Why Is There a Warning Flag on the Wikipedia Page About My Company?

Published on

By

how to get wikipedia warning flags removed

Let’s say you work for company X and decide to check the company’s Wikipedia page, only to find a box with a giant orange explanation point and text along the lines of This article contains promotional content or This article does not cite any sources.”  Or even the dreaded “This article may have been created or edited in return for undisclosed payments.”

This is called a warning flag (or template, or box), and seeing one at the top of your company’s Wikipedia page can be unsettling, especially for professionals charged with managing the company’s reputation. Wikipedia warning flags are placed by editors to alert other editors about problems with an article. These issues could range from missing citations to questions about the article’s neutrality. 

Why Should I Care About a Wikipedia Warning Box?

According to Wikipedia policy, the flag isn’t supposed to be punitive – it’s just meant to inform other editors that a page needs work. But there’s no doubt that flags signal to readers that the page’s content isn’t considered trustworthy by Wikipedia standards.

On the bright side, these flags also provide an opportunity to bolster your company’s credibility by improving the page. With an understanding of Wikipedia policy, you can help ensure the page accurately reflects your company’s story. 

Here’s what you need to know:

What Are the Most Common Warning Flags?

Here are the most common reasons your company’s page might have a warning flag:

  • Neutrality Concerns: The article might be written with a tone that favors your company too much or includes negative bias, leading to a warning that the neutrality is disputed.
  • Lack of Reliable Sources: If the page relies heavily on press releases, self-published sources, or promotional content, it might carry a flag saying more citations are needed.
  • Notability Issues: Wikipedia has strict guidelines about what qualifies for inclusion. If your company doesn’t have significant coverage in independent, reliable publications, the article could be flagged for not meeting notability standards.
  • Outdated or Incorrect Information: If the content hasn’t been updated in years or contains errors, editors might flag it to alert readers that the article requires updates.
  • Poor Quality or Formatting: Articles with disorganized structure, grammatical issues, or excessive jargon might also get flagged for cleanup.
  • Undisclosed Paid Editing: One of the most serious issues that can result in a warning flag is the suspicion or evidence that the article was edited by an undisclosed paid editor. Wikipedia requires transparency in such cases because undisclosed paid editing often leads to content that violates Wikipedia’s neutrality, verifiability, and other content policies. If a warning flag mentions this issue, it must be directly addressed on the Talk page in order to get the flag removed.

Can I Remove the Flag Myself? 

Short answer: No. As an employee of the company, you have a Conflict of Interest that prohibits you from editing the page directly. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t propose changes to the page. 

Anyone closely associated with the subject of the article, such as being an employee, executive, or representative of the company, is considered a Conflict of Interest (COI) editor. Wikipedia guidelines require COI editors to submit proposals for changes or corrections on the article’s Talk page, rather than making changes to the article itself.

If you’re not familiar with Wikipedia’s guidelines, you may want to reach out to experienced editors for help with proposed changes. Wikipedia’s many dozens of policies, guidelines, and practices, span hundreds of thousands of words. Many professional Wikipedia editors specialize in improving corporate pages while adhering to the platform’s complex system of rules. 

If you’re going to work with an editor, you should make sure they follow ethical practices and disclose any paid involvement to avoid further issues. 

How Can I Get the Warning Flag Removed?

While you can’t directly remove the flag (only independent Wikipedia editors can do that), you can take steps to create a proposal to resolve the underlying issues and improve your page. 

First, you need to understand the specific warning placed by the editor. Each flag includes details about the problem, such as “needs additional citations” or “the neutrality of this article is disputed.” 

Unfortunately, the flag doesn’t identify specific instances of the problem within the article. So before you can fix the problems, you have to find them. Sometimes the problems are glaring. If there’s language on the page that says “Company X is widely understood to be the world’s best company,” there’s your neutrality issue. 

But the problems raised by warning flags are rarely that obvious. More often than not, they are subjective arguments raised by experienced editors. To find and address them requires a deep understanding of Wikipedia policy. And diving in without understanding policy can have disastrous consequences. 

For example, a well-known international design firm approached WhiteHatWiki after a member of their own company attempted to rectify issues raised by a flag on the company’s Wikipedia page.

The flag initially looked like this:

But after the employee’s attempt to edit the page, the flag looked like this: 

The employee unwittingly made the company’s problems infinitely worse by trying to fix the problems without having a firm grasp on Wikipedia guidelines. WhiteHatWiki was able to untangle the myriad violations on the page and help the company properly disclose their COI. Ultimately, we were able not only to get the flag removed, but to add content to the page that accurately reflects the scope of the company’s achievements. 

Conversely, clients are often tempted to argue for the deletion of negative information about their company. It can be tempting to suggest deletion of unflattering company history, such as lawsuits, disputes, and major recalls. But if the event is covered widely in the press, a Wikipedia editor may argue the event is notable and requires inclusion in the article. We help our clients bring balance to their Wikipedia pages by including both the company’s achievements and its challenges while relying on objective, well-sourced information.

Telling the full story while maintaining respect for Wikipedia’s many policies is the best way to convince an editor to remove warning flags. 

How Can I Monitor Future Changes to My Company’s Page?

Once the issues are resolved and the flag is removed, monitoring your company’s Wikipedia page is crucial. Here’s how you can stay proactive:

  • Set Up Alerts: Use Wikipedia’s watchlist feature to receive notifications about changes to your page.
  • Engage With Editors: If someone makes questionable edits, discuss the changes on the article’s Talk page.
  • Maintain a Log of Reliable Sources: Keep a repository of credible media mentions and third-party articles to use for future updates.

Keep calm and carry on

A warning flag on your company’s Wikipedia page might feel like a public setback, but it’s also an opportunity to improve your online presence. By addressing the flagged issues, disclosing any conflicts of interest, submitting proposals on the Talk page, and ensuring the use of high-quality sources, you can turn the page into a more accurate and reliable resource for your audience. Taking action to protect your company’s reputation and credibility on one of the internet’s most-visited platforms.

Table of Contents