Qatar Hired UK PR Firm To Edit Wikipedia Page: Report
Amid ongoing US probes into Wikipedia over alleged bias and foreign manipulation, sometimes framed as "Wikilaundering," a new report has found that a PR company linked to Keir Starmer's communications chief has been accused of secretly manipulating Wikipedia pages to improve or neutralize clients' public images. The allegations add another thorn in the side for Wikipedia as migration to Elon Musk's Grokpedia continues.
The Guardian cites an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) alleging that PR firm Portland Communications, founded by Tim Allan, commissioned secret page edits of Wikipedia pages for clients to restore or improve their image.
A former Portland employee told TBIJ that Wikipedia edits were contracted out: "No one said, 'We should stop doing this.' The question was how we could keep doing it without getting caught."
TBIJ's investigation focused on a network of 26 accounts that made edits, including those linked to Web3 Consulting, a firm operated by Radek Kotlarek.
Some of the high-profile clients allegedly included the Qatar government. The edits reportedly involved shifting unfavorable details into philanthropy sections or replacing critical sources with more positive ones, particularly ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The Guardian noted that while Portland was founded by Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair, in 2001, there is no indication that Allan personally made any of the edits. He sold most of his shares in 2012 and left the firm in 2019.
A spokesperson for Portland said, "Portland does not have a relationship with the firm mentioned and has a policy of strict adherence to the guidelines on all social media platforms." A Portland employee added, "If anyone who worked here in the past did this, they were foolish. For sure nobody does it today."
Portland denies any relationship with the contractor and says it adheres to platform rules. Former employees told TBIJ that Wikipedia edits were a frequent client request.
The Guardian reported that the network of accounts was eventually blocked by volunteer Wikipedia editors.
This report comes as no surprise, given the systemically biased nature against conservative, religious, and other points of view, according to the site's co-founder, Larry Sanger.
Elon Musk determined late last year that Wikipedia wasn't salvageable and created Grokipedia to counter the misinformation and disinformation on Wikipedia...
WATCH: Elon Musk and David Sacks brainstorm Grokipedia live
— The All-In Podcast (@theallinpod) October 2, 2025
Elon:
“If you take, say Wikipedia as an example, but this really applies to books, PDFs, websites, every form of information.”
“Grok is using heavy amounts of inference compute to look at, as an example, a Wikipedia… https://t.co/wpGjpnjtr5 pic.twitter.com/cBXKdQORQe
The shift to Grokipedia is underway.
Related:
Musk Unveils Grokipedia Plans To Counter Wikipedia's Manipulation Of "Truth" Controlled By Leftists
He Co-Founded Wikipedia, Now He Says The Site Needs A Radical Change
House Republicans Probe Wikipedia Over Alleged Bias, Foreign Manipulation
Wikipedia was a great idea that lost its way. Now it's Grok's turn.