Peres first leader interviewed by WikiNews
Apparently, Israelis’ embrace of technology extends to the highest levels of government, as seen in this piece translated from Yedioth Aharonoth.
We will post the full text of the interview when it becomes available.
WikiPeres
By Itamar Eichner, Yedioth Aharonoth 24 December 2007, p.12
A President with Value: Peres is the First Leader to Be Interviewed for Wikipedia’s News Site
The nation’s president proved again yesterday that despite his advanced age he has no need to be embarrassed facing politicians much younger than he. Shimon Peres is the first world leader to grant an interview to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
The interview with Peres will be published on the Wikipedia news site, Wikinews and his statements will be integrated into various articles throughout the encyclopedia.
For over an hour, Peres sat with one of the Wikipedia senior editors, David Shankbone. Shankbone, who came to Israel with a delegation of journalists, turned to the Israeli Consul for Media and Public Affairs in New York, David Saranga, and asked to schedule an interview with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Peres. To Shankbone’s surprise, it was Peres who decided to take up the gauntlet and grant an interview to the popular encyclopedia. Wikipedia is the eighth most-popular website in the world in terms of daily traffic.
At the outset of the interview, Shankbone told Peres, “We checked among Internet surfers under age 30 and we found that you are the most popular and most recognizable leader in the world.”
Peres used the interview for a bitter attack on Iran. “The Iranian economy cannot support the atomic program,” he said, “and the world must decide if it is ready for nuclear weapons to fall into terrorists’ hands.”
Peres was asked his opinion of the younger generation of Israelis. “The 14- 15- and 16-year-olds need to participate in determining the world’s future,” the President explained. “If it were up to adults, they would want kids to keep dancing the hora or singing Slavic songs, but youngsters don’t listen and should not have to. Young women today also wear more risqué clothing than they did in the past and there is no problem with that since they look nicer.” Consul Saranga said last night “It was important for the Foreign Ministry that part of the interview was dedicated to subjects other than the conflict [with the Palestinians].”
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Israel 2.0
7 comments:
Wow, Shankbone is quite sexy. Good coverage for Israel, especially since he is so good looking and our Peres is so brilliant!
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Peres on Wikipedia. Wow. he is realy knowing how to speak to the young. but mischa, who cares that david shankbone is a good looking. we have more important things for discuss in israel. anybody find interview? cant see it anywhere. where is it?
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I think your Peres has a little more hair than that guy though both their domes are brilliant. I had to adjust my LCD…
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I like the domes. I like the Shankbone dome more. I would like to rub it for good look!
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Have patience waiting for the full interview. The introduction above is perhaps a little over-enthusiastic and unclear about the distinction between Wikipedia and Wikinews. Have patience, because this was a PR exercise for those funding the trip and I know from exchanging emails with David while he was there it was 14 hour days… and remember typing up and editing into an article you’ll want to read to the end takes time.
Wikinews is quite distinct from Wikipedia – both projects are supported by the Wikimedia Foundation – and there are others. Mr Shankbone is a contributor on a number of projects and a semi-recent recruit to Wikinews. While you’re waiting for his Peres interview to be up, why not read his one with Al Sharpton?
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Al_Sharpton_speaks_out_on_race%2C_rights_and_what_bothers_him_about_his_critics
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Here is the interview everyone!!
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres_discusses_the_future_of_Israel
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Good to see this article mentions Wikinews in the headline (unlike the other 2 articles I have seen about the visit) although I would prefer it if the difference was noted between Wikipedia and Wikinews. By the way, I think the interview this article is describing is brilliant (it was Wikinews’ top story at one point)
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