Sunday, December 18, 2005

Wikipedia

The Register reports Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has been shot dead, according to Wikipedia, the online, up-to-the-minute encyclopedia.

Apparently, the assassin was a "friend" of the victim of a recent controversy which ironically, smeared former Robert F Kennedy aid John Seigenthaler as a suspect in the assassination of both Kennedy brothers. That claim, which the site carried for several months, along with the assertion that Seigenthaler had lived in Russia, was eventually proved false.

Clearly this is another example of how easy it is to enter false information in Wikipedia. Yet Paul Jacob has a very interesting article in Townhall entitled "Hasten slowly: how to change Wikipedia" which suggests we dont want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. As Paul says: Wikipedia, I trust, will be better than ever. Perhaps a bit slower to add information, but also less likely to add misinformation and disinformation. It will be good to step into it again. Anew.

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