I know that this note comes to you at an odd time. Usually I write to you on Wednesday. But I wanted to call your attention to an interview we published earlier this week with Anasuya Sengupta, of the Wikimedia Foundation. I have many reasons to bring it to your attention:

  1. I think Wikipedia/Wikimedia are iconic to the times we are in—they stand as symbols of engagement in common cause;
  2. The interview speaks to the need to pay close attention to the sources of information, because the source often frames the information in ways that may draw us off track.
  3. And, Sengupta talks about “liberating information” so it can be framed by a more diverse group of wise people, and reminds us that this is a radical act;
  4. Some of the language Sengupta uses in the interview pulls me up short and causes me to rethink things. For instance, she uses the phrase “passion economy,” which is not hers, but when you connect it with an organization that engages 80,000 volunteers worldwide and think about what else might be done that way if we conceived ofit differently, you might get a new version of things altogether.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the interview. Enjoy!