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The Sinister Dr. Larimer (phosfate) wrote in otf_wank,
@ 2005-12-12 08:32:00

Current mood:

sleepy

"serious reference tool"
From this morning's AP wire:

Man Apologizes After Fake Wikipedia Post

- - - - - - - - - - - -

December 12,2005 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A man who posted false information on an online encyclopedia linking a prominent journalist to the Kennedy assassinations says he was playing a trick on a co-worker.

Brian Chase, 38, ended up resigning from his job and apologizing to John Seigenthaler Sr., the former publisher of the Tennessean newspaper and founding editorial director of USA Today.

"I knew from the news that Mr. Seigenthaler was looking for who did it, and I did it, so I needed to let him know in particular that it wasn't anyone out to get him, that it was done as a joke that went horribly, horribly wrong," Chase was quoted as saying in Sunday editions of The Tennessean.

Chase said he didn't know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool.

The biography he posted, which has since been replaced, falsely stated that Seigenthaler was linked to the Kennedy assassinations and had lived in the Soviet Union from 1971 to 1984.

The entry motivated Seigenthaler to write an op-ed piece for USA Today blasting Wikipedia's credibility. He described himself as a close friend of Robert Kennedy and said he had worked with President Kennedy. He said "the most painful thing was to have them suggest that I was suspected of their assassination."

Seigenthaler said he doesn't plan to pursue legal action against Chase.

He also said he doesn't support more regulations of the Internet, but he said that he fears "Wikipedia is inviting it by its allowing irresponsible vandals to write anything they want about anybody."

Chase said he created the fake online biography in May as a gag to shock a co-worker who was familiar with the Seigenthaler family. He resigned as an operations manager at a Nashville delivery company as a result of the debacle.

From here: http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8EEEBRG1.html

(Post a new comment)

	fevered_ego 2005-12-12 03:42 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, poor American Media. You seem to be suffering from Very Serious Internet Disease. And I hear it's fatal.... (Reply to this)

kadath
2005-12-12 03:54 pm UTC (link)

Chase said he didn't know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool.

Yeah, well, it shouldn't be.

The entry motivated Seigenthaler to write an op-ed piece for USA Today blasting Wikipedia's credibility. ... He said "the most painful thing was to have them suggest that I was suspected of their assassination."

and

[Chase] also said he doesn't support more regulations of the Internet, but he said that he fears "Wikipedia is inviting it by its allowing irresponsible vandals to write anything they want about anybody."

Ain't enough "bitch, please" in the world.

(Reply to this)

sashenka
2005-12-12 04:27 pm UTC (link)

Chase said he didn't know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool.

I'm sorry. WHAT? I'm a college student who looks up things like 'pants' and 'teh' on Wikipedia when I'm bored. PEOPLE USE IT FOR SERIOUS RESEARCH?! *dies of stupid*

What kind of moron uses Wikipedia to play a joke on someone, though? I mean, seriously, they've gotten pretty pissed off for less than this. Isn't it easier to just convince someone that their mom is dead, instead?

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	frau_eva 2005-12-12 04:34 pm UTC (link)
	I'll admit to using it for "research" for classes I really don't care about(i.e. my for-credit art class which is taught by an idiot), then putting down something different on the Work Cited. That's about the extent of it though. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

moonpigeon, 2005-12-12 05:47 pm UTC

amxjm, 2005-12-12 07:41 pm UTC

the_wanlorn, 2005-12-12 08:21 pm UTC

omnicrom, 2005-12-12 10:01 pm UTC

chibikaijuu, 2005-12-13 12:58 am UTC

	cat_mcdougall 2005-12-12 04:38 pm UTC (link)
	I've used it as a starting point mainly if my Google skeellz are dead. Sometimes it'll give you a new set of key-words that you didn't think of using before. Beyond that? No. Not really. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dunc, 2005-12-12 05:53 pm UTC

jedilora, 2005-12-12 06:00 pm UTC

darkrose, 2005-12-12 08:16 pm UTC

(no subject) - hereforthewank, 2005-12-12 11:33 pm UTC

	cleolinda 2005-12-12 05:59 pm UTC (link)
	See, WE know that, but Wikipedia's been going around in the media saying they ARE a serious reference tool and they want to distribute CD-ROMs in third-world countries so that Teh People Will Have Teh ~~Nollidge~~ Knowledge. Which horrifies me, frankly. And I love Wikipedia. But it's better used for random personal curiosity, I feel like. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

anatsuno, 2005-12-12 07:06 pm UTC

sashenka, 2005-12-12 09:08 pm UTC

	quickfade 2005-12-12 06:40 pm UTC (link)
	Anyone who cites a Wikipedia article when trying to win an argument on the internet automatically loses in my opinion (like using Godwin's). Is there an Internet Law on using Wikipedia in this way because there bloody well should be! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

notjo, 2005-12-12 08:28 pm UTC

	sabinelagrande 2005-12-12 09:00 pm UTC (link)
	I've cited it exactly once, cause it was two hours before the paper was due, and it was a really minor, well known fact that had nothing to do with the paper. Other than that? Please. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	pipssister 2005-12-12 09:49 pm UTC (link)
	I try not to use it, but it really sucks sometimes when wikipedia is the only source with information out there. [bitter college student working on a paper about the role of media in presidential nominations who can't find a decent legitimate source on the Gary Hart/Donna Rice affair] (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

