Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Symposium on Wikipedia and COVID-19

When the public hears about something on the news and wants to learn more, they turn to Wikipedia. That's as true during the COVID-19 pandemic as ever, with the site receiving record-breaking pageviews in April. But why does anyone consider it reliable? Who are the people volunteering their time to contribute to this content that so many people rely on? How do they organize themselves to coordinate improvement of the topic? There are thousands of articles about the pandemic in more than 150 languages. What kinds of topics do they cover? In what ways do Wikipedia and its sister sites, like Wikidata, collect and use data about the pandemic?

The Symposium on Wikipedia and COVID-19 aims to answer questions the public may have about Wikipedia's coverage of the pandemic. The event includes four speakers, all of whom are active contributors to the topic area on Wikipedia, but bring different perspectives, backgrounds, and interests. The event is free and open to the public, broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook, and questions taken from viewers on these platforms. No prior experience with Wikipedia is expected.

This event is organized by Wikimedia New York City, an independent non-profit organization affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation. Everyone with an interest in the subject is invited to attend. All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct.

Details and documentation


The symposium took place on Saturday, May 9, at 6:00 PM Eastern Time (22:00 UTC).

The symposium was streamed live via YouTube and Facebook, and recordings are now available.
 * Watch on YouTube
 * Watch on Facebook
 * File:Symposium on COVID-19 and Wikipedia.webm on Wikimedia Commons

Slides:
 * Netha Hussain – "Medical content related to COVID-19 on Wikimedia"
 * Jason Moore – "WikiProject COVID-19 and Wikipedia's non-medical coverage of the coronavirus pandemic"
 * Thais Morata – "Providing critical expertise to Wikipedia from a government agency: Obstacles and opportunities"
 * Lane Rasberry – "COVID-19 seen through Wikidata"