🎧 London Real Podcast

Episode: Larry Sanger - Wikipedia Is Broken and No One Wants to Admit It

Host: Brian Rose
Guest: Larry Sanger (Co-founder of Wikipedia)
Date: February 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this candid and provocative episode, Brian Rose welcomes Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, for a critical interrogation of the world’s most visited knowledge platform. The conversation centers around Wikipedia’s ethical failings, its vulnerability to manipulation and censorship, and the profound consequences for public trust and the information ecosystem. Sanger shares personal regrets, exposes systemic issues, and proposes solutions for restoring neutrality and credibility to online knowledge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Larry Sanger’s Regrets and Apology ([00:01]–[00:25])

• Sanger opens the episode with a direct, heartfelt apology:
  • “Personally sorry for what you've gone through because of Wikipedia. I'm sorry to have unleashed this on the world. I did not intend for this to be an engine of libel as it has become.” (Larry Sanger, [00:01])
• He acknowledges Wikipedia’s current reality as a source of libel and misinformation, contrary to his original vision.

2. Brian Rose’s Experience with Wikipedia ([00:14]–[00:34])

• Rose describes his own negative experiences:
  • “We were being ripped apart on Wikipedia. I just couldn't believe it because I think we all just assumed it was this transparent, trusted source of information equal to the truth.” (Brian Rose, [00:14])
• He highlights widespread public trust in Wikipedia, which makes its perceived bias and unreliability even more damaging.
• Sanger underscores the lack of accountability:
  • “There's a fair number of accounts that will libel you mercilessly with no recourse. You can't sue them because we don't know who they are.” (Larry Sanger, [00:25])

3. Censorship and Media Manipulation ([00:34]–[01:13])

• Rose recounts experiences with institutional censorship:
  • “When Covid happened and lockdown happened, we were one of the few channels that started asking hard questions…that episode was banned and deleted 10 minutes after we finished it.” (Brian Rose, [00:34])
• Sanger reveals external influences on Wikipedia’s content:
  • “Spy agencies are very much engaged in shaping public opinion in one way or another. It was shocking. We didn't think that there would be a censorship regime and Wikipedia was definitely part of that.” (Larry Sanger, [00:48])
• They discuss the “Twitter Files” and evidence of government direction in massaging truth:
  • “Now when we go look back, we realize that they were getting those directives from government.” (Brian Rose, [01:03])
  • Sanger comments: “When the government gets in the business of massaging what the people shall believe, that's very disturbing to me.” (Larry Sanger, [01:13])

4. Solutions: Restoring Neutrality and Editorial Oversight ([01:20]–[01:22])

• Rose asks about the possibility of reclaiming Wikipedia’s reliability:
  • “How we can turn Wikipedia around.” (Brian Rose, [01:20])
• Sanger’s proposal:
  • “All I'm proposing is that there be an editorial assembly to make needed changes to Wikipedia. Neutrality is acknowledging that people are ultimately going to end up carving up reality for themselves and we ought not to impose our views on others.” (Larry Sanger, [01:22])
• Sanger advocates for transparent, pluralistic editorial oversight to counteract bias and restore trust.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm sorry to have unleashed this [Wikipedia] on the world. I did not intend for this to be an engine of libel as it has become.”
  — Larry Sanger, [00:01]
• “We were being ripped apart on Wikipedia…I think we all just assumed it was this transparent, trusted source of information equal to the truth.”
  — Brian Rose, [00:14]
• “Spy agencies are very much engaged in shaping public opinion in one way or another…We didn't think that there would be a censorship regime and Wikipedia was definitely part of that.”
  — Larry Sanger, [00:48]
• “When the government gets in the business of massaging what the people shall believe, that's very disturbing to me.”
  — Larry Sanger, [01:13]
• “All I'm proposing is that there be an editorial assembly to make needed changes to Wikipedia. Neutrality is acknowledging that people are ultimately going to end up carving up reality for themselves and we ought not to impose our views on others.”
  — Larry Sanger, [01:22]

Recommended Listening: Key Timestamps

• 00:01: Sanger’s personal apology and regret
• 00:14: Rose’s disillusionment with Wikipedia’s editorial culture
• 00:34: Censorship experiences during the Covid pandemic
• 00:48: Sanger on intelligence agencies and Wikipedia’s role in shaping narratives
• 01:13: Discussion on government-driven narrative control
• 01:22: Sanger’s proposal for editorial reform and defense of neutrality

Conclusion

This episode delivers a raw, honest critique of Wikipedia’s trajectory and the urgent need for credible, decentralized knowledge platforms. Larry Sanger’s personal regrets and pragmatic solutions, paired with Brian Rose’s first-hand accounts, provide new clarity on the dangers of unchecked information monopolies and the hope for genuine neutrality in the digital age.