Wikipedia editors, the internet’s nerdy unsung heroes, keep the website one of the last best places online

The bronze bust of William Lyon Mackenzie sits on a tall plinth tucked away in Toronto’s Queen’s Park. He has a defiant expression, befitting the rebel leader against Upper Canada, and a swooping hairdo that looks like a bird perched atop his head.

Earlier this summer, Andy Filipowich was here to take in the statue. He’s a high school teacher by day, but a prolific Wikipedia editor by night.

The 36-year-old is one of the editors of Mackenzie’s Wikipedia page, whose meticulous writing and citing led the article to be featured on the website’s front page – arguably one of the highest distinctions for a Wikipedia editor. That day, more than 25,000 people read the article.

“You can only stumble upon it if you’re physically in the space,” Mr. Filipowich says about the statue. “But in the online world, anyone can stumble on any information.”

Since Wikipedia was founded nearly a quarter of a century ago, fortified by co-founder Jimmy Wales’s goal to “help the internet not suck,” it has consistently ranked as one of the top 10 most visited websites worldwide.

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