User:Jeffrie w/sandbox

Article Evaluation - Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections

 * There are a lot of citations for many claims made throughout the article; however, there are few citations within the introduction to the article
 * The content in the article are all highly relevant to the Russian Interference and provide useful information like impartial data.
 * The article maintains a neutral tone, does not make opinionated statements and offers citations for most statements and points within the article
 * Keeps opinions out of statements; they just provide the points and information on the topic
 * All the citation links I tested worked - the article has 559 cited sources
 * Most sources are from trustworthy, though not necessarily academic, sources. These sources include the New York Times, CNN, Vox, the Guardian, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, etc.
 * There isn't much content on recent developments about the Russian Interference, more updated information here would make the article more relevant and up-to-date
 * It appears to be part of a WikiProject - WikiProject Hillary Clinton/Article alerts/Archive
 * It provides a lot of really good information on how Russian hackers used social media sites like Twitter and Facebook - information that I think is really relevant to the understanding of how technology is affect politics
 * The article is good at acknowledging bias and only presents points of views as just points of view rather than just facts. Example: " The resulting news coverage created the impression that the Democratic National Committee was biased against Clinton's Democratic primary challenger Bernie Sanders (who received 43% of votes cast in the Democratic presidential primaries) and forced DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign, disrupting the plans of the Clinton campaign."
 * The discussion in the Talk section isn't necessarily directly related to the 2016 Russian interference but are instead discussing other relevant subjects. There is a lot of discussion in the talk section of the article about Russian Hoax Theory (Trump hoax that Obama planted a spy in Trump's 2016 presidential election and they write that they're discussing it there is due to concerns of bias. Some editors are discussing their concerns about some editors of the Wikipedia article being supports of the idea of Trump's hoax and they provide a lot of articles on the subjects to inform all readers about the Russian Hoax Theory.
 * Link to my evaluation (it's called "Feedback" and I signed it): Talk:Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections

#1 - Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests:
This article is about how social media played a role in bringing together people to protest over unions. The article only has about 10 references, which makes sense given that it's a very niche topic. However, the actual content of the paragraph does not cite where each point comes from. There are no in-text citations in the article so I could definitely work to add in more in-text citations to add credibility to the information found here. I could also add to the "Talk" section and begin discussions because there's currently nothing there. More obviously, I can also work to find more information on the subject and add them to the article as the page is only 2 paragraphs long. I think this might a good choice because it's quite specific and has many areas for me to readily improve.

Link: Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests

#2 - Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
This article discusses the origins of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation on social media and how it spread across the world through platforms like Twitter. This topic isn't as broad as the Clinton or Trump articles and also not a part of any series, which means there is probably more room here for improvement. It has 37 sources and frequently cites them throughout the article. I think the article has room for improvement though, as they don't discuss public support for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation or how it currently uses technology to grow. Also, their "Activities" section does not discuss any actions that the BLMGNF has actually undertaken itself, but rather controversies or things outside of the BLMGNF's control like people donating to the wrong BLM organization. This section can definitely be expanded further with content more relevant to the subject matter and with more references of course. Overall, the article seems to focus more on the controversies around the BLMGNF, indicating to me a possible negative bias. I would add a lot more information about how the organization expanded through social media, add how many members it currently has, how they have used their online presence for anti-racism, etc.

Link: Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation

Plans for editing the "Use of social media in the Wisconsin protests" article
This article has a lot of room for addition and improvement as it's a fairly short article. My first idea to improve this article is to add in-text citations throughout the article. Currently, the article does not have in-text references and this means that no point made about the Wisconsin protests in this article can be said to be true. All the claims need to be backed up by evidence and I'll be adding in these references. Alongside referencing what has already been said in the article, I also plan to expand the article to talk more about the impacts of social media during the Wisconsin protests. Currently, the article touches on how social media was used but not on to what degree did social media push people to protest in Wisconsin in 2011. Furthermore, more can be said about the methods by which social media was used in Wisconsin. More detail is necessary here. For example, talking about contemporary news coverage of the growing protest movement in Wisconsin in 2011 should also be discussed in the article as the news is social media as well.

Here is a bibliography of references I plan to use to add to this article:

Bergquist, L. (2011, September 5). Protests permeate Labor Day. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/129274648.html/.

