Senator Ted Cruz Alleges Wikipedia Has “Systemic Left-Wing Bias,” Demands Answers

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has initiated a formal inquiry into the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit entity behind Wikipedia, accusing the online encyclopedia of exhibiting a consistent pattern of liberal bias in its content. The move comes as part of a broader push by the senator concerning alleged censorship and ideological leaning within major information platforms.

In a letter dated October 3, addressed to Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, Senator Cruz expressed his concerns. “I write to request information about ideological bias on the Wikipedia platform and at the Wikimedia Foundation,” Cruz stated. He acknowledged Wikipedia’s foundational vision of democratizing human knowledge through verifiable, crowdsourced information, which, he noted, makes “reports of Wikipedia’s systemic bias especially troubling.”

Accusations of Ideological Skew in Source Ratings

Citing research from the conservative Manhattan Institute, Cruz asserted that articles on Wikipedia frequently reflect a left-wing perspective. He highlighted what he perceives as particularly stark evidence of this bias within Wikipedia’s “reliable sources/perennial sources” list. Specifically, Cruz pointed out that the list classifies major news outlets like MSNBC and CNN as “generally reliable” sources, while categorizing Fox News as “generally unreliable” for political and scientific reporting. He also noted that the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center enjoys a top-tier rating, whereas the conservative Heritage Foundation is “blacklisted” and “deprecated,” deemed by Wikipedia editors as promoting “disinformation.”

The senator has requested “documents sufficient to show how the Wikimedia Foundation or the Wikipedia Community determines the categorization of sources on the reliable sources/perennial sources list.” Wikipedia’s own guidelines state that such categorizations are “determined through public discussion and consensus.” The platform further explains that Fox News’s rating was lowered in 2020 due to reasons including its downplaying of the COVID-19 pandemic, allegations of spreading climate change misinformation, and reporting on the debunked “no-go zones” narrative.

Allegations of Financial Support and Editorial Manipulation

Cruz further accused the Wikimedia Foundation of “financially support[ing] left-wing organizations that contribute to Wikipedia content.” He also brought up prior controversies, claiming that “a coordinated group of editors pushed antisemitic narratives on Wikipedia while whitewashing the activities of groups like Hamas.” Wikipedia did respond to these claims by banning eight editors involved in edit wars related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in January.

While acknowledging the foundation’s actions, Cruz questioned the underlying motives. He wrote, “The Wikimedia Foundation has said it is taking steps to combat this editing campaign, raising further questions about the extent to which it is intervening in editorial decisions and to what end.”

When contacted for comment, the Wikimedia Foundation issued a statement: “We can confirm receipt of a letter from Senator Ted Cruz. Wikipedia is supported by strong safeguards and high-quality volunteer oversight; it is a living encyclopedia that is always improving. We welcome the opportunity to further educate policymakers on the important work of Wikipedia, and the Wikimedia Foundation stands by its unwavering commitment to protect editors’ exercise of free expression. Through rigorous policies, editorial standards, user privacy protections, and transparent processes, nearly 260,000 volunteers have created over 65 million articles in 300 languages. Wikipedia seeks to inform, not persuade.”

Cruz’s Broader Scrutiny and Perceived Contradictions

This inquiry into Wikipedia follows a recent public criticism by Senator Cruz of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr. Carr had threatened ABC with station license revocations over political content on Jimmy Kimmel’s show. Cruz argued that government intervention to dictate media content “will end up bad for conservatives,” asserting that future Democratic administrations would “silence us… ruthlessly.” He likened Carr’s actions to a “mafioso coming into a bar going, ‘Nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it.'”

Despite this stance, Senator Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, is now leveraging his authority to pressure the Wikimedia Foundation. He cited the Senate’s Standing Rules, which grant the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation jurisdiction over communications, including online information platforms. Cruz has demanded “written responses to the questions below, as well as requested documents, no later than October 17, 2025.” Among his requests are “documents sufficient to show what supervision, oversight, or influence, if any, the Wikimedia Foundation has over the editing community,” and “documents sufficient to show how the Wikimedia Foundation addresses political or ideological bias.”

This action is also intertwined with Cruz’s ongoing investigations into the Biden administration, which he alleges has engaged in censorship. He recently released a report claiming that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was “transformed… into an agent of censorship pressuring Big Tech to police speech,” and has scheduled a hearing titled, “Shut Your App: How Uncle Sam Jawboned Big Tech Into Silencing Americans.” His letter to Wikimedia also seeks evidence, requesting “any and all documents and communications—including emails, texts, or other digital messages—between any officer, employee, or agent of the Wikimedia Foundation and any officer, employee, or agent of the federal government since January 1, 2020.”