mindset, 2005-12-12 10:06 pm UTC

pipssister, 2005-12-12 10:13 pm UTC

(no subject) - hereforthewank, 2005-12-12 11:39 pm UTC

pipssister, 2005-12-12 11:57 pm UTC

	nekoneko 2005-12-12 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	According to my history prof, people have used Wikipedia for their papers, and should never EVER do that. He says this every time he assigns a paper. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	mathilde 2005-12-13 02:07 pm UTC (link)
	I don't use it for research for classes (I do have some sense of academic responsibility!) but I do use it as a quick resource, and also for things like looking up scientology which people have obsessively perfected the entries to. Also, to point and go "ahahahaha! told you so!!!" (Reply to this)(Parent)

cleolinda
2005-12-12 06:01 pm UTC (link)

I feel kind of bad for the guy who had to resign over this. I mean, he worked for a delivery company, not, like, a library or a newspaper or someplace where his research skills and integrity were key to his job function. He doesn't seem to know about the whole "anonymous on the internet" thing, either--write Siegenthaler an anonymous letter apologizing, change the article back to what it should say, and move on with your life, man.

(Reply to this)

	eljuno 2005-12-12 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	I haven't liked Wiki since they edited down these two entries... http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Thomson&oldid=13420336 http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Hardy_%28bassist%29&oldid=18345099 C'mon, if you're dumb enough to believe that Bob from Franz has 13 webbed toes... (Reply to this)(Thread)

	capsulekei 2005-12-12 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	Oh the Franz wiki pages...I was going to bring those up. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	chopperbetty 2005-12-12 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, shit, that's hilarious. for only 250 pounds, he sold fat from his buttocks just so he could pay his rent Hahahaha! I need to check out old Wikipedia entires more often. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

teruhiko, 2005-12-12 09:59 pm UTC

chopperbetty, 2005-12-12 10:01 pm UTC

teruhiko, 2005-12-12 10:07 pm UTC

chopperbetty, 2005-12-12 10:11 pm UTC

teruhiko, 2005-12-12 10:18 pm UTC

	teruhiko 2005-12-12 10:00 pm UTC (link)
	Oh Franz. I love their Wikipedia pages. They're such an amusing band. Don't forget Nick McCarthy following in the footsteps of his uncle, Jerry Lewis! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	alisalias 2005-12-13 12:17 am UTC (link)
	His two distinguishing marks can be found on each thigh. A birthmark resembling Africa and Italy!!! The exclamation points just killed me. I need to look at old edits more often. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	ravenscanary 2005-12-13 02:15 am UTC (link)
	Buahahahah. That's awesome. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	felinephoenix 2005-12-12 10:25 pm UTC (link)
	Um. I'd just like to say, on behalf of journalism majors everywhere, that most of us aren't dumb enough to use fucking Wikipedia as a serious source. That said, what an awesome prank, except for the part where he lost his job. (Reply to this)

	apoplexia 2005-12-12 11:56 pm UTC (link)
	This is just what I need to explain to the children that you can't believe everything you read online. Yes, that includes wikipedia Doris. (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2005-12-13 12:58 am UTC (link)
	My favorite part of Wikipedia is the discussion tab. I enjoy watching people bicker about the content of the article. Some of those "irresponsible vandals" can be pretty funny when they wank. And I do use wikipedia to find links, or when urbandictionary fails me. (Reply to this)(Thread)

(no subject) - (Anonymous), 2005-12-13 01:07 am UTC

felinephoenix, 2005-12-13 04:41 am UTC

	pokecheck 2005-12-13 01:02 am UTC (link)
	I wonder how the Chuck Norris and Vin Diesel wiki pages are. But really, I've used wikipedia for "real" research only because many times they have useful links that are reasonable starting points. (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2005-12-13 04:02 am UTC (link)

On the one hand -- I've used Wikipedia as a starting-point for research, especially when I was trying to remember the name of something that I knew about already ("what was the name for the Finnish Santa Claus figure again?...") and it's lead to other things that I've confirmed with second sources. In fact, I write for a theater company in Scranton, and the stuff on their web site about their Christmas Show had a lot of the stuff I wrote for them researched on Wikipedia (they told me about the "Tio de Nadal" in Catalan, which is just freakin' weird).

On the other hand, though -- I have a friend as a cautionary tale. A friend of a friend of mine is a writer for MAD magazine, and he now has a Wikipedia entry. Every so often, though, he'll get bored and edit it to say things like he was a member of Italian royalty or he invented the toothpick or something. In fact, if you look him up (Des is the first name), then check back at all the different drafts of his entry, you'll see the handful of times he changed it and Wiki changed it back...

Queencallipygos on LJ

(Reply to this)

	mael 2005-12-13 07:21 am UTC (link)
	Dude, my love for Wikipedia knows no bounds. They broke out the pictures of Palpatine when the new Pope got elected. IT WAS GLORIOUS. (Reply to this)

	teruhiko 2005-12-13 11:51 pm UTC (link)
	I noticed today that my school's history textbook quotes Wikipedia. What does this say about the state of second-level education? (Reply to this)(Thread)

greenling, 2005-12-14 06:03 am UTC

(no subject) - winterfox, 2005-12-15 01:08 pm UTC

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