2021 People Power Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
February 26, 2021
February 25, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution. In celebration of this historical moment in Philippine history, the Human Rights Violations Victims Memorial Commision (HRVVMC) held its first ever People Power Wikipedia Editathon event from February 22 to 24, 2021. This event was open to the general Philippine public and mainly targeted active editors on Wikipedia. Here, participants from across the country took part in adding to the existing body of knowledge on Wikipedia relating to the Marcos period as well as correcting misinformation spread on the platform about this topic. These participants were guided throughout the event by veteran Wikipedia article editors and period experts enlisted by the HRVVMC.
In preparation for the editathon, HRVVMC held a series of Wikipedia workshops via zoom to further prepare and train participants for the event. Beginning on February 11, 2021, Veteran wikipedia article editors Mr. Remi Estrada de Leon and Mr. Eugene Alvin Villar presided as the workshop speakers and discussed various concepts and tips regarding Wikipedia article editing. Among these included several points on the advocacy of Wikipedia, reference use, and academic writing. In addition, technical aspects of the platform such as data visualization, Wikidata, and media incorporation in articles were also noted by the speakers. Through these workshops, participants of the event, particularly those new to Wikipedia editing, were given guidance by experienced professionals in the field.
Preparatory meeting for the event
During the three-day period of the editathon event itself, several lectures on topics relating to the Marcos period were also held. The aim of this was to enlist period experts to provide additional insight into the facts of the Marcos period. These lectures featured talks from history specialists such as Dr. Neil Martial R. Santillan of the University of the Philippines, Ms. Katrina Stuart Santiago of the People for Accountable Governance and Sustainable Action (PAGASA) civil society organization, Ms. Angela Stuart-Santiago who has written three books on the 1986 Revolution, Mr. John Ray Ramos of the Ateneo de Manila University, and Prof. Ferdinand C. Llanes who was the former Commissioner of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. These experts presented critical information on the declaration of martial law, Proclamation No. 1081, the EDSA revolution, and more.
Wikipedia article regarding the Marcos period that was edited as part of the Editathon
Image from Zoom lecture held during the Editathon
In line with the Wikipedia editing activities during the editathon, several notable feats were noted to have been accomplished by the event participants. With 34 editors, 89 new references were added to various articles relating to the Marcos period. Furthermore, over 7.53 thousand words were contributed during this editathon, and the articles edited were able to garner over 70.4 thousand views (as of 12 o’clock noon, February 24th, 2021).
Altogether, with the aid of veteran wikipedia editors and period experts, the HRVVMC was able to engage editors to contribute to the curtailment of misinformation about the Marcos Martial Law period on Wikipedia. Through this editathon, participants came together through a series of online synchronous and asynchronous activities to further the academic discussion on a very significant period in Philippine history.
Analytics achieved from editathon activities during the February 22 to 24, 2021 period
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[1] The Manila Times. “’The Filipino Is Worth Dying For’.” The Manila Times, The Manila Times, 22 Aug. 2010, www.manilatimes.net/2010/08/22/special-report/the-filipino-is-worth-dying-for/638146/.
[2] “Mrs. Marcos Testifies She Warned Aquino Not to Return to Manila.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 July 1984, www.nytimes.com/1984/07/03/world/mrs-marcos-testifies-she-warned-aquino-not-to-return-to-manila.html.
[3] Caralde, Mae Urtal. “Of Bodies, Death, and Martyrdom: The Case of Ninoy and Cory Aquino’s Death and the Re-Articulations of Philippine Political Narratives.” International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, vol. 14, no, 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 17-29. EBSCOhost
[4] The Manila Times. “’The Filipino Is Worth Dying For’.” The Manila Times, The Manila Times, 22 Aug. 2010, www.manilatimes.net/2010/08/22/special-report/the-filipino-is-worth-dying-for/638146/.
Works Cited:
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(3) Lim, David, et al. “RESPONDING TO PHILIPPINE REALITIES TODAY.” Transformation, vol. 1, no. 3, 1984, pp. 6–10. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43052061. Accessed 2 Aug. 2021.
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