I’d like to pay tribute to the CIPR Social Media panel which has been integral to the delivery of this guidance.”
The introduction of this guidance follows complaints about PR professionals manipulating Wikipedia entries to favour an organisation or an individual, which is described as the ‘dark arts’.