Davey, M., & Greenhouse, S. (2011, February 16). Angry demonstrations in Wisconsin as cuts loom. The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17wisconsin.html.

Hanna, A. (2011, July 18). Wisconsin and Egypt: A tale of two uprisings. Isthmus. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://isthmus.com/opinion/opinion/wisconsin-and-egypt-a-tale-of-two-uprisings/.

HuffPost. (2017, December 7). Hundreds of pizzas donated to feed Wisconsin teacher protesters. HuffPost. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donations-to-ians-pizza-o_n_826149.

Johnson, S. (2021, February 12). A decade after Act 10, it's a different world for Wisconsin unions. Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.wpr.org/decade-after-act-10-its-different-world-wisconsin-unions.

Knutsen, K. (2011, February 13). A guide to social media campaigns against Scott Walker's Agenda for Wisconsin Public Unions. Isthmus. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://isthmus.com/news/news/a-guide-to-social-media-campaigns-against-scott-walkers-agenda-for-wisconsin-public-unions/.

Kroll, A. (2015, June 29). Cairo in Wisconsin. The Nation. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/cairo-wisconsin/.

Lach, E. (2011, February 17). Paul Ryan on Wisconsin protests: 'it's like Cairo has moved to Madison' (video). Talking Points Memo. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/paul-ryan-on-wisconsin-protests-it-s-like-cairo-has-moved-to-madison-video.

Mayers, J. (2011, February 15). Thousands of Wisconsin Union Workers Protest Budget Plan. Reuters. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wisconsin-protests/thousands-of-wisconsin-union-workers-protest-budget-plan-idUSTRE71E7BY20110215.

McAdam, D. (1983). Tactical Innovation and the pace of insurgency. American Sociological Review, 48(6), 735. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095322 PR Watch Admin Read more here. (2013, December 6). Wisconsin protests, Friday, March 11 - Sunday, March 13, 2011. PR Watch. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/03/10567/wisconsin-protests-friday-march-11-sunday-march-13-2011.

Spicuzza, M. (1AD, January 1). 'You knew that history was taking place': Social media fueled Act 10 protests and set the stage for future movements. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/02/11/social-media-fueled-act-10-protests-10-years-ago/4425932001/.

Tarr, J. (2011, February 21). Report from the command centers: Protests slow for a day, but activity in and around the Capitol continues. Isthmus. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://isthmus.com/news/news/report-from-the-command-centers-protests-slow-for-a-day-but-activity-in-and-around-the-capitol-continues/.

Tarrow, S. G. (2011). Power in movement: Social Movements and contentious politics. Cambridge University Press.

Background
In 2011, the newly sworn-in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker outlined his plans for substantial reform on labor unions in Assembly Bill. On February 11, 2011, his controversial bill included legislation that would significantly restrict the power of labor unions by limiting the collective bargaining rights of labor and limiting the subjects of union discussions to only basic wage talks. The bill also compelled public workers to pay much more out-of-pocket for health insurance. The people impacted by this bill's labor reforms - particularly the limitations imposed on the bargaining rights - included teachers, clerical workers, prison guards, nearly all government employees, and many more people working under labor unions. The breadth of people who would receive lower wages and pay-cuts led to the emergence of significant labor protests across Wisconsin.

The protest movement's spread through social media
The pro-union side used many forms of social media to sway public opinion and organize protests. Every segment of the population made use of social media's accessibility to contribute to the pro-labor protest movement. For one group of college students, after a student meeting they decided to use social media to push for their teachers' rights. They formed a group called the "Wisconsin Students for Solidarity" and organized a student walkout using Facebook. Their student walkout that started as a local-Wisconsin affair grew to become a nationwide event called the "Nationwide Student Walkout" on Facebook.

In another example, during the first night of the teacher strikes in February, 2011, social media was used to connect the protestors to a global community. A local pro-labor pizza restaurant, Ian's Pizza, used Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness and donations for the teachers striking in Wisconsin. Highlighting the speed by which information travels through social media, Ian Pizza's use of Facebook, Twitter, and reaching out to local news stations resulted in Ian's Pizza receiving donations from people from 14 different countries - including Korea, Finland, New Zealand, Egypt, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Germany, China, England, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy - and all 50 states in the United States. These donations sent thousands of free pizzas and slices to the protestors throughout the duration of the protests.

