Wikipedia labels ADL as unreliable source, while Al Jazeera given green light

The ADL was seen to be unreliable on all matters relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and antisemitism.

By MATHILDA HELLER NOVEMBER 17, 2024 18:47

Jonathan GReenblatt, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO and Wikipedia logo. (illustrative) (photo credit: Canva, JEENAH MOON/REUTERS, WIKIPEDIA)

Wikipedia now lists the Anti-Defamation League as a 'generally unreliable' source on antisemitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while Al Jazeera - the Qatari-run media - is listed as "generally reliable."

The Wikipedia community's editors reached a consensus that the ADL as a source is "questionable" in most cases, and they say it should not be used except in "exceptional circumstances."

The guidelines also say that the ADL should never be used to provide information about a living person.

The ADL was seen to be unreliable on all matters relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and antisemitism.

The reason given was "significant evidence that the ADL acts as a pro-Israeli advocacy group and has repeatedly published false and misleading statements as fact, un-retracted, regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict."

Wikipedia's logo in Arabic, the pieces of which have changed to the colors of the Palestinian flag due to the Israel-Hamas War. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Criticizing the move

In June, more than 40 Jewish groups signed a letter to the board of the Wikimedia Foundation, criticizing the then-possible classification of ADL as unreliable.

“Fundamentally, Wikipedia is stripping the Jewish community of the right to defend itself from the hatred that targets our community,” the groups wrote.

“We urge you to immediately launch an investigation into this decision and the motivations behind it, and to start the process for administrative reconsideration.”

Despite this, Al Jazeera continues to be "generally reliable."

While the majority of editors felt that both Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic were biased sources regarding the Arab–Israeli conflict, the consensus was that the source overall could be used.

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Last month, the IDF announced that six journalists actively working for Al Jazeera were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The IDF claimed to have documents that showed that the six men, all part of Hamas's military wing, were employed simultaneously by the paper.

Al Jazeera has also been caught censoring Gazan criticism of Hamas and has publicly mass-doxed IDF soldiers.

The news outlet is now banned in Israel, and its journalists have had their press passes revoked.