Sen. Cruz Says Wikipedia Has ‘Left-Wing Bias’

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2025 — A top Republican lawmaker quoted a Wikipedia co-founder as his authority in saying most editors on the site have biases against “conservatism, traditional religiosity, and minority perspectives on science and medicine.” 

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas,  sent a letter to Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander requesting detailed information about what he described as ideological bias on Wikipedia and within the foundation itself.

In the letter, Cruz said Wikipedia’s influence created concerns about neutrality, noting the platform’s vast reach and role in training large language models. He cited research by the Manhattan Institute that suggested Wikipedia articles reflect a left-leaning bias and argued that the site’s “neutral point of view” policy was no longer upheld.

Cruz pointed to examples including Wikipedia’s designation of Fox News as “generally unreliable” while labeling CNN and MSNBC “generally reliable,” as well as what he called the foundation’s support for “left-wing activist groups” through its grant programs. He also referenced a recent case where editors allegedly sought to remove or downplay details in an article about the vicious stabbing murder of Iryna Zarutska on a subway in Charlotte, N.C., in August.

The Wikimedia Foundation’s 2030 “Movement Strategy” emphasized “Knowledge as a Service” and “Knowledge Equity,” goals Cruz said reflected a left-leaning ideology by prioritizing marginalized perspectives. 

Cruz claimed there was  evidence of a “coordinated editing campaign to push antisemitic content on the platform.” The letter said the effort violated Wikipedia’s anti-bias policies and was not the result of normal content updates. 

The senator asked the Wikimedia Foundation to turn over detailed information and documents explaining how Wikipedia content is created, edited, and supervised. He requested records on how the foundation addresses political or ideological bias in its articles, editorial practices, and governance. He also sought lists of arbitration cases related to bias since 2020, as well as any reviews or revisions of Wikipedia’s neutral point of view policy.

Cruz asked Iskander to respond by October 17, 2025. The Wikimedia foundation has already responded.

“We can confirm receipt of a letter from Senator Ted Cruz,” the Wikimedia Foundation said in a statement to Ars Technica. “Wikipedia is supported by strong safeguards and high-quality volunteer oversight; it is a living encyclopedia that is always improving. We welcome the opportunity to further educate policymakers on the important work of Wikipedia, and the Wikimedia Foundation stands by its unwavering commitment to protect editors’ exercise of free expression."

The foundation said those safeguards include requiring all articles to be verifiable and prohibiting the publication of new original research from editors or personal opinions.

According to Wikimedia, “A live feed shows every new edit the moment it happens, and volunteers around the world scan it constantly — ready to catch vandalism, bias, or harmful content within seconds. Vandalism [intentional modification to discredit the site's integrity] on Wikipedia is typically reverted in minutes, if not seconds.”

Wikipedia’s elected Arbitration Committee, or ArbCom, enforces the platform’s standards and handles complex editorial disputes. Made up of veteran volunteer editors and often described as Wikipedia’s “Supreme Court,” the group’s actions are publicly logged and can be appealed. Cruz asked the foundation to review several ArbCom cases in his letter.