An attorney named Bill Mahler also decided to close his law firm early on March 11 in a show of support for the unions and used his blog and Twitter account to both put pressure on and convince other law firms to do the same. Showing the range of supporters for the localized issue in Wisconsin, Mahler's and his firm were not located in Wisconsin, but in Seattle, Washington. This fact accentuates how social media enables the wide and rapid movement of information and ideas beyond where an issue is centralized. These protests, and actions, have had positive effects in other states for opponents of the bill in Wisconsin. Indiana Republicans recently dropped a similar bill, under pressure from Indiana Democrats and other union supporters.

The news also played a critical role in driving support for the protests on social media. The Associated Press published a story with private quotes from Governor Walker threatening to use the National Guard to forcefully shut down the protests. Left-leaning networks and labor groups shared this story on social media to galvanize support for the pro-labor movement in Wisconsin. News of the Arab Spring in Egypt was also used by pro-labor movements to support the Wisconsin protestors and draw parallels between the two protests in both literal and metaphorical ways. Famously, an Egyptian man posted on Facebook a photo of himself holding a sign saying "EGYPT Supports Wisconsin Workers: One World, One Pain" during the Arab Spring. According to The Nation writer, Andy Kroll, the popularity of the Arab Spring on social media helped push young people to similarly use Facebook and Twitter to organize and protest for the cause they believed in.

On the other side of the protests, Governor Scott Walker used Twitter to state his ideas, communicate with those who agreed with him and allow those who did not, to respond. Some of the tweets have even been looked at as actively negotiating with the Unions, by some writers. His supporters used the same types of social media to drum up support, around not only Wisconsin, but the entire nation, just as the opposition had done. One website, "americansforprosperity.org," had a petition set up on their website, available for those who agreed with Walker, to sign. This site also had Twitter updates and a link to a Facebook page. Other major political figures have also used the internet to voice their support for the governor. Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty posted a video and started a petition on his website. Also, former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, posted a public appeal on a conservative website.

Impact of social media in the 2011 Wisconsin protests
WIP

Response to GoBears243 -
I agree with this first that I should explicitly mention the phrase, "the 2011 Wisconsin protests" given that's what the article is titled. This will help ground the reader in what I'm talking about and also give them better context for the information that they are reading.

Also, thanks for your compliment on the article's structure. I definitely agree though that my tone in the first section is dismissive of the bill. Though I was going off the tone and arguments put forward by almost all the articles I read, I certainly have to keep in mind that despite the arguments I read, these arguments cannot make their way into this article. I will alter my tone to be more neutral and also include more of the argument in support of the bill such that the reader is not left convinced of one side of the argument, but rather as more educated on the subject. Rephrasing words is a great suggestion as well and I will make sure to rephrase some wording to alter the tone.

As for the amount of examples of social media used on both sides, I agree that dividing into pro-union and anti-union sides would make the article more clear. However, given my research, I know that it would be harder to include more examples of Governor Walker using social media as the majority of social media use came from the pro-union side. Furthermore, I respectfully disagree that phrases like "this fact accentuates how social media enables the wide and rapid movement of information and ideas beyond where an issue is centralized" and "every segment of the population made use of social media's accessibility to contribute to the pro-labor protest movement" are not encyclopedic. Highlighting the use of social media throughout the article is bringing users back to the main point of the article, which is social media use in the Wisconsin protests. It is not arguing that social media use is good or bad, just highlighting the pervasiveness of social media use in the Wisconsin protests. I have seen many Wikipedia articles make similar phrases.

Thank you GoBears243 for your really helpful feedback! I'll be sure to edit tone and the points I've included to make the article less biased towards one side. Thanks again!

Response to Bgallardo225 -
Thanks for your feedback, Bgallardo225. I definitely agree that the article is a bit one-sided and biased against Governor Scott Walker's legislation. I will be sure to alter the tone and include more examples of Governor Walker and his supporters using social media, though it may take some more digging to find. I will try to not paint the supporters of the union movement, or anyone discussed in this article for that matter, in positive or negative lights. I will go through each phrase to make sure that they're impartial. Thanks again, Bgallardo225, for your great feedback to my article more encyclopedic!