We live in a world where Wikipedia is increasingly used as the first, and sometimes the only stop for online encyclopedic information, where people are more dependent on Wiki than ever before, where it is an important source even for health information. Google puts Wiki information in a “fact box” and Siri listens to Wiki too!

In spite of all this, it is true that an average Wikipedian active in English Wikipedia is male, technically inclined, formally educated, and an English speaker! We also know that women contributors don't feel at home on Wiki. And it has been questioned as being sexist too. These characteristics of average Wikipedians influence the content of Wikipedia.

In 2004 Joi Ito wrote that “Wikipedians should be spending their time writing about the Congo Civil War instead of writing a 20,000 word article on me”, yet in 2013 we read “Wikipedia's entries on Pokemon and female porn stars are “comprehensive”, but its pages on female novelists or places in sub-Saharan Africa are sketchy”.

Very recently I wanted to do some research and went on to find some information on human rights on Wikipedia (as most of us always do). I found almost nothing on the recent incidents in “Human rights in Bangladesh” Wikipedia entry. Even the page on a fictional character who has ESP power or another on Bangladeshi cuisine are better written than this one on human rights! (As of February 26, 2014).

Hundreds have died just in 2013, people are being burnt alive - yet the page which gets front page in Google search result has very little information in it about all these!

Not all entries on Bangladesh are poorly maintained. Entries on top cricket players, Bangladeshi cuisine, social media driven Shahbag protest, or anti social media event Shapla Chattar protest, Bangla Blog blackout etc are well updated.

Till now many really awful things have happened in Bangladesh such as - YouTube was blocked (twice), Facebook was blocked, 5 bloggers have been arrested, 2 human rights activists have been arrested, one newspaper editor is in jail, one university teacher was sentenced 7 years for a facebook status, Minorities have been attacked,Temples were destroyed - and many more.

The situation is so bad that New York Times wrote “If violations of rights continue, Bangladesh could face pressure, including perhaps sanctions, from the international community”.

As Wikipedia regularly occupies Google search results, globally it got over 3 million page views on human rights related entries just in October, 2013. Undeniably, Wikipedia is a very important source for almost all of us.

That’s why we need to question ourselves, who do we care about more - Pokémon and sports players, or human beings?