The next time we're tempted to quote Wikipedia...

[jwight]

This is pretty good: Irish student hoaxes world's media with fake quote by AP: Yahoo! Tech

[forestacademy]

We always tell people: If you see that quote on Wikipedia, find it somewhere else too. He's identified a flaw," Walsh said in a telephone interview from Wikipedia's San Francisco base.

Problem with that is, once someone has coppied it onto another site you can then find it somewhere else.

[NCC1701]

he said. "It would have become another example where, once anything is printed enough times in the media without challenge, it becomes fact."

Yep.

9/11 - Iraq (repeat)

But, I would extend your wikipedia caution to every web site, no matter how authoritative. If it is something of importance you're researching, always double and triple check the information. I overheard some temps at work saying that KFC was breeding beakless, footless chickens. And, they KNEW it was true, because they saw it on the internet. Almost all ISPs provide their clients with web space ... where they can put any fantastical ramblings they wish to place in public.

Don't be too harsh on wikipedia, it's a good place to start. But, like all information can be wrong. Not limited to the internet either. I've got old textbooks used in public schools (decades old) which contain information now known to be incorrect. Where wikipedia may occasionally have some inaccuracies, people frequently quote ... .... ... which is inacurate more often than not.

[fpage77]

Great so should we be watching for smart car wiki page to be updated with lies about how big deathtrap car.

[forestacademy]

Originally Posted by fpage77

Great so should we be watching for smart car wiki page to be updated with lies about how big deathtrap car.

Well their is plenty of disputable items in the site about the smart
Talk:Smart Fortwo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jwight]

So that wasn't a chicken beak in my KFC order last week?

[Old smart]

Bum info in Wikipedia can be removed or edited or corrected so long as proper substantiation is provided.

Twice someone had entered info in Wiki "Lanark" concerning one of my ancestors, only to have it removed for lack of citation. Now with a proper reference noted, it remains.

[grwhitaker]

A Wikipedia citation/reference in a research paper is not acceptable to most universities. If you want to use information from Wikipedia, look at the source reference materials and follow the trail. Even then, be prepared to evaluate the level of advocacy or impartiality of that citation source.

Helpful hints-especially to students!

[jetfuel]

...on the chicken thing....
...back home in the farm we raised three legged chickens...'cause at dinner time my mom wanted a drum stick..my brother wanted one and I wanted one too...I sure wish I could tell you how they tasted....'cause we were never able to catch them..

jetfuel

[NCC1701]

Wow, I didn't know criticizing a recognized propaganda pump was

un-necessarily political/inflamitory

Particularly when the topic is unreliable information on the internet.
Go figure!