Ask a Wiki Expert #4: Why Can't I Use Press Releases From My Company to Update Our Wikipedia Page?
Note: this blog post is a companion to the video series “Ask A Wiki Expert”. Watch the video here.
Why can't I use press releases to verify facts on our company's Wikipedia page?
Hello, and welcome to Ask a Wiki Expert, I am William Beutler, and I will be your wiki expert today. In this series, I answer a frequently asked question about Wikipedia from a business perspective, because that is what my firm, Beutler Ink, does every day.
Today's question is: why can't I use press releases from my company to update our Wikipedia page?
Aren’t we the best source of information about us?
We'll sometimes hear this question from a company that has recently rebranded, or pivoted its products or services, but it hasn't yet got any earned media coverage.
In these cases, they might say: “look, we can prove our new product exists, see, here's our blog post announcing it, see, here's the press release we put out, it's even on Yahoo Finance. Isn't that credible?”
And I get it. Their perspective is: no one is more an expert on our company than those of us who work at the company. ‘Wikipedia says it cares about accuracy? We have the answer, and anyone else would just get this information from us.’
Wikipedia needs independent verification—and validation
OK, granted. You are the expert on your own company.
But Wikipedia is looking for something a bit different. First, Wikipedia actually is a little skeptical of your claims. You may know the facts, but it also might be in your interest to shade them in your favor.
That's why Wikipedia looks to reliable sources like widely-recognized news organizations, because they are—and here is the key phrase—"intellectually independent" of the subject. You're the subject. The news is the independent verification.
Now, the truth is the news doesn't always get it right. Wikipedians acknowledge that, but they have decided this is the way to bet. If the publication is wrong AND if it's important enough, someone else will re-report it. If they don't… maybe it's not that important after all.
Wikipedia needs independent validation
Which brings me to my final point: Wikipedia also looks to these sources for one more thing: validation. Yes, you care about your new product. But there's no guarantee anyone else does. A well-respected publication writing about it suggests that it's of sufficient public interest that it should be mentioned in their encyclopedia.
So, that is my answer to the question, why can't I use press releases from my company to update our Wikipedia page. If you have any follow-up questions, please add them in the comments and they might become the basis of a future video. To see this video in blog form with added resources for your benefit, click the link in comments. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you on the next Ask a Wiki Expert.
