Wiki loves the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

The European Parliament building in Strasbourg
Image: Ralf Roletschek.

A special Wikinews video report from the parliament visit
Image: Brian McNeil.

Last week fifty volunteers, from nine countries covering nineteen languages, spent four days at the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg photographing and filming members of the parliament (MEPs). This being an effort to significantly increase the audio-visual content available in Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects.

Members of the team, who were all granted guest press accreditation, began arriving at the hotel in the small town of Kork, not far from the France–Germany border, on Saturday. The team base, Hotel Ochsen, has an interesting history. Placards on the courtyard wall explain it served as headquarters for Field marshal Kollowrat-Krakowsky battling Napoleonic forces in the 1796 Siege of Kehl.

Those arriving later came directly to the Louise Weiss building, which hosts the parliament's plenary sessions and all voting on EU matters. Whilst staying in the hotel, the Wikimedian group met two MEPs who chose it in-preference to dramatically more-expensive Strasbourg accommodation. One of the ushers from the parliament also chatted with volunteers at the hotel, self-depricatingly describing his ceremonial attire as a "penguin suit" due to the long-tailed jacket.

One of the first day's MEPs to introduce themselves to the visiting Wikimedians was Christian Engström; delivering copies of his book, The Case for Copyright Reform, co-authored with Swedish Pirate Party founder Rickard Falkvinge. Engström explained that, in the book, he argues Wikipedia is one of the losers under current copyright legislation. One of numerous MEPs who recorded video introductions in multiple languages, he was more-confident than some colleagues — the most-challenging taking thirteen takes to successfully record.

Wikimedia volunteers pose for a group photo in the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

Planning meeting in Hotel Ochsen, prior to travelling to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

Something to tempt MEPs into allowing their photos be taken
Image: Marcus Cyron.

Travelling by bus to the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

Unpacking and setting up in the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

MEP Michel Barnier talking to the mainstream press in the parliament
Image: Ralf Roletschek.

Elmar Brok giving a press conference in the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

The Wiki loves parliaments photography 'booths' in the parliament
Image: Texaner.

Italian president Giorgio Napolitano addressing the parliamentary chamber
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

The parliament's Sakharov Exhibition, adjacent to where Wikimedians set up photo editing stations
Image: Brian McNeil.

French journalist Serge July inside the parliament during a press conference where it was demanded journalists held in Syria be released
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

MEPs in makeup prior to being photographed
Image: Marcus Cyron.

Portrait photo of Hungarian MEP Livia Jaroka
Image: Leila Paul.

Interior shot of the parliament's Louise Weiss building
Image: Brian McNeil.

Wikimedians uploading photos, and editing articles, in the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

Banner in the courtyard of the parliament, calling for release of journalists held hostage in Syria
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth, MEP for South West England
Image: Leila Paul.

Wikimedian Manuel Schneider (in background) filming a statement from MEP Bruno Gollnisch in the parliament
Image: Claude Truong-Ngoc.

Re-packing equipment after the Wiki loves parliament event
Image: Brian McNeil.

Wikimedians have a final shared meal after the event
Image: Brian McNeil.

Over 1,000 new, high-quality, photographs were taken and uploaded for use on Wikimedia projects during the visit. The second and third days in the parliament saw the highest number of MEPs coming to see the visiting Wikimedians and have their photographs taken. Once photographed, MEPs were encouraged to make video introductions in languages they were comfortable speaking in. In excess of 200 video clips of MEPs introducing themselves were captured; this providing freely-reusable audio and video records available via Wikimedia Commons.

A medley of MEPs introducing themselves
Image: Brian McNeil, Manuel Schneider.

Parliamentarians became more-enthusiastic about the project in its later days, with significantly more turning up to be photographed and filmed. Given some turned up as Wikimedians were packing up on the last day, some still lack freely-licensed photographs for their Wikipedia entries. French MEP, and National Front member, Bruno Gollnisch was amongst those disappointed when turning up after much of the equipment was packed up; although Gollnisch has already provided some video recordings, he had returned with additional prepared texts — including Japanese — for use in a video introduction.

Despite much of two levels within the parliament set aside for the press, the event received little coverage from mainstream media. France TV's channel three broadcast a report on the Thursday, making footage available via their website on the Friday.

In contrast the Voice intro project (WikiVIP) started by Andy Mabbett, and brought to a far-wider audience with Stephen Fry's endorsement, saw Mabbet give an interview from one of the parliament's radio studios with United States' public radio network NPR. With Fry's recording catching the attention of the press, that project has received coverage from as-far afield as Italy, Russia, and Japan.

Audio for use on Wikipedia is to be extracted from video recordings of MEPs for use on Wikimedia projects. As available storage and bandwidth increases, it is a longer-term goal of the Wikimedia Foundation to increase freely-available, and reusable, multimedia content across all projects hosted by the Foundation.

The project also served as an opportunity to emphasise that all Wikimedia content is created through people donating their time and effort. Whilst MEPs knew anyone could edit Wikipedia, meeting a group representing all ages, and much of Europe, served as an effective public-relations exercise.

Sources

• "Wikipedia tire le portrait du Parlement européen" — France TV, February 7, 2014 (French)
• "Wikipedia Archiving Voices So You'll Always Know How Celebs Sound" — NPR, February 3, 2014
• Samuel Gibbs. "Stephen Fry kickstarts Wikipedia’s celebrity voice archives" — The Guardian, January 27, 2014