PMJA Awards, Best Interview Program, Alabama Public Radio. "Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia, and what happened to Charlie Kirk."
“I mean, this enormous tragedy of Charlie Kirk being assassinated. And you know, what did Charlie Kirk do? He made a lot of arguments. He talked upset people. He said things people disagreed with.”
Jimmy Wales
Founder, Wikipedia
Please find attached, Alabama Public Radio’s entry for the PMJA Award for Best Interview Program, “Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia, and what happened to Charlie Kirk.”
Please click here to listen to the program.
https://www.apr.org/news/2025-12-05/apr-notebook-jimmy-wales-wikipedia-and-what-happened-to-charlie-kirk
Wales grew up in Huntsville in the 1960’s, in the shadow of the Apollo manned moon landings. He also spent hours making corrections to his family’s hardbound World Book encyclopedia. That helped inspire Wales to create the website Wikipedia, that attracts billions of visitors every month. The online encyclopedia, which is constantly updated by volunteer editors, also has its critics including Elon Musk. Wikipedia is accused of leaning left, and for having fewer female and African American editors.
Supporters of Wikipedia include Belarus’ so-called “President in exile” Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya. She reportedly won her election in the former Soviet nation. But, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko claimed fraud, seized power, and established what’s considered the last dictatorship in Europe. Authoritarian regimes appear to dislike Wikipedia since its online editors are difficult to track down and arrest.
Wales joined me on “APR Notebook” to talk about that, and his new book “The Seven Rules of Trust,” about the philosophy behind Wikipedia. He insists that if we don’t talk to people we disagree with, the result could be violence. Wales used the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as an example.
Alabama is known for its role in the civil rights movement, college football, and “white” barbecue sauce. But the state is also home to Pulitzer Prize winning writers and helped put astronauts on the moon. “APR Notebook” features interviews with guests ranging from six-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter Jason Isbell, and University of Alabama graduate, and two-time Emmy Award winning actor, Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus of the TV series LOST.)
Respectfully submitted.
Jimmy Wales
Founder, Wikipedia
Please find attached, Alabama Public Radio’s entry for the PMJA Award for Best Interview Program, “Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia, and what happened to Charlie Kirk.”
Please click here to listen to the program.
https://www.apr.org/news/2025-12-05/apr-notebook-jimmy-wales-wikipedia-and-what-happened-to-charlie-kirk
Wales grew up in Huntsville in the 1960’s, in the shadow of the Apollo manned moon landings. He also spent hours making corrections to his family’s hardbound World Book encyclopedia. That helped inspire Wales to create the website Wikipedia, that attracts billions of visitors every month. The online encyclopedia, which is constantly updated by volunteer editors, also has its critics including Elon Musk. Wikipedia is accused of leaning left, and for having fewer female and African American editors.
Supporters of Wikipedia include Belarus’ so-called “President in exile” Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya. She reportedly won her election in the former Soviet nation. But, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko claimed fraud, seized power, and established what’s considered the last dictatorship in Europe. Authoritarian regimes appear to dislike Wikipedia since its online editors are difficult to track down and arrest.
Wales joined me on “APR Notebook” to talk about that, and his new book “The Seven Rules of Trust,” about the philosophy behind Wikipedia. He insists that if we don’t talk to people we disagree with, the result could be violence. Wales used the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as an example.
Alabama is known for its role in the civil rights movement, college football, and “white” barbecue sauce. But the state is also home to Pulitzer Prize winning writers and helped put astronauts on the moon. “APR Notebook” features interviews with guests ranging from six-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter Jason Isbell, and University of Alabama graduate, and two-time Emmy Award winning actor, Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus of the TV series LOST.)
Respectfully submitted.
Alex Goodlett/AP
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FR171569 AP