User:Meganfarley65/Evaluate an Article

User: Meganfarley65/Evaluate an Article

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MKUltra
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I have chosen to evaluate this article because it relates to my group project topic.
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

Overall, the opening paragraph is very concise and detail oriented. In terms of allowing readers maximum information in the first few sentences, I would personally include the general time period in the first sentence, in the form of (in the 1950s). This would allow the reader a very clear understanding of the operation with the most minimal reading possible. In editing the sentence “MKUltra used numerous methods to manipulate its subjects' mental states and brain functions, such as the covert administration of high doses of psychoactive drugs (especially LSD) and other chemicals, electroshocks, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, isolation, and verbal and sexual abuse, in addition to other forms of torture.”, I would consider deleting the entire first phrase, and simply provide the list of experimentations used. The more facts provided towards the beginning, the more concise the article appears. You can comment on the fact that mental states were being altered after listing these methods, although it may not be necessary as it is quite obvious that these methods would affect the subjects mentally.

In terms of the content, I would personally say that the “background” section needs some reworking. It leads off with the explanation of the name of the operation, which seems trivial to a reader who has little knowledge of what the operation even was. In addition, the explanation included many acronyms and euphemisms that the ordinary reader would have to seek the definition for, such as cryptonym, digraph, and Technical Services Staff. While this information is interesting, I would start the background section with the “Origins of the Project”. Readers will be concerned as to how this project even developed, so it is important that this explanation is at the forefront. Also, according to The CIA’s Appalling Human Experiments With Mind Control (History.com), cites Allan Dulles, the director of the CIA at the time, expressing that this project was being started to combat “Soviet brain perversion techniques”, and referencing American POWs returning from Korea “shells of the men they once were”. I believe highlighting fear of Soviet mind control as the main motive is a more effective explanation, rather than beginning with the comparison of this operation to WWII Nazi experimentation.

Overall, I think the tone of this article remains very neutral. They cite real people in expressing opinions on the matter, effectively keeping the tone of the article neutral as these quotes are citations. In terms of sources, they could be a bit more up-to-date. Many of them are from the 20th century as well as the early 21st century. Accessing more current articles in addition to these sources could provide more insight to the matter, as more has come out on this topic, especially in the age of the internet. Organizationally, as I mentioned earlier, they could forgo some sections in favor of more interesting/crucial ones. For example, moving the “Origin of the cryptonym” towards the end, allowing for the explanation of the actual experiments, “Experiments on Americans” to be closer to the forefront. This information is, in my opinion, more crucial to the understanding of this atrocity than the explanation of its naming.

The images in this section were definitely relevant, and surprisingly numerous, especially for a secret operation by the CIA. They were visually pleasing, but obviously less comprehensive than an article about a non-secret operation would be. In contrast, the talk page was very lackluster. I was surprised that such a shocking article would have such little discussion. It was a featured article in 2004, which was before the true rise of the internet, so that explains a lack of discussion. Also, as a secret operation, many readers might struggle to even come upon this topic and research it. Overall, I was happy with this article, but definitely believe some positive changes could be made.

(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)