Wikipedia plays a key role in political discourse, journalism, and election coverage but it is also a frequent target for coordinated disinformation, editing, and AI-generated strategic content. This workshop offers a practical look behind the scenes of the Wikimedia ecosystem and explains how political narratives enter, circulate, and are challenged within one of the world's most influential information infrastructures.

Participants will be guided through how Wikipedia actually works: from volunteer editing and content flagging to vandalism protection, bots, and dispute-resolution processes. Using examples, including case studies on the 2024 European Parliament Election and the DEM Debate Project , the session shows how mis- and disinformation are identified and mitigated in real time, and how technology and community governance interact under political pressure.

The workshop situates Wikipedia within current platform governance debates, including the Digital Services Act, systemic risk assessments, and the Wikipedia Test. The session highlights why open systems remain both vulnerable and resilient, and what policymakers, technologists, and political actors should understand before relying on or intervening in shared knowledge infrastructures.