Three weeks after the oft-cited TheFederalist.com accused a popular scientist of making up quotes and numbers in a speech, Wikipedia has moved to eliminate the conservative news site.
In a surprise move, the hugely-trafficked Wikipedia posted a notice that the Federalist was “being considered for deletion” after an unknown critic said it “does not pass the threshold for notability.” Wikipedia asked users to comment on the decision, though it in the end it will not be made on a “majority vote.”
The claim shocked the new site’s staff, especially since the Federalist has been featured in mainstream media such as MSNBC and CNN.
The website is blaming the attack on its credibility for its criticism of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson earlier this month. Armed with photographs of a recent Tyson presentation in Seattle, the site accused him of a “habit of using bad math and fabricated quotes in his presentations.”
Now, they said that Wikipedia is retaliating.
“Yep. It just happened. The science-loving censors at Wikipedia, not content with memory-holing unassailable facts about Neil Tyson’s history of fabricating quotes, are now trying to completely erase the Federalist from Wikipedia,” said the website.
“Our reach, influence, and impact are undeniable,” said the site. “Unless, of course, you need to deny our existence in order to further the pretense that Neil Tyson is infallible. Because that’s what this is really about.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
