Thread:Project:Support desk/Intelectual fraud and influence peddling

Hello. I'm Hugo, from Lisbon, Portugal. 35 years old.

I'd really love to contribute to Wikipedia. Actually, I'm a journalist, a writer, a poet, a musician, a songwriter... I have two poetry books published, some poems collected in anthologies (Portugal and Brazil); two hands full of published songs written and composed by me, some of them played on radio and TV; more than 40 or 50 composed and recorded songs; I've published hundreds of relevant articles (interviews to the most important musicians in Portugal and some international artists; long stories about people, politics, economy, arts, you name it; editorials...) on magazines and on some portuguese leading newspapers; I founded two small newspapers; I was even a cartoonist; whatever... There are many other people like me who don't have a single word about them or their true, sincere, honest and talented work. I know some of these people - truly talented and honest people who actually develop an intellectual or artistic work. The point is I'm shocked to see and realize that there are people highlighted on Wikipedia (the person I know best and thinking of happens to be cousin of a very important politician, of noble families), where we can read they must have accomplished amazing artistic deeds like writing books and composing music that they never composed at all. And what they actually do and did was notoriously poor, never worth mentioning. Some of these people even come connected to shortlists (linked) of the "writers of Portugal", among some of the most brilliant minds ever. And where are writers that actually write, like me? Does this sound pretentious? Well... just listen, watch, read, investigate, compare. It sounds like a natural and ethic inclination to dislike and to manifest that dislike when injustice, intellectual dishonesty, fraud or influence peddling occur before our eyes. I will not point anyone out, but I would like to know how can this happen. Some years ago a friend of mine asked me if I wanted him to create a Wikipedia page for my extinguished band, called Baby Jane, and I obviously said "sure!" He created the page and a couple of weeks later he told some kind of editor impeded the publication of that information (which was accurate and correct) because the band didn't get to publish a record (but appeared several times times on national television, played hundreds of important concerts with some of the major national bands, had dozens of original recorded songs, released on EP's and demos - some of them actually published and sold on the market along with compilations, for instance). It wasn't enough, but a guy who has nothing worthwhile that we can see or ear, and that simply takes advantage of others and their work gets to have a Wikipedia page that makes him one of the most important writers or artists in the country is frightening, shocking, fraudulent, intellectually dishonest, inadmissible! Something is wrong with Wikipedia and I want to help making sure it gets better, whenever I can and know how. Finally, I would love to contribute to Wikipedia and would appreciate if someone could help me get into the Wikipedia matters.

Hope to hear from you soon and would really appreciate if someone could explain this strange selective gate keeping phenomenon that seems to be dominating Wikipedia, even at this very small scale.

Cheers,

Hugo