[Foundation-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] Announcement: Building a new Legal and Community Advocacy Department & Promotion of Philippe Beaudette

[MZMcBride]

Philippe Beaudette wrote:
> MZMcBride wrote:
>> A political (lobbying?) arm of Wikimedia? And the Wikimedia community and
>> Board have said they're okay with this?
> 
> I'm not really sure where you get that, MZ.  Politics and lobbying were not
> mentioned at all.
> 
> What was mentioned was advocacy... advocacy for the community, in varying
> roles and flavors.
> 
> So to clear it up: this is not a lobbying or political wing.  Or anything
> that even resembles it.  :)

I think, even if Wikimedia staff strictly adheres to the terms "advocacy"
and "community advocacy," this fails the duck test.[1]

If it's lobbying and political action that people (the Wikimedia community
and the Wikimedia Board and other stakeholders) really want the Wikimedia
Foundation engaged in, I can't do much to stop that (except leave). But I'm
reasonably confident that most people in the Wikimedia community aren't in
favor of Wikimedia being a political action committee.

So I suppose I'll ask again: has the Wikimedia community or the Wikimedia
Board expressed support of going forward with this?

MZMcBride

[1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/duck_test#Etymology