ENGL1010 Composition IWhile many people find Wikipedia useful, it is not reliable. Wikipedia is an open source project, which means that anyone and everyone can make or edit entries. Since the site has no official peer review process to verify information, the site is "self-correcting," which can lead to errors. From pranksters to crackpots, the following articles discuss some of the problems with Wikipedia's reliability.
To view each article, click on the web address.
Ahrens, Frank. "Death by Wikipedia: The Kenneth Lay Chronicles." Washington Post. Sunday, July 9, 2006: F07. 19 June 2007. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/08/AR2006070800135.html>.
In this article, Ahrens demonstrates some problems with Wikipedia's 'everyone is an editor policy' focusing, in particular, to problems related to news reporting.
Jaschik, Scott. "A Stand against Wikipedia." Inside Higher Ed. 26 January 2007. 19 January 2007. <http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/01/26/wiki>.
Jaschik explains why colleges are banning the online collaborative encyclopedia from student papers.
McCarthy, Caroline. "Colbert Speaks, America Follows: All Hail Wikiality." CNet. 1 August 2006. 19 June 2007. <http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-6100754-7.html>.
When Stephen Colbert mocked the website on his show, he and his fans showed how easy it is to change the "facts" with just a few keystrokes. Colbert's fans made changes as a prank.
Salter, Doug. "An Open Wound for an Open Source Reference." Fast Company.com 12 December 2005. 19 June 2007. <http://blog.fastcompany.com/archives/2005/12/14/an_open_wound_for_an_opensource_reference.html>.
Read this article on why Wikipedia isn't a good source for reliable information. The author cites pranks, false information, and pornographic or obscene entries that obscure any facts.
Note: These resources were identified by Jennifer Duncan, and this page is based on a handout which she made available.
ENGL1010 Composition I