« Business Week on Generation @ | Main | RSS Fund » CNN on Wikipedia and the wicked InternetCNN's web site has an article about John Seigenthaler's issues with a Wikipedia article's inaccurate statements. The article notes that the false statement was removed and a registration requirement added for posting new articles (though I didn't think that was new). [Link to the article] According to the article, "The episode demonstrates the lack of accountability that often comes with articles posted by anonymous people over the Internet....Unlike content included in magazines, books and other traditional media, online material can be submitted by just about anyone, often without having to volunteer any identifying information." Ha! CNN's reporter managed to slip in a bit of FUD about the wicked Internet, where anything goes. In one sentence, anonymity is the problem; in the next sentence, it's the lack of editorial authority, the supposed vetting of articles in "traditional media," without regard to anonymity. I could go on for hours about that one... the implicaiton that "traditional media" is more trustworthy. Think about Fox News, or Judith Miller. Journalists have a code of ethics and a methodology that I respect (I did time in journalism school, so I know how it's supposed to work). However years of experience have taught me that "traditonal" sources are often unreliable. It's better to get your information from many, often conflicting, sources, as you can find online. What's really funny about this CNN article, though, is that it has no byline. It's anonymous. jon posted this at 4:10 AM |
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A political activist wrote an article about the American calling it "fascist." Unfortunately, it was badly sourced and inaccurate.
Wikipedia & the American Legion
A good example of how anybody with an agenda can write an article.
Posted by: John McAdams | December 27, 2005 10:35 PM