RED HERRING Wiki wars
Think this year's presidential debates have been rough? Check out Wikipedia


Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia Web site that allows community members to edit entries, has turned into the latest battleground between political parties. Disputes over content related to President Bush and Senator Kerry have been growing since August, prompting site administrators to warn users that election-related entries may be the focus of "contention and debate -- possibly diminishing their neutrality." Indeed, the continual tweaking of content on the Bush and Kerry entries has forced administrators to periodically "freeze" the pages, locking out would-be tweakers. Even so, Bush's entry has been edited 3,953 times and Kerry's has been modified 3,230 times. In comparison, the entry on Jesus has been edited only 1,855 times since the site's inception in 2001. Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales says next year he will begin using editors to review content for accuracy and will allow users to rate the entries for quality. "It's complex because it's a social community and feelings can be hurt," says Wales. (Red Herring 14 Oct 2004) (clipped from NewsScan 10/15/04)