Researchers say Wikipedia editor softened El-Sayed's page before Michigan Senate election
Researchers Ashley Rindsberg and Yehuda Teitelbaum say an anonymous Wikipedia user softened passages on Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's page in the months before the election. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger called the findings appropriate criticism of the site. The coverage is based on their posts on X, and no response from El-Sayed or Wikipedia is reported.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Researchers say the Wikipedia page of Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed was edited over several months to soften or remove references to controversies, ahead of the November 3 election. The Times of IndiaN “allegedly edited over several months to soften or remove references to controversies surrounding him” Read at The Times of India ↗ New York PostR “Wikipedia page was quietly whitewashed over the past few months by a mysterious editor” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2The edits were made by an anonymous user named "CopyleftEverything", who the New York Post says also made dozens of edits to pages on the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the American Communist Party and the Revolutionary Communists of America. New York PostR “is also responsible for dozens of other edits to pages on the Party for Socialism and Liberation” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “anonymous Wikipedia contributor using the username "CopyleftEverything"” Read at The Times of India ↗ Mixed · 2Ashley Rindsberg, an investigative journalist and founder of the campaign-influence tracker NPOV, and researcher Yehuda Teitelbaum separately tracked the page's revisions and posted them on X. Rindsberg said the editor was "diligent in what appears to be a clean-up of El-Sayed's page". New York PostR “separately tracked revisions to El-Sayed’s page and posted them this week on X” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “Rindsberg said the editor had been carrying out what appeared to be a systematic clean-up” Read at The Times of India ↗
Mixed · 2On June 12, the wording "has never been granted a medical license" was changed to "did not pursue a medical license". El-Sayed holds an MD from Columbia University but did not complete residency or obtain a licence, and he was criticised in the campaign for calling himself a doctor. New York PostR ““did not pursue a medical license.”” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “did not complete residency training or obtain a medical licence” Read at The Times of India ↗ Mixed · 2On October 10, the description of left-wing streamer Hasan Piker was changed from "a controversial left-wing Twitch … streamer and political commentator" to "left-wing political commentator". Piker appeared with El-Sayed at two primary-night events in April and has been criticised for saying America "deserved" the September 11 attacks. New York PostR “altered on Oct. 10 from “a controversial left-wing Twitch … streamer and political commentator”” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “removing the word "controversial"” Read at The Times of India ↗ Mixed · 2Paragraphs removed on October 12 and October 31 described El-Sayed hiring a Jewish community liaison officer amid tensions over his criticism of the Israeli government, his opposition to military aid to Israel and his statements about the March 12 Temple Israel attack in West Bloomfield. He later apologised for saying "hurt people hurt people" about the attacker's relatives, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. New York PostR “deleting similar paragraphs on Oct. 12 and Oct. 31” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “He later apologized for the remark.” Read at The Times of India ↗
Mixed · 2Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger called Rindsberg's findings "old-fashioned journalism" and said they were "both appropriate and effective as a criticism of Wikipedia and how it works today". New York PostR “it’s “old-fashioned journalism,” and “both appropriate and effective as a criticism of Wikipedia and how it works today.”” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “described Rindsberg's findings as "old-fashioned journalism"” Read at The Times of India ↗ Mixed · 2Teitelbaum told the Post the changes were troubling because Google and AI systems rely on Wikipedia, and he called them "an organized effort to change the narrative in this country". The articles do not report any response from El-Sayed, his campaign or Wikipedia, or any finding that the edits were coordinated or made at his request. New York PostR “This was really an organized effort to change the narrative in this country” Read at New York Post ↗ The Times of IndiaN “Google search results and artificial intelligence systems frequently rely on its content” Read at The Times of India ↗ Mixed · 2El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers on November 3, and the Times of India says he is the first Muslim American elected to the US Senate. Wikipedia lets anyone, including anonymous users, edit pages directly, and contributors are generally expected to support changes with verifiable sources. The Times of IndiaN “El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the November 3 Michigan Senate election.” Read at The Times of India ↗ New York PostR “Editors typically back up additions with verifiable third-party references” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- The Times of India poses the story as a question and uses 'allegedly' and 'reportedly', largely restating the Post's findings.
- Emphasis
- The specific edits, Sanger's response, and El-Sayed's historic win as the first Muslim American elected to the US Senate.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not report its own verification or any response from El-Sayed or Wikipedia. Relies on the Post for Teitelbaum's quote.
- Charged language
- “allegedly”“organized effort”
- For example
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“Did Abdul El-Sayed get his Wikipedia page edited to soften controversial sentences before Michigan Senate election?” — The Times of India
“he told the New York Post” — The Times of India
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The New York Post frames it as a 'whitewash' by a 'mystery editor' with links to far-left pages, and leads with antisemitism controversies.
- Emphasis
- The editor's other edits on communist and socialist party pages, the antisemitism-related deletions, and Teitelbaum's claim of an organised effort.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No response from El-Sayed or Wikipedia, and no evidence of who the editor is or of any link to him. Attributes the findings to 'social media sleuths' and 'sources'.
- Charged language
- “whitewashed”“mystery editor”“radical Dem”“eyebrow-raising”
- For example
-
“Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s Wikipedia page was quietly whitewashed over the past few months by a mysterious editor” — New York Post
“the radical Dem defeated Republican Mike Rogers” — New York Post
What every side reports
- An anonymous Wikipedia user, 'CopyleftEverything', edited El-Sayed's page over several months.
- Rindsberg and Teitelbaum separately tracked the changes and posted them on X.
- Specific edits on June 12, October 10, October 12 and October 31 softened or removed material on El-Sayed's medical licence, Hasan Piker and his relations with Michigan's Jewish community.
- Larry Sanger called the findings 'old-fashioned journalism'.
- El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers on November 3.
Where accounts differ
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Nature of the edits
- Centre
- The Times of India says the page was 'allegedly' edited and the changes were 'reportedly' made, presenting them as researchers' claims.
- Right
- The Post calls the page 'whitewashed' by a 'mystery editor' and cites Teitelbaum's claim of 'an organized effort to change the narrative'.
Abdul El-Sayed person
No comment from El-Sayed is reported. The coverage describes him as having defeated Mike Rogers and as having apologised for the 'hurt people hurt people' remark.
“El-Sayed later apologized for saying “hurt people hurt people”” — New York Post
“His victory makes him the first Muslim American elected to the US Senate” — The Times of India
Wikipedia organisation
No statement from Wikipedia is reported. Coverage describes its open-editing model, in which anyone can edit and sources are expected.
“just about anyone can click the “Edit” tab on an article to modify contents immediately” — New York Post
“contributors are generally expected to support information with verifiable sources” — The Times of India
Larry Sanger person
Sanger, Wikipedia's co-founder, said on X that Rindsberg's work is 'old-fashioned journalism' and 'both appropriate and effective as a criticism of Wikipedia and how it works today'.
““both appropriate and effective as a criticism of Wikipedia and how it works today.”” — New York Post
“described Rindsberg's findings as "old-fashioned journalism"” — The Times of India
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Neutral Reports the researchers' allegations cautiously, with hedged wording and an explanatory question headline.
Right1 article
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Critical Presents the edits as a whitewash by an editor tied to far-left pages, resting on social-media researchers' findings.
- 7 Nov 12:28 First New York PostR Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed’s Wikipedia page was whitewashed of controversies by mystery editor before election: sources
- 7 Nov 15:13 +2h 44m The Times of IndiaN Did Abdul El-Sayed get his Wikipedia page edited to soften controversial sentences before Michigan Senate election? Larry Sanger responds
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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