False Fact On Wikipedia Proves Itself

I stand by my comments that Wikipedia is a good resource, and that if you think parts of it are wrong then you should contribute to it yourself. I also warn that no source is infallible, particularly a source open to all for revisions.

An article on Slashdot reports that an edit to a Wikipedia article that intentionally introduced an error was used by German and international newspapers, internet sites and TV news programmes in their reports. The change on Wikipedia was reverted with a request for proof for the edit. Proof (of the intentionally incorrect information) was then found, but from a reputable source that had already used Wikipedia for its information. "So the circle was closed: Wikipedia states a false fact, a reputable media outlet copies the false fact, and this outlet is then used as the source to prove the false fact to Wikipedia."

I try to remind students never to trust a single source (particularly me when I've been teaching for 3 hours). Anatomy textbooks are great resources but they also contain errors. Go to three sources if you can. Surprisingly, for a student this is fairly achievable - you listen to a lecture, you read a book, you discuss with your peers. Of course if the lecturer and your peers all read the same book, you might have the same problem as Wikipedia.

Read the Slashdot article.

By Sam on February 12, 2009 11:24 AM | No Comments