Out of Scope Issue #134: Is Wikipedia the Last Great Website?
Plus: Spirit Halloween and B Corp Drama
Happy Friday! This week, as we head into Halloweekend, we pondered the legacy of Wikipedia and streamed the latest re-release from now-billionaire Taylor Swift. But first…
📡ON OUR RADAR
Twenty-six advertising agencies have urged B Lab, the organization responsible for B Corp certification, to reevaluate the B Corp status of six agencies linked to the fossil fuel industry. Their complaint also seeks new, standardized criteria for B Corp advertising and PR agencies dealing with fossil fuel and high-pollution clients.
Henry Ward, CEO of equity management startup Carta, inadvertently amplified attention to the company’s bad press by encouraging customers to read his Medium post addressing said bad press. This prompted some previously unaware customers to express concerns. In his Medium post, Ward acknowledged various allegations against Carta, including lawsuits related to sexual abuse and a troubled company culture.
92Y, a cultural relic well-known for its popular event programming, announced its prestigious literary series had been put on pause amidst internal dysfunction prompted by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The tumultuous week began when it was announced author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s planned event would not move forward after Nguyen signed an open letter with 700+ writers espousing support for Palestine, criticizing Israel’s response, and calling for a ceasefire.
💡ON OUR MINDS: Is Wikipedia the Last Great Website?
Image: Chesnot/Getty
Forget what high school humanities teachers say. While other sites are plagued with user retention issues, content moderation problems, misinformation, and more, “Wikipedia Stands as the Last Good Website.”
While social media platforms continue to make headlines with concerns over misinformation fueled by their advertising and pay-to-play operating models, in the meantime, Wikipedia has invested heavily in becoming more “reliable” — improving sourcing standards, standardizing editorial qualifications, resisting government censorship, and more.
The focus on quality control is a glaring contrast to X, which continues to unravel by the second and by the product update.
The two sites stand diametrically opposed, as X seems eager to wrestle every last penny from a slimming pool of willing customers, and Wikipedia stands firm as a free-to-use platform.
With Musk clamoring to buy the Last Good Site, only time will tell if it goes the way of X. The billionaire has graciously offered to give the site an upgrade the only way he knows how: by rebranding it Dickipedia.
🥊QUICK HITS:
In case you missed these reads.
It’s Spirit Halloween season. How do they keep the Halloween spirit alive beyond October?
Gwyneth Paltrow launches good.clean.goop in Target and Amazon, a more affordable product line departing from Goop’s luxury reputation.
Dove and Nike, with the help of Venus Williams, are introducing “Body Confident Sport,” a coaching program to address the issue of teenage girls dropping out of sports due to body dissatisfaction and bullying.
Thanks for reading,
HL
===
This week’s newsletter is brought to you by Brach’s, the 113-year-old company who has cornered the market for Halloween’s most controversial sweet treat: candy corn.