| The Truth According to Wikipedia | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | IJsbrand van Veelen |
| Produced by | VPRO Backlight |
| Starring | Jimmy Wales Larry Sanger Andrew Keen Phoebe Ayers Tim O'Reilly |
| Music by | Chris Everts Frank van der Sterre |
| Cinematography | Niels van't Hoff Pim Hawinkels Richard Kille |
| Editing by | Stefan Kamp Jos de Putter Doke Romeijn |
| Release date(s) | 2008 |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | English |
The Truth According to Wikipedia (also referred to as Wiki's Waarheid and Wiki's Truth) is a Dutch documentary film about Wikipedia directed by IJsbrand van Veelen. The documentary examines the reliability of Wikipedia, and the dichotomy between usage of experts versus amateur editors. The film includes commentary from Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, The Cult of the Amateur author Andrew Keen, O'Reilly Media chief executive officer Tim O'Reilly, and former editor-in-chief of Encyclopædia Britannica Robert McHenry. Keen argues that experts should serve as guardians of information during the Web 2.0 phenomenon; this point of view is supported by analysis from Sanger.
The documentary premiered at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam in April 2008, and was broadcast by VPRO television in the Netherlands. It was subsequently made available through American Public Television. The Truth According to Wikipedia received a generally positive reception, with favorable commentary in a review from Film Quarterly,[1] and in an analysis published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.[2]
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Director IJsbrand van Veelen examines questions about Wikipedia, including whether it will harm traditional encyclopaedias, including Encyclopædia Britannica and the reliability of Wikipedia. Veelen also addresses the idea that information wants to be free.[3][4] Individuals who are interviewed and appear as commentators in the film include Wikipedia co-founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger; the author of The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen; author of How Wikipedia Works and Wikipedia editor, Phoebe Ayers; Swahili Wikipedia contributor Ndesanjo Macha; O'Reilly Media chief executive officer Tim O'Reilly; We Think author Charles Leadbeater; and previous editor-in-chief over Encyclopædia Britannica, Robert McHenry.[3][4][5]
Discussion topics include how the contributions of both unqualified and expert users affect Wikipedia, and more broadly, the Web 2.0 phenomenon.[3][4][5] Andrew Keen is featured prominently in the film, and puts forth a thesis that veracity of information should be determined by experts who should function as guardians for such material.[3][5] Keen's argument is supported in the film by commentary from Larry Sanger, who left Wikipedia over a conflict with Jimmy Wales regarding Sanger's desire for experts to be given additional influence on the project.[6]
The Truth According to Wikipedia was directed by IJsbrand van Veelen.[7] Van Veelen had previously directed Google Behind the Screen.[4] Interviews were conducted by Marijntje Denters, Martijn Kieft and IJsbrand van Veelen.[7] Marijntje Denters and William de Bruijn researched and gathered information for the film.[7] Judith van den Berg served as film producer, and film editors included Jos de Putter and Doke Romeijn.[7] The film utilized 60 seconds of footage from a video made by Chris Pirillo, who later objected that such usage was done without obtaining his permission or crediting him with the content.[8] The documentary film was released in 2008.[9] The controversy over the censorship of Wikipedia in China was ongoing during the time of the film's release.[10] The film premiered globally at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam on 4 April 2008.[11][12] It was broadcast by VPRO on 7 April 2008.[9] The organization American Public Television (APT) began to make the film available in Summer 2008, and was contracted to show the documentary as an APT program, from February 2009 through January 2011.[13]
"a sharp and wide-ranging overview of wiki-pistemology"
The Truth According to Wikipedia received a positive review in the journal Film Quarterly, where author Ben Walters called the film, "a sharp and wide-ranging overview of wiki-pistemology made by the liberal Dutch broadcaster VPRO".[1] In an analysis Teaching Seven Revolutions: A Tool Kit for Educating Globally Competent Citizens published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the documentary was given a rating of "Good".[2] The documentary was given positive reception from Eric Schonfeld of TechCrunch, who commented, "The film is masterfully made and shows many points of view".[3] Schonfeld was critical of the documentary for its emphasis on Andrew Keen throughout the film, and noted, "it ends up being more than anything else a vehicle for Keen to put forth his diatribes against Wikipedia. You definitely get the sense that he wins the argument in the movie."[3] Of Keen's argument, Schonfeld observed, "he misses the point that the relatively small handful of people who do most of the writing and editing on Wikipedia may very well be experts in their topic areas, or become experts by writing and researching Wikipedia articles."[3]
Commenting on the film himself, Keen called it "a really incisive new documentary".[14] Media futurist, blogger, and writer Gerd Leonhard recommended the film and called it "a great video to watch".[15] Nicholas Carlson of Gawker Media framed the documentary as a conflict between "Experts vs. amateurs", and distilled the essence of the film down to a 90-second version.[16] Designer and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media Stephen Downes characterized the documentary as an "Interesting video about Wikipedia and Web 2.0."[17] Downes was critical of the film for using a documentary-style format in order to present its message, "The thing about this form - the video documentary - is that there is no really way (or requirement) to substantiate perspectives with argumentation and evidence."[17] Ernst-Jan Pfauth of The Next Web observed, "Van Veelen managed to get some interesting and authoritative people for his camera."[4] Pfauth posted questions raised by the film's analysis, "Are equality and truth really reconcilable ideals? And most importantly, has the Internet brought us wisdom and truth, or is it high time for a cultural counterrevolution?"[4]
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