Jimbo at Davos

[Poetlister]

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, made it through the storm to attend the first night’s dinners and parties. It was true, he reflected, that the world has seen a troubling rise in “politicians gaining power by fomenting hatred” and voters seeking to reject internationalism. “But I don’t think it will last,” he told me. “We’re one small planet, and I hope we can get through this without too much bloodshed.”

Time magazine

[Poetlister]

Running into former US secretary of state John Kerry (alone), the affable Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau (with retinue), actor and UNHCR ambassador Cate Blanchett (with retinue), Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg (with team) and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales (with red shoelaces) on the streets is all in the day’s work at Davos, where heads of state, business, innovators and entrepreneurs gather to exchange ideas over raclette and champagne. ...

“When I go online, I get the same ads. I get boats, I like boats. So advertisers know here’s a 50-year-old middle-aged man with a mid-life crisis who wants boats. They pay for clicks,” said Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales at a discussion on fake news. “We need to rework the business model of digital advertising — journalism can’t compete if it’s all about clicks.”

Hindustan Times

Second time around, the reporter got co-founder!

[Poetlister]

The Register takes a cynical view:

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales later joined in, also slamming Facebook for its role in pushing fake news. Although quite why Wales was at a conference virtually dedicated to the world's elite businessmen and politicians is another matter.

[Poetlister]

The current advertising-led business model of social media companies and news publishers needs to change if we are to curb the spread of fake news, according to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. According to Wales advertising is “incredibly destructive” for journalism, prioritising the wrong incentives and encouraging click-bait style news articles.

Wales was speaking at the Fake News Versus Real Politics debate at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos today alongside managing editor of the New York Times Joseph Khan, deputy editor of RT Anna Belkina, and chairman of Pakistan’s People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Verdict

[Renée Bagslint]

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (T-H-L) was probably quite pleased to be sharing with Jimbo. His article on Wikipedia is pretty favourable.

[Soldado Sin Nombre]

The current advertising-led business model of social media companies and news publishers needs to change if we are to curb the spread of fake news, according to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. According to Wales advertising is “incredibly destructive” for journalism, prioritising the wrong incentives and encouraging click-bait style news articles.

Wales was speaking at the Fake News Versus Real Politics debate at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos today alongside managing editor of the New York Times Joseph Khan, deputy editor of RT Anna Belkina, and chairman of Pakistan’s People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Verdict

Did Jimbo clarify anything, offer insight into how to solve any problems, or did he just promote himself?

[Bezdomni]

Well, he *didn't* mention that Jon Stewart & Comedy Central were the ones who first pushed the term "fake news" across US (and arguably global) screens into public consciousness on a "Daily" basis.

He painted:

• Wikipedia as a community of altruists who fight against fake news warriors and who would never engage in partisan wiki-tribalism
• RT as an evil propagator of propaganda. (He didn't mention any specifics.1 Maybe he had in mind the example of their organizing and broadcasting the 3rd party debates in the 2012 US election since those candidates were excluded from the MSM-televised debates)
• FB's decision to reduce its role in news transmission as interesting

Probably the most interesting aspect of his appearance was his choice of footwear really.

---

1 He did handwave at a student group at Columbia called RT Watch, the quality of whose criticism (from a couple years ago) can be evaluated on tumblr where their work seems to have been published.

[Randy from Boise]

The Register takes a cynical view:

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales later joined in, also slamming Facebook for its role in pushing fake news. Although quite why Wales was at a conference virtually dedicated to the world's elite businessmen and politicians is another matter.

Because he wants to be one of them, silly pants journalist!

RfB

[Johnny Au]

Well, he *didn't* mention that Jon Stewart & Comedy Central were the ones who first pushed the term "fake news" across US (and arguably global) screens into public consciousness on a "Daily" basis.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes (T-H-L) of Canada predated Daily Show by a few years, but it was the latter that popularized the concept of news satire, branded as "fake news."

[Poetlister]

Did Jimbo clarify anything, offer insight into how to solve any problems, or did he just promote himself?

Three guesses!

[CrowsNest]

To be specific, his clear aim and focus these days, is promotion of WikiTribune's model as the future of news. He seems to believe this hybrid abortion is how you remove the deliterious effects of click-bait motivation, and how you prevent bias and inaccuracy. Needless to say, he should have probably waited until he could prove these claims with some evidence.

[Graaf Statler]

The probelm is only, it will never work. Because the concept has a system error, it is to slow. It works with secondary sources, and before his concept noticed something is fake news, it's already noticed by other news sources. It's really stupid what he wants, it can never work, in no way. It will always be old news what he is bringing.

[Poetlister]

The probelm is only, it will never work. Because the concept has a system error, it is to slow. It works with secondary sources, and before his concept noticed something is fake news, it's already noticed by other news sources. It's really stupid what he wants, it can never work, in no way. It will always be old news what he is bringing.

