The Wikipedia page about David Pugh, ex-leader of the Isle of Wight council, has become substantially edited, sanitising it. It now reads as the type of page someone would put on Linked In.
References to subjects that might be best left off if you wanted to say, get a job, or become a national politician have gradually been erased.
Easy to see all of the changes
One of the great things about Wikipedia is that all of the historic edits carried out on a page can be viewed – and even challenged. This ‘View History‘ feature allows you to compare one point in time with any point that followed, therefore letting you see which changes were made and when.
What’s been removed
Looking back on the edits over time, you will see that references to the following have been removed:-
- PughTube
- his education reforms on the Isle of Wight
- the vote of no confidence in him in 2010
- his political heroes
- the opposition of Island residents to his education reforms
- his appearances in Private Eye
- allegations that Labour candidate and council employee Mark Chiverton was told to stand down as a candidate at the General Election or be fired
- his interest in playing the cornet
- his strong Christian beliefs
- the fact that the Conservatives, under his leadership, lost their majority in the elections of 2013
- his resignation from Shanklin Town Council following the 2013 elections
- a large section about Carisbrooke College being put into special measures during his administration
Asking David
OnTheWight wrote to David a month ago,
Hi David – We noticed today that your Wikipedia page has been substantially altered. Now all references to anything that might not be too palatable to you have been removed. Have you ever edited your Wikipedia page?
We’ve yet to hear back. This, of course, in no way infers that it was David doing making the changes, just that he hasn’t replied.
If we hear back from him, we’ll let you know.
