Wikipedia:Statement on Wikipedia from participating communications firms

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On February 7, 2014 a roundtable discussion was held at Donovan House hotel in Washington, DC, bringing together individuals from Wikipedia's volunteer community and from digital practices of several of the world's leading public relations agencies (as well as academics), for a conversation about the complex relationship between these two very different groups. The conversation followed in the footsteps of previous efforts, including the 2012 formation of Corporate Representatives for Ethical Wikipedia Engagement and publication of a best practices guideline by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Following the Chatham House Rule, it was agreed that participants would be free to discuss the contents of the discussion afterward, while refraining from associating views with the name or affiliation of speakers, to allow for a frank and open discourse. A key outcome of the day's conversation was the agreement to work on a joint statement from participating agencies clarifying their views on Wikipedia, particularly expressing a respect for Wikipedia's goals, an intention to encourage deeper learning about the project across the corporate communications profession, a dedication to act in accordance with this understanding, a commitment to follow Wikimedia's Terms of Use, a commitment to the highest standards of disclosure, and an openness for an expanded dialogue to find areas for common ground and collaboration.

These agencies have articulated a clear message: they intend to do right by Wikipedia as well as their clients. While only one step in what may be a long process, this clear statement is also a necessary one. These agencies realize that the Wikipedia project's credibility and relevance come from its focus on accuracy and objectivity; therefore professional communicators' actions should always support those goals.

Released June 10, 2014:

Please note Having signed this list does not indicate that the organization in question has approval from either the Wikipedia community or the Wikimedia Foundation to do paid editing on Wikipedia.

Founding membership, as of June 10, 2014. Note that individual agency affiliations may have changed:

All listed agencies are confirmed participants and all individuals are confirmed agency representatives as of November 2017:

Non-profit PR industry groups associated with the spring 2014 effort:

Individuals present at February 7, 2014 meeting:

• Adelanto (Daniel Rodet, User:Eurobas on WP in English and my SUL User:copyleft))—unresponsive
• Peregrine Communications—individual has departed; pending new representative
• Chandler Chicco Companies—individual has departed; pending new representative
• DeMoss—individual has departed; pending new representative
• Keene Communications—individual has departed; pending new representative
• Llorente y Cuenca—individual has departed; pending new representative
• MSLGROUP—(Yashodhan Jadhav, User:YashO)
• New Venture Communications—pending re-confirmation
• RFBinder + Partners — pending re-confirmation
• Ruder Finn—pending re-confirmation
• Text100—pending re-confirmation

Because we seek the widest possible support for this initiative, anyone in good standing on Wikipedia may join on behalf of either a) an agency, marketing firm, marketing department or b) institution, association or other industry organization. (The best way to list individuals in support of this statement is currently under discussion on the Talk page.) To join, follow these steps:

1. Determine which category you believe it makes the most sense to sign on as.
2. Share this statement with the appropriate decision-maker and obtain their consent to follow the principles espoused.
3. Identify one person to be the participating representative and point of contact with the Wikipedia community.
4. The point of contact should choose a username consistent with Wikipedia's username policy and create a Wikipedia account.
5. Create a user page, including a statement about your affiliation. (Optional but recommended)
6. This individual should find the correct section above and add their organization and themselves to the listing as follows: Organization name, (Individual name, [[User:Individual username]].
7. Send an email to donovanhousegroupATgmailDOTcom to join the associated mailing list.
8. Maintain a good standing within the Wikipedia community and contribute productively.

Upon release, the statement received significant attention from industry publications such as Ad Age and PR Week. Additionally, the agreement was the subject of articles in general business publications like Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal; internet-focused websites such as The Daily Dot and The Verge; and general news websites including Politico and Slate. It also received attention from non-English media, including the German ZDNet and Dutch Telegraaf.

Eleven companies were signatories at launch. As reported by PR Week in successive coverage, the list had approximately doubled by the end of the week, with other multinational PR firms signing on to support its aims. As of April 2017, it has 34 active signatories and 11 lapsed signatories.

While media coverage tended toward simple reporting of the statement's existence, commentary was largely favorable, citing it as a positive step toward improving the rocky relationship between Wikipedia's community and the PR industry. However, Adweek quoted a PRSA representative expressing caution that it "could actually support the notion that PR pros somehow deserve to be singled out" when individuals with other motivations can cause trouble as well. It also quoted Wikipedian John Broughton, saying the aims of the statement are difficult to judge, given Wikipedia's "astonishing number of policies and guidelines".

The statement preceded the announcement of a major revision to the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, requiring disclosure of financial interests, which was released the following week. In September 2014, participants from the group published an e-book, Wikipedia and the Communications Professional: A Primer, produced by Beutler Ink and sponsored by the PR Council and the Institute for PR.

• Wikipedia and the Communications Professional: A Primer - Written By William Beutler, Beutler Ink. Presented By Council Of Public Relations Firms + Institute For Public Relations.
• CIPR Wikipedia Best Practice Guidance for Public Relations Professionals (Version 2.1)
• Corporate Representatives for Ethical Wikipedia Engagement

• A history of Conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia
• The Plain and simple conflict of interest guide

• Paid Editing of Wikipedia: Getting Past "Gotcha" - presentation at South by Southwest (SXSW) 2015, with Andrew Lih, Phil Gomes, William Beutler, Sam Ford
• We Need To Talk About Paid Editing... Sorting Out Wikipedia's Most Enduring Argument with video - presentation at Wikimania 2014, with Andrew Lih, William Beutler, Christophe Henner, Cristian Consonni, and Telecom Italia executive Federico Ascari.
• How the PR Industry Views Wikipedia, Wikiconference USA 2014 session, with Andrew Lih (American University), Michael Bassik (Burson-Marsteller) and William Beutler (Beutler Ink)
• Paid editing moderated discussion, Wikiconference USA 2014 session, with Andrew Lih (American University) and William Beutler (Beutler Ink)

• Phil Gomes - "PR Must Embrace the Hacker Ethic" - May 27, 2014
• Marcia DiStaso - Perceptions of Wikipedia by Public Relations Professionals: A Comparison of 2012 and 2013 Surveys - 2013