Alternipedia
An attempt to fulfill the promise of a truly neutral encyclopedia—presenting multiple political perspectives on the same topic, with full transparency and community-driven moderation. Built to complement Wikipedia, not replace it.
The Problem
Wikipedia's "neutral point of view" policy was a revolutionary idea, but in practice, neutrality is impossible when editors must choose a single narrative. Controversial topics often reflect the perspective of whichever group controls the editing process, leaving readers with an incomplete picture of complex issues.
Larry Sanger, Wikipedia's co-founder, eventually left the project over concerns about systemic bias. Alternipedia is an attempt to solve this fundamental problem through a different approach.
How It Works
📚 Wikipedia Foundation
Every article starts with Wikipedia's core factual information—dates, figures, undisputed events. This provides a solid, well-researched base that doesn't need to be recreated.
🔀 Multiple Perspectives
Instead of forcing a single narrative, articles present different political and ideological perspectives side-by-side. Readers can see how the same events are interpreted across the spectrum and form their own conclusions.
✏️ Community Editable
Anyone can contribute and edit, but contributions are tagged with perspective labels. The goal isn't to achieve consensus—it's to fairly represent the full range of informed viewpoints.
📊 Source Transparency
Every claim links to its source, and sources are tagged with their known biases. Readers can trace exactly where information comes from and evaluate its credibility themselves.
The Philosophy
"True neutrality isn't about finding a middle ground—it's about showing all the ground and trusting readers to navigate it themselves."
Access to information shouldn't come pre-filtered through someone else's worldview. Alternipedia embraces intellectual diversity as a feature, not a bug. By making bias visible rather than hidden, we empower readers to think critically rather than passively consume curated narratives.
Technical Stack
- Next.js + Tailwind CSS: Modern React framework with server-side rendering, styled with utility-first CSS for rapid development.
- Supabase (PostgreSQL): Backend-as-a-service providing real-time database, authentication, and row-level security for content management.
- Vercel Hosting: Edge-optimized deployment with automatic scaling and global CDN for fast page loads worldwide.
- Perspective Tagging System: Custom taxonomy for categorizing viewpoints without imposing a false left-right dichotomy.
- Public Moderation Logs: All moderator actions are recorded in an immutable append-only log for full accountability.