Comments on: Ishmael Beah’s Story ‘Threatens to Blow Into a Million Little Pieces,’ Cover Story in the Village Voice Says

By: 1minutebookreviewswordpresscom

1minutebookreviewswordpresscom — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:53:22 +0000

Just saw your comment on Wikipedia about the UNICEF quote in the Voice blog. Quotes like that would definitely give the entry more credibility. I hope you can add it at some point.

You’d have wonder what’s up, wouldn’t you, if people tried to delete a quote from UNICEF from the entry?

Jan

By: rosabibi

rosabibi — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:19:26 +0000

quote from the discussion section:
“The subject’s publisher has registered disquiet with the weight we give The Australian’s account here (OTRS ticket#2008020710015739).”
But no response to my having pointed out that the entry as it now stands contains a slur against the Australian’s staff.

By: rosabibi

rosabibi — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:16:37 +0000

Hi again,
take a look at the discussion here, where a wikipedia admin justifies the change:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ishmael_Beah
I questioned it, and I also mentioned your blog and said that you had thought that Beah’s publisher might be involved in earlier changes = sorry to have misread you on that. Anyway, you can see the discussion. I’m fairly new to wikipedia and still working out all the bells and whistles. I’m going to leave it for now and think about it. The line that I think is an inaccurate slur on the Australian’s journalists is the bit about their having retracted claims about Beah’s parentage – they investigated, they never made claims, so there was nothing to retract. They might want to follow that one up themselves.

By: 1minutebookreviewswordpresscom

1minutebookreviewswordpresscom — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:49:37 +0000

[Update: I looked at the Wikipedia after I wrote this. It's shocking that Wikipedia has changed the words "Credibility Controvery" to "Dispute With the Australian" ... as though there's no credibility controversy after articles by AP, Slate, the Voice, etc. Wikipedia seems totally to have capitulated to Beah's handlers. I wonder if the editors at the Australian know this? Jan]

Yes, I could support arbitration. If you think it would help to copy this comment (and any of my biographical info) and paste it onto a Wikipedia forum, feel free. If you don’t think that would help, would you let me know what would help? The whole entry is a mess.

One thing that should go to arbitration: Wikipedia keeps calling Laura Simms Beah’s “foster” mother. But he says she’s his “adoptive” mother. Why can’t we have a clear answer on this? If we can’t have it, Wikipedia should change the line or take it out.

Also — just to clarify — I didn’t mean to suggest that Beah’s publisher was involved. I, too, was thinking of his informal support group and possibly Beah himself.

Let me know what you decide to do, and thanks for the update.
Jan

By: rosabibi

rosabibi — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:11:34 +0000

PS, Wikipedia has a facility to request arbitration. I think that should be done in that case, esp since the entry as it now stands is effectively accusing the Australian’s staff of unethnical conduct (by suggesting that they made “claims” about Beah’s parentage – they never made any such claim). have invested too much time in this already – you interested in taking it up?

By: rosabibi

rosabibi — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:05:08 +0000

Ok, so I thought you were off the mark in your earlier post where you said that Beah’s publisher was twiddling with his Wikipedia entry. And at that stage I think it was down to Beah’s informal support group. However, a Wikipedia editor (not an ordinary wikipedia user) has now started making deletions saying that they ahve been getting complaints from teh publisher. See the page and also see the history and discussion buttons.