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The Ministry of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and withdraw funds for several vaccines that are being developed to combat respiratory viruses such as Covid-19 and the flu.
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House Republicans announced on Wednesday, August 27th that they have launched a Wikipedia investigation, claiming that the Internet encyclopedia organized an effort to “inject bias” into the entries.
In a letter obtained by USA Today, the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Kentucky Rep. James Comer and the South Carolina Rep. Head of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a request for information to Wikipedia CEO Maryana Iskander.
Specifically, a request was made to investigate “foreign operations and individuals of academic institutions subsidized by US taxpayer dollars to influence US public opinion.”
“Several studies and reports highlight efforts to manipulate information about the Wikipedia platform of propaganda targeting Western audiences,” the letter states.
The committee argues bias against Israel and Ukraine
In the letter, Comer and MACE referenced the report of the Anti-Ethnization League. They claim that Wikipedia coordinated a campaign to manipulate war-related entries in Gaza, claiming “anti-Semitism and anti-Israel information.”
“As our study showed earlier this year, anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias on Wikipedia is a serious issue. We welcome the House Committee on Surveillance and Government Reform, we are grateful for the efforts of our leadership to begin investigating this issue and address this hatred.”
The lawmakers also referenced a report from the Atlantic Council think tank, which claimed that Pro-Russian actors would use Wikipedia to push Pro-Kremlin messaging on the platform.
The letter from the committee continued, “We requested information on the tools and methods Wikipedia utilizes to inject bias and halt malicious behavior that undermines a neutral perspective on its platform.
In a statement to USA Today, the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that runs Wikipedia, said it would consider requests from Congress.
According to the organization, “we welcome the opportunity to respond to committee questions and discuss the importance of protecting the integrity of information on the platform.”
(This story has been updated to include new information.)
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact him at fernando.cervantes @gannett.com and follow him at x @fern_cerv_.
