Prominent PR firm accused of commissioning favourable changes to Wikipedia pages
A high-profile PR company founded by Keir Starmer’s communications chief has been accused of commissioning changes to Wikipedia pages to make them more favourable towards clients,Portland Communications, founded by Tim Allan, has been linked to the so-called black hat edits, sometimes referred to as “Wikilaundering”,Several changes were made to Wikipedia pages by a network of editors, allegedly controlled by a contractor working on Portland’s behalf,According to an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), Portland outsourced Wikipedia editing relating to some of its high-profile clients, including the state of Qatar,TBIJ said it had evidence of alleged Wikipedia edits made on behalf of Portland between 2016 and 2024.
Between 2016 and 2021, many were made by Web3 Consulting, which is run by a consultant allegedly used by Portland to make edits.Portland was founded by Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair, in 2001.There is no suggestion that Allan personally ordered any changes to be made or was aware of them.He sold most of his shares in the company in 2012 and left Portland in 2019.He was contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for Portland said: “Portland does not have a relationship with the firm mentioned and has a policy of strict adherence to the guidelines on all social media platforms.”A Portland employee said: “If anyone who worked here in the past did this, they were foolish.For sure nobody does it today.”TBIJ said some of the alleged edits were designed to improve Qatar’s image by burying references to critical reporting before the 2022 World Cup.The intermediary is alleged to have removed suggestions that a billion-dollar philanthropy project linked to another Portland client had failed to achieve its mission.
TBIJ found other subtle changes, such as relegating unwelcome information about clients under descriptions of their philanthropic work, or swapping out critical news references to articles with something more positive.Undisclosed paid advocacy on Wikipedia, also known as “black hat” editing, violates the terms of use set out by The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit body that supports the online encyclopedia.The practice of institutions, states and individuals finessing their Wikipedia pages to improve their image is frowned on by the PR industry.Guidelines on the use of “dark arts” in relation to Wikipedia, written by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), state: “Intentional deceit and anonymous or incognito activities are breaches of professional codes of conduct.” The CIPR is a voluntary members-based association to which Portland has not signed up.
The rise of AI chatbots and summaries have made Wikipedia pages even more influential, as they are often a source for the tools.Portland has a history of making Wikipedia edits.In 2012, it was found to have made alterations on behalf of the company that produces Stella Artois, removing references on Wikipedia to an unwanted nickname, “wife beater”.At the time, it said the changes had been made openly and within Wikipedia’s rules.However, former employees told TBIJ that Portland instead began to contract out edits of Wikipedia, with one telling its reporters: “No one said: ‘We should stop doing this’.
The question was how we could keep doing it without getting caught.”Several of its sources claimed Portland commissioned a web consultant, Radek Kotlarek, whose network of accounts made Wikipedia changes.TBIJ said seven Portland insiders said Kotlarek’s services were used.Kotlarek was contacted for comment, but did not respond.The TBIJ’s investigation claimed to have identified a network of 26 accounts making edits.
They were linked to Web3 Consulting, Kotlarek’s company.TBIJ said that while its sources were confidential, it had been able to corroborate their information using the public record of Wikipedia edits.All accounts in this network that were still active in 2024 were blocked by volunteer Wikipedia editors, who investigated their activity.Six former Portland employees involved in some of the Qatar work reportedly said that Wikipedia edits were a common request.They claimed that Portland hired subcontractors to target pages related to Qatar’s human rights record, particularly around World Cup stadium-building.
Some changes were performed by accounts outside the Web3 network.Companies other than Portland also worked on major accounts such as the Qatar government’s public relations.Allan has faced controversy since becoming Downing Street’s executive director of communications at the start of September, as part of Starmer’s attempt at a government-wide reset.He retains a financial stake in another PR firm, Strand Partners, but has said he will not to take dividends or become involved in running the company while in government.He also resigned as chair on his appointment to No 10.
He has also pushed for sweeping changes to political journalists’ access to Downing Street, including scrapping one of the two daily briefings with the prime minister’s official spokesperson.In an email last month, Allan said the changes were necessary because the media landscape had been “utterly transformed”, making existing arrangements “not fit for purpose”.The group that represents political journalists was not consulted on the plan.Journalists warned the move towards ad hoc press conferences could restrict access and scrutiny.
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