Earlier this week, commentator Tucker Carlson’s podcast aired an interview with Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger where he discussed his criticism of the online encyclopedia and introduced his “nine theses” advocating reform. Describing the site as a “mixture of oligarchy and anarchy” during the interview, Sanger criticized many issues he identified with Wikipedia since his departure from the site.

Among the issues raised was the site’s sourcing blacklist, the result of an ongoing purge of conservative media on the site, including Breitbart News. The revelations during the interview provoked social media outrage and an announcement from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about a Wikipedia competitor.

Sanger has previously criticized Wikipedia and specifically focused on left-wing bias in recent years. This has included interviews with Fox News, such as an interview with Carlson where he mentioned being embarrassed by the site. His criticism has led to retaliation from the site’s editors at times. Editors have also sought to exclude mention of his criticism of the site from articles relating to bias on Wikipedia. The site’s left-wing bias has been reported on extensively at Breitbart and confirmed in multiple studies.

Before introducing Sanger, Carlson described Wikipedia’s importance “in shaping our collective memory” and America with its content affecting people worldwide. He stated the site has become a weapon to destroy the left’s political enemies. Carlson confessed to having believed in Wikipedia, even donating significant money to the project, but lamenting how it was now a “leading source of . . . disinformation” that lies and omits crucial details. He noted articles will label a conservative a “far-right conspiracy theorist” before telling readers anything else about the person. Over the course of more than an hour, Sanger and Carlson discussed many issues regarding Wikipedia, while touching on Sanger’s reform proposal.

Left-Wing Bias and Jimmy Wales

One natural point was Wikipedia’s left-wing bias. During the interview, Sanger talked about admins often banning accounts for ideological reasons and stated it was “very difficult for conservatives to get into Wikipedia” as they have to “walk on eggshells” to avoid sanctions.