Debatepedia
Location
About You
Location
Project Street Address
3731 E. Prospect
Project City
Seattle
Project Province/State
WA
Project Postal/Zip Code
98112
Project Country
United States
Your idea
Will you launch your idea as a business or non-profit?
Non-Profit
Web site (url)
Name Your Project
Debatepedia
Describe Your Idea
Innovation
What is your idea? What makes it innovative? Why is it important?
Debatepedia is a wiki encyclopedia of debates or "the Wikipedia of pros and cons". It engages volunteer editors from around the world in centralizing pro and con arguments and supporting quotations from experts and leaders into a single encyclopedia. The idea was inspired by a problem: public debates (globally, nationally, and locally) are scattered across thousands of newspapers, journals, and books. As a result, citizens cannot systematically view all the arguments in a public debate, compare them side-by-side, and deliberate effectively. Debatepedia ambitiously solves this problem by engaging a global community of editors (via modified MediaWiki software) in centralizing all the arguments and quotations found in these articles and books into highly-organized pro/con articles. In short, it brings order to chaotic public debates, improving deliberations and decisions.
Impact
What will be the impact of your idea?
Debatepedia is having a global and local impact. It aims to be a comprehensive resource for every debate in the world on a global, national, and even local scale. It also intends to have the greatest of detail in each of its pro/con articles, presenting every argument and pro and con quotation in its simple pro/con logic tree structure. This allows citizens to understand public debates, deliberate, take a position, and act decisively as members of their communities. It also helps decision-makers and politicians better understand the debates surrounding them, so that they can make better decisions or vote with optimal information on the pros and cons involved. Finally, Debatepedia adds value to the journalism industry by taking existing articles, editorials, and opinion pieces (old and new) and framing their arguments, quotes, and passages in the greater context of the public debates they are part of.
This Entry is about (Issues)
People: We are looking for ideas from people who can make them happen.
Debatepedia is part of the International Debate Education Association (a 501c3 non-profit organization). IDEA employs a strong team of individuals who are passionate about debate, citizenship, and citizen-journalism around the world.
So far, on Debatepedia, we have created over 700 of the best pro/con articles in the world on topics ranging from whether the United States should join the International Criminal Court to the pros and cons of carbon trading vs. carbon taxes. Our efforts attract a current average of 4,000 unique visitors to Debatepedia every day and a growing community of volunteer editors. We have successfully secured small grants from the Open Society Institute, United Nations Foundation, and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
Sustainability
How much will it cost to launch your idea?
The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) needs an additional $44,000 for Debatepedia's 2009 budget, and at least $100,000 for its 2010 budget. We have received $30,000 from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation for 2009 and $10,000 in matching funding from the Open Society Institute. The United Nations Foundation also funded the development of a major global warming solutions debate series, with over 20 comprehensive pro/con articles on wind power, nuclear energy, clean coal and other approaches. UNF plans to fund similar projects in March and October of 2009.
 | Debatepedia has been chosen as a finalist in The Power of Us: Re-Imagine Media . - 1114 days ago |
| Paul0Evans1 said: I've seen a similar proposal in this list - also from the US - and I'll add the same comment here as there. I work on a highvolume ... about this Competition Entry. - 1129 days ago read more > |
| fivetwosix said: I really like this idea! My favourite Non-Profit so far. :) Keep it up! about this Competition Entry. - 1143 days ago read more > |
