User:Vanuliarya/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_Access_Pipeline_protests

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)


 * In the wake of the protests of Summer 2020, many of us have come to learn more about the history of resistance in the United States, and now, more than ever, environmental issues intersecting with those of human rights are extremely important. The Dakota Access Pipeline Protests (commonly known as #NoDAPL on social media) are a prime example of a grassroots movement that took a stand against institutional violence. This movement gained a lot of support on the ground across America, and also from political and celebrity figures as well. It is a fundamental human rights issue that allowed us to see the ways the government sanctions environmental racism against historically marginalized peoples.

Evaluate the article
(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.)

Article Evaluation
Lead Section The lead section has plenty of well cited and relevant information, but this section in particular could be more concise. I think this paragraph in particular – "During the protest numerous high-profile activists and Congressional Democrats spoke out for the rights of the tribe. Bernie Sanders actively supported the movement [11][12] and President Obama spoke with tribal leaders and offered his support. Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault II, who was himself arrested and strip searched while protesting, gave numerous interviews explaining the tribe's positions; he also addressed the tribe's positions at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland." was thoroughly covered in the 'Security confrontations and harsh treatment of protesters', and does not seem crucial to the lead section. The introductory sentence sums up the topic well, but the lack of mentioning the Standing Rock tribe doesn't address the core group affected by and responsible for the movement – this tribe in particular is the reason for the protests and movement writ large, and by reading the first sentence, a reader should be able to identify that. This paragraph from the lead section – "Journalists, such as Amy Goodman, political figures such as Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, actress Shailene Woodley, and numerous members of the left-leaning media collective Unicorn Riot were arrested." – mentions the collective 'Unicorn Riot' whose presence in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests is not mentioned later in the article. I believe their involvement should be described further, or this phrase be omitted from the lead section entirely.

Content

The content on 'Standing Rock Sioux Tribe legal proceedings' should include the court's from ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg that the DAPL will stay open until the environmental study is completed in May 2022. . Because this article discusses the environmental impact assessments, it would be relevant to include the recent updates to the legal proceedings regarding the studies. The #NoDAPL movement section should be elaborated on in terms of its response across social media platforms similarly to how other sections were considering its impact on the movement (and its inclusion in the introductory sentence). Social media reactions should be included in the Media Reactions or #NoDAPL section.

Overall Impressions

Overall, this article gives a robust description of the topic at hand. I find it odd that there isn't a section dedicated to the history, protest, and activism of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, considering that they don't have an independent article either. If this could be added, it would add to the explanation of who was at the core of the movement and the motivation for the mass protests – more of a description of the grievances of the tribes, etc.