 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
The issue of censorship on Wikipedia continues to be debated, although for the most part, the concept that Wikipedia is not censored holds strong dominance[citation needed]. On Wikipedia, the general concept is that concepts should not be censored, and that media which illustrates such concepts should likewise not be censored, if it has encyclopedic value. Determining whether something has encyclopedic value is subjective and debated. Beyond that, the varied landscape of legal doctrines (and related discourse) influence what can or cannot be on Wikipedia.
Recent controversies (as of February 2009, search "wp+block" search "wp+porn") include Katina Schubert's (detail) attempted criminal charges against the German Wikipedia for its article on Hitler Youth, in which she claimed that the article's usage of Nazi symbolism had exceeded reasonable documentary usage. Another recent issue regarded the Virgin Killer article, which shows the picture of a nude 12-year-old girl in a seductive pose, in a suggestive context (reference to her virginity). The British Internet Watch Foundation listed Wikipedia as in violation of its laws against child pornography, and blocked Wikipedia from view in Britain (detail) (it was apparently not technically possible for them to block just the page or the image). The issue was resolved when the IWF removed the block after public support fell on the side of Wikipedia.
Note also the issue of Wikipedia:Flagged revisions involves an element of censorship. Flagged revisions has had media attention recently, due to the January 2009 controversy on the Edward Kennedy article.
This Daily Telegraph article lends weight to the argument that Wikipedia is censored, or at least engages in self-censorship: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/7883064/MPs-scandals-covered-up-on-Wikipedia.html.