As part of the Wikimedia UK sandbox sessions, I'll be speaking on the topic, with examples of how to write content in controversial areas, from climate, energy and health, and what to do when things go wrong. Registrations are now open!
Accurate and neutral information about climate change or other contentious topics can help us make informed decisions and make the topics less polarised. In a world where doubt is created on the neutrality of Wikipedia, we must make sure our text can stand up to scrutiny.
I'm passionate about making Wikipedia easier to understand. We're here to give "every single person on the planet [..] free access to the sum of all human knowledge". When we write overly complicated articles, we exclude many: teenagers, those with English as a second language, those without university degrees. Our editors are often highly educated and may overestimate the background knowledge and reading ability of a typical Wikipedia user.
I support User:TatjanaBaleta, who works as a Wikimedia Visiting Fellow at the University of Exeter, as part of my job. I will generally not edit directly for this project, but will be organising a edit-a-thon as part of the module I teach, and may improve edits from students.
Inspired by Wikipedia:Bilorv's Challenges, I've designed a set of challenged focused on making Wikipedia easier to read, accessible and to promote team work at User:Femke/Challenges. Come have a look, suggest improvements, and beat some challenges!
I started editing on the Dutch Wikipedia in 2013, mostly articles on physics, climate change and women in science (User page). Around 2018 I became active here, working on climate change and energy articles. As a picture can say more than a thousand words, I've dedicated some time to improving climate change graphs. I started an cross-language effort get climate denial removed after a BBC journalist found widespread misinformation.
Quick and ugly check to see if your writing is too difficult: The Hemingway App. A readability score (Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease) over >45 is fairly okay. Another rule of thumb: 4S: short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, short articles.
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Sustainable energy (with Clayoquot)
Climate change (saved at FAR)
with Ward20 and The Quirky Kitty)
