Wikipedia Bias Against Israel Persists, New ADL Study Finds

A new study by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reveals that a significant portion of edits made by previously banned Wikipedia editors remain in key articles concerning Israel, Hamas, and the October 7th attacks. The research, published by the ADL's Center for Technology and Society (CTS), indicates that while coordinated editing activity has decreased by approximately 95% following previous investigations, the biased content has not disappeared but has shifted to more subtle editing methods.

The report builds on a March 2025 ADL study, "Editing for Hate," which alleged a coordinated effort by around 30 editors to skew Wikipedia's portrayal of Israel, Jewish history, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new findings show that despite the banning of six editors and the complete blocking of three others from the examined subject areas, their work often went unchecked. The study highlights that 91% of edits made by one fully banned user are still present in active text on prominent articles like "Hamas," "Gaza War," "Zionism," and "October 7th Attacks."

The ADL identified 19 accounts they claim continue to influence articles on Israel and Palestinians. Eight of these belonged to the original group of editors but faced no sanctions, while 11 are new accounts. These new accounts were responsible for the most recent edits in about 60% of the 229 articles examined, suggesting a substantial impact on current content.

The report details specific examples, including changes to the Hamas article shortly after October 7th, where information on Hamas's antisemitism and human rights violations was moved to a separate article, and the current lead section of the Hamas article no longer states it is a designated terror organization at the beginning. Similarly, the "Gaza War" article allegedly had extensive text detailing atrocities removed, with subsequent edits reducing descriptions of atrocities to a single line stating "terrorists were involved in these acts 'according to reports.'" The "Zionism" article's introduction reportedly frames it as a movement that achieved its goals through "colonization" and sought a state with "as few Palestinian Arabs as possible."

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated that banning individual editors is insufficient, as articles read by millions and used by AI models still bear the marks of a systematic disinformation campaign that Wikipedia acknowledged but never fully corrected. He urged the Wikimedia Foundation to conduct a comprehensive review and called on AI and search engine companies to avoid presenting disputed framing as agreed fact. Daniel Kli, a senior manager at CTS, added that even when Wikipedia took action against some editors, their work often remained, pushing an ideological narrative that violated Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy.