Dear Elijah, I am trying to stir up some action that may lead to a solution. You are mistaken in the idea that these issues are evident to most Wikipedia users. These problems are evident to people on this list -- but far too few students recognize the need to use multiple sources. No matter how much I encourage people to use multiple sources for ALL facts, something like 40% of my students use only one source for most facts, and that source is increasingly Wikipedia. My larger point is that if students are satisfied with only one source, I want that source to be Encyclopedia Britannica or a similar excellent reference source. I'd prefer that more students checked issues and facts against many sources. Until this becomes a common habit of mind, I am no longer willing to accept Wikipedia. My second large point is that if enough of us take the same stand, Wikipedia will necessarily find a way to do better fact-checking and to prevent egregious cases of libel, defamation, hoax information, and fraud. Yours, Ken
What's your larger point? Or are you just trying to stir things up?
These are issues that have been widely discussed. And largely things that are very evident to users of wikipedia... and often to students.
--elijah
-- Ken Friedman Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language Norwegian School of Management Design Research Center Denmark's Design School email: ken.friedman@bi.no