What doesn’t Wikipedia want you to know about Benazir Bhutto?

By Tom Quiner

Benazir BhuttoI am acutely sensitive to what is considered news and what isn’t.

Although conservatives rightly get riled up when news coverage is distorted, I think the bigger issue is what is (and isn’t) covered, and how in-depth that coverage is.

The same goes with history. There is plenty of historical revisionism that takes place by liberal historians. We are witnessing exactly that with what is becoming the American culture’s go-to resource for historical fact, Wikipedia.

I urge you to tread cautiously with this resource.

Information is often selectively presented with a liberal bias. Take the late President of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto.

Wikipedia gives her expansive coverage. And she deserves it. She came from a powerful Pakistani political family and became the youngest and first woman elected President of a predominantly Muslim country.

All of that is impressive.

Wikipedia left out a critical piece of information in their 8000 word treatment of the Bhutto historical record: she was ardently pro-life. Even more, she opposed Hilary Clinton’s efforts to establish an international right to abortion. Ms. Bhutto lead a delegation to a high-stakes United Nations conference in Cairo back in 1994 that garnered tremendous international press. She was one of only two women allowed to address the conference. What she said astounded:

“I dream … of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction.”

Ms. Bhutto represents a form of feminism very much reviled by liberal journalists and historians: one that embraces a culture of life.

Isn’t that newsworthy?

Shouldn’t that be part of the historical record?

Not at Wikipedia.

2 Comments

  1. Paul Sharp on June 1, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Very informative post. I have been suspicious of Wikipedia for some time. Can information be added to a given Wikipedia report? For example, in this case could a factual paragraph regarding Benazir Bhutto’s stance on abortion be added by someone, like for instance, you, Tom? A well written, accurately researched paragraph or two – would Wikipedia refuse to add it to their information on the late President Benazir Bhutto?



  2. Mark quiner on June 2, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    Wikipedia can be edited by anyone. If they have omitted something from Bhutto’s entry you should add it. Just make sure you provide proper citation. That concept is why this is one of the most revolutionary ideas since Google.