Editorial antics on Wikipedia

[NVMojo]

WASHINGTON -- To the untrained eye, the biography of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on the official-looking Wikipedia Web site appears as trustworthy as a hefty set of encyclopedias sold at your doorstep.

But since becoming minority leader in 2005, Reid's biography in the online encyclopedia has periodically been subject to vandalism and seeming half-truths.

Recent changes to Reid's profile have accused him of not supporting U.S. troops, being under investigation as part of Republican lobbying scandals and even having an unhealthy obsession with Cheez-Its.

Wikipedia allows anyone to write and edit encyclopedia entries, and the changes can be viewed afterwards.

But site managers have had to take actions recently after saying it increasingly appears that lawmaker profiles are being changed by congressional aides.

more...

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Feb-11-Sat-2006/news/5833017.html

[NashVegas]

1. Thursday's BBC Story

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4695376.stm

Online reference site Wikipedia blames US Congress staff for partisan changes to a number of political biographies.

Computers traced to Capitol Hill removed unpalatable facts from articles on senators, while other entries were "vandalised", the site said.

...

Wikipedia says the controversy raises questions about whether it is ethical for those with a vested interest in the subject to edit entries about it.

It said the Congressional computer network has been blocked from editing for brief periods on a number of occasions in the last six months due to the inappropriate contributions.

...

But it also says its investigation showed the vast majority of edits from Senate IPs were "beneficial and helpful".

[MrPrax]

2. LOL!!

"It said the Congressional computer network has been blocked from editing for brief periods on a number of occasions in the last six months due to the inappropriate contributions."

The Congress Critters IP got put on the 'kick/ban' list' LOL

'/ignore [e-mail]'
'/ignore [e-mail]'
'/ignore -t [e-mail] 3'
'/ignore -t [e-mail] 4'

oh fuck it...

'/load OOBnuke *!*@congress.gov'

(not real email address BTW and replied to main topic)

[NVMojo]

3. Burns' office may have tampered with Wikipedia entry

Someone from Sen. Conrad Burns' office apparently edited the senator's entry on the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia in January to remove a controversial remark he had made about Arabs, the Web site reported Tuesday.

A recent investigation by Wikinews -- Wikipedia's fact-checking service -- found that an unknown editor using an Internet protocol address assigned to the Republican senator's office removed references to a comment Burns made in 1999 calling Arabs "ragheads" and his voting record on Native American issues.
The same person then inserted a glowing paragraph describing the senator as a "voice for the farmer."


more...

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2006/02/09/news/wikipedia.txt

hysterical!

[wordpix2]

4. the don't call him "Burns" for nothing: re: "ragheads"

[SoCalDem]

5. So..now they just have an aide visit a library

and alter the sites from that IP??

Sounds too easy to get around their bans

[Chovexani]

6. Sometimes I wonder if people know how the internet works

Jesus Christ, there are editing flame wars over Harry fucking Potter on Wikipedia.

It's good enough to give you a start as far as a general overview and maybe keywords for a Google search, but anyone who uses Wikipedia as a serious research tool is a moran.