As many of you are aware, Wikipedia continues to get regular media
coverage as various issues come up. Jimbo is usually the first person
the media turn to, but he doesn't have time to respond to all of the
increasing requests for interviews, even the ones in English. So
Elisabeth Bauer, Wikimedia Foundation press officer, has asked me to
recruit more people who are willing to do media interviews about Wikipedia.
Please contact me *off-list* if you are interested in being added to the
list of potential contacts. Obviously, responding indicates you agree to
allow your contact information to be disseminated to reporters and
Foundation volunteers/employees who coordinate interviews.
The information we need from you is as much of the following as you're
willing to provide:
-Wikipedia username, preferably along with your real name if different,
because reporters are more likely to consider people giving real names
as credible sources
-Email address and a phone number (for interviews, most reporters still
prefer phone or, if they use it, instant messaging, because it lends
itself better to follow-up questions based on your initial responses)
-General location, to facilitate coverage by local media
-A brief description of yourself, so that some basic information could
be attached if you're quoted in an article (e.g., high school physics
teacher, or student at X university)
Naturally we can't guarantee that anyone in particular will get
interviews, but you may get called on at short notice. We do appreciate
all who are willing to help.
--Michael Snow