Once again Wikipedia raises controversy by the weakness of its very structure. Although I guess that it is the same structure that makes it an attractive global encyclopedia. HGZ BBC: Fake professor in Wikipedia storm Internet site Wikipedia has been hit by controversy after the disclosure that a prominent editor had assumed a false identity complete with fake PhD. Complete article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6423659.stm
On 3/8/07, Homero Gil de Zuniga <hgildezuniga@wisc.edu> wrote:
Once again Wikipedia raises controversy by the weakness of its very structure. Although I guess that it is the same structure that makes it an attractive global encyclopedia.
I would humbly suggest that humans (a) lying and deceiving one another and (b) making poor choices long before Wikipedia or the Internet were invented. The very public manner in which this has been discovered and dealt with is, in my mind, a strength of the system. There are definitely weaknesses and flaws in the system but I'm not sure it's fair to lay them at the feet of Wikipedia as a whole or suggest (without evidence) that this is inherent in or endemic to the system. But it sure is interesting to watch the community react and attempt to change the system in response to this challenge! Kevin
I don't see this as a fundamental flaw with Wikipedia's structure - faked credentials (and improper vetting of them) can plague almost any organization or community: * Michael Brown at FEMA: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/ 0,8599,1103003,00.html * George O'Leary (football coach): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ George_O%27Leary#Notre_Dame_Controversy * "Security consultant" posing as Fed Agent to stalk "Brangelina": http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/14/fake-fed-wanted-to-get-near-brangelina/ And, of course, it was the New Yorker (who has greater resources for fact-checking) who got fooled here just as much as the Wikipedia community.... -mz ----- Michael T. Zimmer Doctoral Candidate, Culture and Communication, New York University Student Fellow, Information Law Institute, NYU Law School e: michael.zimmer@nyu.edu w: http://michaelzimmer.org On Mar 8, 2007, at 3:20 PM, Homero Gil de Zuniga wrote:
Once again Wikipedia raises controversy by the weakness of its very structure. Although I guess that it is the same structure that makes it an attractive global encyclopedia.
HGZ
BBC:
Fake professor in Wikipedia storm
Internet site Wikipedia has been hit by controversy after the disclosure that a prominent editor had assumed a false identity complete with fake PhD.
Complete article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6423659.stm
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This fraud brings up a larger issue for Wikipedia, namely, the role of expertise. I assume that this fellow assumed the identity of a professor because he thought it would bring increased influence in the community (or with The New Yorker?). If it did, I would say that's a good sign. My past experience is that most Wikipedians don't give much consideration to credentials when they are brought into discussions. This is too bad, as it scares off experts who might well contribute but who want just what Rodney Dangerfield wanted--a little respect. I organized a "Wikipedia Project" on Russian history aimed (inter alia) at engaging professors/experts (real ones, that is) in Wikipedia clean up. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Russian_History I asked all the members to list their credentials. Most did, as you'll see. I know many of them as I'm a Russian historian, but many of them I don't know at all. Should I be vetting them? Is that an emerging community activity? Best, Marshall Poe On 3/8/07, Michael Zimmer <michael.zimmer@nyu.edu> wrote:
I don't see this as a fundamental flaw with Wikipedia's structure - faked credentials (and improper vetting of them) can plague almost any organization or community:
* Michael Brown at FEMA: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/ 0,8599,1103003,00.html * George O'Leary (football coach): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ George_O%27Leary#Notre_Dame_Controversy * "Security consultant" posing as Fed Agent to stalk "Brangelina": http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/14/fake-fed-wanted-to-get-near-brangelina/
And, of course, it was the New Yorker (who has greater resources for fact-checking) who got fooled here just as much as the Wikipedia community....
-mz
----- Michael T. Zimmer Doctoral Candidate, Culture and Communication, New York University Student Fellow, Information Law Institute, NYU Law School e: michael.zimmer@nyu.edu w: http://michaelzimmer.org
On Mar 8, 2007, at 3:20 PM, Homero Gil de Zuniga wrote:
Once again Wikipedia raises controversy by the weakness of its very structure. Although I guess that it is the same structure that makes it an attractive global encyclopedia.
HGZ
BBC:
Fake professor in Wikipedia storm
Internet site Wikipedia has been hit by controversy after the disclosure that a prominent editor had assumed a false identity complete with fake PhD.
Complete article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6423659.stm
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participants (4)
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Homero Gil de Zuniga -
Kevin Guidry -
Marshall Poe -
Michael Zimmer