COI-Declared Wikipedia Remediation Case Study

- CASE STUDY -

Wikipedia Overhaul for a Business Leader

Background

Percepto partnered with a high-profile businessperson with a prominent public-sector background. Years after the client’s move to the private sector, their Wikipedia page still prioritized politically driven criticism over verifiable achievements in government and business. This unbalanced narrative was impacting the client’s reputation in due-diligence checks by prospective partners and board-level stakeholders.

To address this, we developed a plan fully aligned with Wikipedia’s content and editorial guidelines, with conflict of interest disclosed, ensuring every step would be transparent, neutral, and verifiable.

Challenges

1

Wikipedia entry was dominated by negative framing and lacked coverage of key career accomplishments.

2

Absence of context around public-sector initiatives, resulting in a misleading impression.

3

Potential employers, board members, and business partners encountering negative or incomplete information during due diligence.

Phase 1 — Research & Prioritization

Align on what matters, then build the evidence base.

01

Conducted working sessions with the client to sequence priority topics (career milestones, public-sector portfolio, business leadership).
02

Performed a deep source audit, replacing opinion pieces with independent, high-authority references.
03

Cross-referenced client materials against public records and reputable media to validate facts.
04

Drafted suggested text in an encyclopedic tone, attaching transparent, verifiable citations.
05

Benchmarked structure and emphasis against comparable biographies to calibrate proportion and balance.
06

Aligned decisions with the client - for each proposed change, we set a clear call with a simple acceptance estimate, explaining pros and cons before submission.
07

Prioritized quick wins together - we front-loaded low-risk, high-odds items and prepared sources for the next wave, so the client understood what lands now vs. later.

Phase 2 — Guidelines-Led Submissions

Operate inside the rules, transparently.

01

Declared our conflict of interest and submitted all proposals via the article’s Talk page (no live edits).
02

Packaged requests in phased bundles (career milestones, public-sector work, business leadership) to streamline community review.
03

Included proposed wording, concise rationale, and supporting sources with every request.
04

Maintained an internal governance log to track requests, editor responses, actions taken, and outcomes.
05

Scoped changes strictly to neutral, verifiable content—no advocacy, no use of information that is not publicly available.

Phase 3 — Community Collaboration & Iteration

Engage, adapt, and build consensus.

01

Invited early feedback from volunteer editors and acknowledged counterpoints and constraints.
02

Revised proposals promptly, strengthened sources, or withdrew weaker items when appropriate.
03

Proposed neutral alternatives to resolve sticking points and reach consensus.
04

Upgraded citations systematically and added missing context where gaps existed.
05

Sustained a respectful, professional dialogue to secure durable, transparent updates.

Results

1

Balanced Narrative: The entry now foregrounds verifiable accomplishments across business and public-sector work, with challenges covered factually and proportionately, without political-rivalry framing or unsourced speculation.

2

Career Achievements Restored: Key initiatives in government and business were documented, giving readers a more complete understanding of the client’s career.

3

Improved Reputation Context: The revised entry now reflects a factual, neutral account that highlights the client’s leadership in the private sector and international initiatives.

4

Sustainable Profile: All edits remain live, supported by reliable sources, and in line with Wikipedia’s neutrality policies.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how Percepto leverages strategic communications expertise to engage with one of the most influential online platforms – Wikipedia – while strictly adhering to community guidelines.

By navigating a complex and highly regulated environment, we succeeded in reshaping a global digital asset to better reflect the reality of our client’s career and reputation.