That is quite true, and it is why Wikinews never worked well.

[Graaf Statler]

The probelm is only, it will never work. Because the concept has a system error, it is to slow. It works with secondary sources, and before his concept noticed something is fake news, it's already noticed by other news sources. It's really stupid what he wants, it can never work, in no way. It will always be old news what he is bringing.

That is quite true, and it is why Wikinews never worked well.

Wrapped fish and chips, etc. What wonders me the most every time is Jimmy doesn't know Europe. Otherwise he had known the newspaper and journalist are controlled, in Holland they can face the Raad voor de Journalistiek.
Jimmy is talking like he is the safer of the world, and does forget most Europe country's are socialist, Christian Marxist oriented state controlled countries! Our political system is closer to China than to America!
And, the bad news is, nobody here want to change that, because it works fine! So, mister Jimmy is there to fill a chair, but nobody, really nobody in Europe will listen to him!

[Graaf Statler]

Maybe interesting to tell our American friends, De Raad voor de Journalistiek is a typical example how the Dutch/European system works. For almost everything there is kind arbitration, and it's all based on the code Napoleon. It means, they are looking for a solution. There is one for garages, (BOVAG) rentals of houses (Huurcommissie), furniture, associations, floor covering, name it. It is cheap, it is effective, etc. There are also simple courts (kantongerechten) If I have for instance a probleem with my neighbor.

If a newspaper, a journalist is spreading fake news, were am I going? To de Raad van Journalistiek. Again, what kind of problems wants Jimmy, WMF etc. to solve in these sometimes over organized country's. Here are camera's in the street, the gouvernement knows what I am paying, what book I got out the library, what I buy in the supermarkt. Everything , yes everything is state controlled. We have a lot of freedom, but within limitations

My question is, what is WMF, Jimmy doing in Europe. What does he or WMF brings us. And, yes to Americans this is communism I suppose, but it is our land, and even our Europe. So, if we want it in this way it is our business. What fake news is Jimmy fighting here? What Gender crap approach is WMF bringing us? What are they doing in our state controlled universities? And what do they do in our state subsidized museums? And do we want to change your copyright system by lobbing in your parlement?

We do not interfere in your political system, but why for the hell do you in our?

[Poetlister]

Jimbo does not understand, but is hoping to make money. Since he does not understand, he will no doubt have little joy from European countries.

[Bezdomni]

Well, he *didn't* mention that Jon Stewart & Comedy Central were the ones who first pushed the term "fake news" across US (and arguably global) screens into public consciousness on a "Daily" basis.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes (T-H-L) of Canada predated Daily Show by a few years, but it was the latter that popularized the concept of news satire, branded as "fake news."

Thanks for mentioning this. I didn't know that program. I mentioned Comedy Central (in part) because I'd seen a couple posts on the Columbia journalism students tumblr where the students had been treating "Redacted Tonight" as if it were a straight news program rather than a comedy show. One post where the author *does* recognize that it's a comedy show (about an episode that appeared during the Ferguson-Baltimore riots period) is almost worse...

Then there’s Camp’s heavy-handed sarcasm and flat-out racism. “You may be wondering why most of the rioters are Black,” he says. “I think it’s because the color on your TV screen is turned too far to the right. It’s the hue.”

source

Since it would be pretty much impossible for "our" Moral Hazard to be this clueless (even ripped out of its context, the point of the joke is pretty clear), I won't ask him if he's been moonlighting as a Columbia student.

I'm not defending RT in general or even arguing that Camp is particularly funny... I just think it's worth mentioning the quality of the source Wales used when he had a bully pulpit at the Davos panel. He seems to want to demonstrate that RT was dangerous propaganda being unleashed on an unwitting public. The key concept (which Wales didn't explore) seems to be the "unwitting public" part.

[Graaf Statler]

Jimbo does not understand, but is hoping to make money. Since he does not understand, he will no doubt have little joy from European countries.

He is there in Davos of course as piece of decoration for that conference. Something like an umbrella stand, look wat we have, the founder of Wikipedia. For sure nobody is listening to the Jimmy crap he is telling, and absolute Europe not. Jimmy is everything Europe don't want. And money? I don't know if there are still people who want to give money to Jimmy boy after the fiasco of TPO. I doubt it.

[tarantino]

Who's at Davos this year? Jimbo, of course, and

Adar_Poonawalla (T-H-L)
Adena Friedman (T-H-L)
Marc Benioff (T-H-L)
Jane_Fraser_(executive) (T-H-L)
George Soros (T-H-L)
Gautam Adani (T-H-L)
Mukesh Ambani (T-H-L)
Michelle Zatlyn (T-H-L)
Satya Nadella (T-H-L)
Henry Kissinger (T-H-L)
Wladimir Klitschko (T-H-L)
Yo-Yo Ma (T-H-L)
will.i.am (T-H-L)

etc, etc, etc