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Wikipedia editors attempted to suppress the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, N.C., by deleting the entire article and removing the name of the alleged attacker, according to The Free Press.
Zarutska, 23, a Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death Aug. 22 while riding a train home from work in Charlotte. Police identified the suspect as Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, who has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2007. The attack was captured on surveillance video that was recently released to the public.
A Wikipedia editor tried Sunday to delete the entry about Zarutska’s death, arguing it didn’t meet the site’s “notability” requirements. Those guidelines, written by volunteers, say a subject must receive significant coverage in multiple reputable outlets. Critics say the standard is often applied inconsistently.
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The Free Press reported that Wikipedia editors debated how to frame the article, adding and then removing references to Brown’s race and phrases such as “career criminal.” They also argued over whether to describe the incident as a “killing” or “murder.” One editor ultimately removed Brown’s name, citing Wikipedia’s crime policy.
“For individuals who are not public figures — that is, individuals not covered by § Public figures— editors must seriously consider not including material — in any article — that suggests the person has committed or is accused of having committed a crime, unless a conviction has been secured for that crime,” Wikipedia’s crime policy states.
Wikipedia said the entry drew nearly 350 edits in just over 24 hours. Editors ultimately voted to keep the article, according to the site’s summary of the debate.
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Wikipedia noted that it is not unusual for articles to face multiple deletion attempts, though editors typically wait six months between nominations.
One editor argued the case should only be mentioned briefly under a transit controversy section, calling it a “wrong place, wrong time” story that would normally receive only routine local coverage.
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Wikipedia has long faced accusations of bias in its coverage. In August, House Republicans launched a probe into its handling of articles on the wars in Israel and Ukraine. As of Monday, Zarutska’s article remained active, though Brown’s name did not appear.
Wikipedia didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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