トランプ氏指名の米首都検事、ウィキペディアを「情報操作」と非難

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ドナルド・トランプ米大統領が指名した首都ワシントンの連邦地検で検事代行を務めるエドワード・マーティン氏が、オンライン百科事典「ウィキペディア」に対し、情報操作を容認しプロパガンダを助長していると非難した。２８日、ＡＦＰが同氏の書簡を確認した。（写真はドナルド・トランプ米大統領）
　マーティン氏の主張は、ウィキペディアに対して保守派が長年にわたり提起してきた批判と一致するものであり、同サイトの非課税資格に影響を及ぼす可能性がある。
　同氏は先週、ウィキペディアを運営する非営利団体ウィキメディア財団に宛てた４ページにわたる書簡で、「ウィキペディアは、歴史的に重要な出来事、現職および過去の米国指導者の伝記情報、さらには国家安全保障や国益に関わる問題について、情報操作を容認している」と指摘。
　さらに、「情報提供を装いながら世論に影響を与えるプロパガンダを隠蔽することは、ウィキメディアの掲げる『教育的』使命に反する」と批判した。
　書簡では、５月１５日までに１２項目に及ぶ質問への回答を求めている。その内容には、編集方針に関する詳細、透明性と説明責任の確保、サイトの信頼性や安全性をどう担保しているか、そして外国による影響工作の防止策などが含まれている。
　また、マーティン氏はウィキペディアの活動が非課税資格の要件に違反していないかどうか、確認作業を進めていることを明らかにした。こうした調査は本来、内国歳入庁（ＩＲＳ）が担当している。
　マーティン氏は先週末、Ｘ（旧ツイッター）に書簡には直接触れず「ウィキペディアよ、逃げても隠れることはできない！」と投稿していた。
　ウィキメディア財団は現時点でＡＦＰのコメント要請に応じていない。
　トランプ氏の盟友であるイーロン・マスク氏も、以前からウィキペディアへの資金提供の打ち切りを呼びかけている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/04/30-17:11）

US President Donald Trump's top federal prosecutor in Washington has accused Wikipedia of allowing information manipulation and disseminating propaganda, according to a letter seen by AFP on Monday.
The allegations by Edward Martin, which echoed years of conservative criticism directed at the online encyclopedia, threaten to jeopardize Wikipedia's tax-exempt status.
Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States, Martin wrote in the letter to Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the platform.
Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia's 'educational' mission.
The four-page letter, sent last week, demanded responses by May 15 to a dozen questions about the Wikimedia Foundation's operations.
Among them were requests for detailed information about its editorial practices to ensure transparency and accountability, trust and safety measures, and steps taken to prevent foreign influence operations.
The Wikimedia Foundation did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Hey Wikipedia: you can run but you can't hide! Martin wrote on the platform X at the weekend, without mentioning the letter.
In his letter, Martin said he was seeking to determine whether Wikipedia's activities were in violation of its tax-exempt status ?- a probe that is typically handled by tax authorities at the Internal Revenue Service.
The letter appears to be part of a sweeping Trump administration campaign to target media outlets, think tanks and research organizations long accused by conservative campaigners of pushing a liberal political agenda.
Elon Musk, Trump's billionaire ally, has previously called for the defunding of Wikipedia and offered to give the organization a billion dollars if they changed their name to Dickipedia.
Martin, a controversial Trump loyalist, is the interim US attorney for the District of Columbia and the president's pick to serve in that role full time.
But Democratic lawmakers have sought to block his appointment for his links to the January 6, 2021 insurrection that saw a violent mob attacking the US Capitol and for failing to disclose his frequent appearances on Russian media in mandatory disclosure forms to the Senate.
It is well-documented that Ed Martin is a Donald Trump loyalist who has embraced a Nazi sympathizer and attacked law enforcement who kept lawmakers and staff safe during the January 6 insurrection, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said earlier this month.
The 150 undisclosed appearances Martin has made on Russian state media as recently as April of last year -- as Russia was actively bombing Ukraine -- raises further serious questions about whether he has the temperament to serve as US Attorney.