{"id":315248,"date":"2024-01-18T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T07:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=315248"},"modified":"2025-09-20T16:42:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T15:42:17","slug":"in-the-war-for-narratives-irans-regime-takes-to-wikipedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/demonization-documents-statements\/in-the-war-for-narratives-irans-regime-takes-to-wikipedia\/","title":{"rendered":"In the War for Narratives Iran’s Regime Takes to Wikipedia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iran<\/p>\n

Three minutes read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia, the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia, has emerged as a vast repository of information, accessible to millions globally. However, the platform’s open editing model has also made it susceptible to manipulation and bias, raising concerns about the reliability of its content. Malign actors, including the terrorist regime in Iran, have been known to organize coordinated editing campaigns to influence the content on Wikipedia and thus mislead a population that strives for the truth.<\/p>\n

On January 7, the Times of London reported<\/a> that \u201cWikipedia entries have been changed to downgrade Iranian human rights atrocities and other abuses, raising concerns that agents or supporters are using the site to manipulate publicly available information about the hostile regime. Information has also been changed to discredit Iranian dissident groups, while government publications have been presented as impartial news sources on the free online encyclopedia.\u201d<\/p>\n

On January 15, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, a political scientist and board member of the Harvard International Review, wrote in Townhall<\/a>, \u201cWikipedia, relying on a community of volunteers to edit and maintain its content, has become a prime target for spreading disinformation and state propaganda. While Wikipedia has guidelines in place to ensure neutrality and accuracy, these guidelines can be manipulated and abused by well-organized and well-financed groups that infiltrate the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explaining how Tehran has succeeded in feeding Wikipedia pages with unverified accusations as factual content on Wikipedia, Dr. Rafizadeh adds, \u201cThe Iranian government has been known to spend significant sums of money to manipulate Western journalists and portray the principal Iranian opposition group, Mujahedin-e-Khalq, as a \u2018cult.\u2019 These efforts involve social media campaigns, dissemination of fake news, provision of grants for biased reports, and even direct hiring of reporters. By presenting unverified claims as facts, the regime seeks to discredit its main opposition and shape public opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When the use of force failed to achieve the desired outcome and instead resulted in counterproductive consequences, the regime ruling #Iran<\/a> resorted to softer tactics such as deception, demonization, and #psychological<\/a> warfare.https:\/\/t.co\/qOJPiWXoYq<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n