Category Archives: Oregon

Cupcake with feeling: Getting quotes and taking names

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Pete Forsyth

The news ain’t what it used to be…a recent story that ran in multiple Portland, Oregon news outlets took a single, anonymous Yelp comment as evidence of a “controversy.” Fortunately, I got to be at the bakery the story covered … Continue reading →

Posted in events, journalism, Oregon | Leave a comment

If Wikipedia required Open Access sources, it would be a lot less useful

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Pete Forsyth

Starting in 2008 I wrote a Wikipedia article on a proposed casino, to be built in the Columbia River Gorge. I wrote the article because I believed it was an important topic (and an Oregonian reporter and a Harvard scholar agreed); but … Continue reading →

Posted in core, Free licenses, governance, history, journalism, open educational resources, Oregon, systemic bias, wiki, Wikipedia, Wikipedia and education | 3 Comments

Wikipedia program for Oregon universities

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Pete Forsyth

I left Oregon in 2009 to design a university outreach program for the Wikimedia Foundation. It was my first opportunity to put my knowledge of the inner workings of English language Wikipedia to use on a large scale. A couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicate OER, Oregon, wiki, Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia and education | Leave a comment

Using Wikisource to make old photos more accessible

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Pete Forsyth

Wikipedia is mainly an effort to preserve existing knowledge. One thing Wikipedians like to do is to preserve old photos that have become part of the public domain. This can mean illustrating a Wikipedia article; but another goal is to give everybody direct … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginner how-to, Communicate OER, Free licenses, How-to, Oregon, public domain, wiki, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia and education, Wikipedian in Residence | Leave a comment

A Wikipedia portrait anchors a sports star’s place in history

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Pete Forsyth

Back in 2009, the Oregon Ducks’ star running back (college football) was suspended for most of the season, following a post-game flare-up in the nationally televised season opener. With rumors and hyperbole flying all over the Internet, I decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Free licenses, How-to, journalism, Oregon, sports, Wikimedia Commons | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Damian Lillard’s amazing shot: will we see it on Wikipedia?

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Pete Forsyth

Are you a basketball fan? If so, you’ve probably seen the incredible shot Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers just hit, with under one second of playing time remaining, to win the first seven-game series of the NBA 2014 playoffs. But if not, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginner how-to, Free licenses, Oregon, sports, wiki, Wikimedia Commons | 2 Comments

Wikipedia: tying it all together

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Pete Forsyth

These days, few would disagree that Wikipedia is a useful resource. But what does the site do best? What can be accomplished with Wikipedia that we don’t see in other publications, that makes a tangible difference in the world we … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, Oregon, wiki, Wikipedia, Wikipedia and education | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments