Samuel Breslow

Wikipedia covers the Ukraine invasion: a look at breaking news editing

by Samuel Breslow
March 1, 2022March 1, 2022

When Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, volunteer editors on Wikipedia leapt into gear to document developments as they unfolded. A look at the record of their edits provides a window behind the scenes of breaking news editing.

Stefan Krause, Germany, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

JohnDarrochNZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Markus Trienke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Michael S Adler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sergey Pesterev / Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia covers the Ukraine invasion: a look at breaking news editing

FREE KNOWLEDGE ADVOCACY GROUP EU

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gl%C3%BChlampe_explodiert.jpg">Stefan Krause, Germany</a>, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

Stefan Krause, Germany, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crowd_listening_to_speakers.jpg">JohnDarrochNZ</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

JohnDarrochNZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_seal_(Phoca_vitulina)_2.jpg">Charles J. Sharp</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnificent_CME_Erupts_on_the_Sun_-_August_31_(7931835322).jpg">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Looking_upward_at_the_Yick_Cheong_Building,_13_June_2019.jpg">Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr)</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dampfzug_am_Brocken_in_Winterlandschaft_(2).jpg">Markus Trienke</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

Markus Trienke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Total_Solar_Eclipse_8-21-17.jpg">Michael S Adler</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

Michael S Adler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

<a href="/wiki/User:Black_Sickle" title="User:Black Sickle">Sergey Pesterev</a> / <a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Main Page">Wikimedia Commons</a>

Sergey Pesterev / Wikimedia Commons

Samuel Breslow

Wikipedia covers the Ukraine invasion: a look at breaking news editing

FREE KNOWLEDGE ADVOCACY GROUP EU