What is the Difference Between Wikipedia and WikiLeaks?

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Wikipedia and WikiLeaks are two distinct websites with different objectives, content, licensing, and editorial policies. Here are the main differences between them:

  • Objective: Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia with an educational goal, aiming to build a comprehensive repository of knowledge in many languages. WikiLeaks, on the other hand, is a journalistic venture that aims to inform the public about illegal or unethical actions by governments and businesses.
  • Content: Wikipedia contains educational reference material, with articles about various topics, including current events. WikiLeaks focuses on publishing confidential documents from governments and businesses.
  • Licensing: Wikipedia content is distributed under a variety of licenses, while WikiLeaks does not license the content it publishes on its website.
  • Editing: Wikipedia is a wiki, meaning it can be edited by its users. However, WikiLeaks was launched as a user-editable site in 2006, but it has progressively moved towards a more traditional media model.
  • Affiliation: Wikipedia and WikiLeaks are not affiliated with each other in any way, despite both being not-for-profit media outlets. The term "wiki" is a generic word that anyone can use and is not a brand name or trademark.

In summary, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia with an educational focus, while WikiLeaks is a journalistic venture that publishes confidential documents to inform the public about questionable actions by governments and businesses. They are completely separate entities and not associated with each other.

Comparative Table: Wikipedia vs WikiLeaks

Wikipedia and WikiLeaks are two separate entities with different purposes, objectives, content, licensing, and editorial policies. Here is a table highlighting the key differences between the two:

Feature Wikipedia WikiLeaks
Purpose Online encyclopedia with an educational goal International non-profit organization that publishes news leaks and classified information
Content User-generated articles on various topics Leaked documents, often from government or corporate sources
Licensing Article text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License No licensing for the content published on the website
Editing User-editable site with a neutral point of view policy Limited user editing; functions as a repository for leaked documents
Relationship No formal relationship between Wikipedia and WikiLeaks Both employ the same wiki interface and technology

While Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that relies on user-generated content and aims to provide accurate and up-to-date information, WikiLeaks is an organization that publishes leaked documents and classified information with the goal of providing fast and accurate dissemination, verification, and analysis.