Stephen's Untold Stories

I am a big supporter of Wikipedia, but this kind of thing is just part of the process.

The debate over Wikipedia has hit a fever pitch in recent weeks.
Supporters of Wikipedia, the user-edited online encyclopedia, are pitted against traditionalists who call the site inaccurate and irresponsible.

The latest salvo came this week thanks to Rogers Cadenhead, who did a bit of cybersleuthing and reported on Workbench that the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, had altered his own Wikipedia biography. Wired News picked up Mr. Cadenhead’s discovery, and a heated debate ensued on Wikipedia discussion boards.

According to Mr. Cadenhead’s interpretation, Mr. Wales made the changes to play down the role of his former editor, Larry Sanger, by deleting references to him as a co-founder. When other volunteer editors undid his edits, Mr. Wales repeated them twice.

As Wired News points out, Wikipedia warns that editing one’s own bio “can open the door to rather immature behavior and loss of dignity.”

Mr. Wales told Wired News he wasn’t trying to change history, but merely clarifying technical details regarding Mr. Sanger’s role at Wikipedia.

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