Ethical Wikipedia Engagement
Professional Development Workshop Set 7
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Room: Salons 14 - 15
Track: Tools & Techniques
Given the wide use of Wikipedia by the public, having articles with incorrect or outdated information is not in anyone’s interest. Yet edits made by public relations professionals are unlikely to stick. Although many suggest that Wikipedia policies be based on accuracy and transparency in Wikipedia articles no matter who does the editing, as long as the information is accurate, unbiased and properly referenced, the co-founder of Wikipedia doesn’t agree.
- Identify the current state of public relations involvement in Wikipedia.
- Discover why this issue is important and what has been done to shed light on it.
- Learn how to work with the Wikipedia community to serve the public interest of objectively accurate entries.
Session Materials
Final Presentation
(Available to registered attendees only. )
Presenters
Marcia W. DiStaso, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of public relations in the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University. She is an Arthur W. Page Center Senior Research Fellow, Chair of the PRSA Financial Communications Section, Co-Chair of the PRSA National Research Committee, research chair of the PRSA Educators Academy and a board member of the International Public Relations Research Conference. Her research agenda, speaking engagements and consulting focus on social media, financial communications and investor relations.
Dr. Marcus Messner is an assistant professor of mass communications in the School of Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University. He serves as academic director of a Social Media Institute for the U.S. State Department, which designs social media campaigns for non-profits.
Rian Merrill is a senior account supervisor at Edelman Digital, the online practice of Edelman Public Relations. While he began his career in public affairs, Merrill now specializes in online consumer research and planning for the consumer packaged goods and consumer technology sectors.