05/23/12

The Spanish nation as explained in Wikipedia: four examples of Spanish nationalism

Which ones should be the standards of neutrality and quality in Wikipedia? The general introduction for visitors states the following:

“As wiki documents, articles are never considered complete and may be continually edited and improved. Over time, this generally results in an upward trend of quality and a growing consensus over a neutral representation of information.”

But “generally” does not mean “always”. This is crystal clear when any neutral, informed observer goes to the Spanish version of Wikipedia and reads the shameful article on the Spanish nation (Nación española). I have just picked up four simple examples from the text, but a good dozen of them could be found. Let’s have a look: Continue reading

05/9/12

Communists embracing princely symbols: flag row in doubtful Moldova

Can you imagine today’s communists wrapping themselves in the flag of a 16th century prince who was a relative of Dracula? It is not the plot of a bizarre play, but a very serious political row currently happening in Moldova. Former prime minister Vladimir Voronin’s Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) has launched a campaign to vindicate the ros-albastru (a bicolor red-blue banner which they see as belonging to the prince Stephen III) as a national symbol of the country. To make matters more complicated, Moldova’s National Commission on Heraldry considers the banner as outrageous and false. Continue reading