Wikipedia: The Wisdom and the Folly of Crowds
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Wikipedia calls itself "the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit," but 15 million articles create the potential for a multitude of mistakes, dirty tricks and editorial bias. Can one of the Internet's most popular sites be open to all and maintain high standards of accuracy at the same time? Also, ethnic violence begins to ebb in Kyrgyzstan. On Reporter's Notebook, the Lakers defeated the Celtics last night and today the US barely salvaged a tie with Slovenia—the smallest country in the World Cup tournament.
Making News
Ethnic Violence Begins to Ebb in Kyrgyzstan ()
The UN says a million people could be in need of food and other assistance in Kyrgyzstan, where ethnic clashes threaten the country with disintegration. In addition to the humanitarian crisis, Kyrgyzstan houses both American and Russian military bases. Clifford Levy, Moscow Bureau Chief for the New York Times, speaks to us from Osh, Kyrgystan’s second largest city.
Guests:
- Clifford Levy: Moscow Bureau Chief, New York Times
Main Topic
Wikipedia: The Wisdom and the Folly of Crowds ()
According to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, it's "one of the greatest triumphs of the Internet." But is Wikipedia all that it claims to be? The operating principle is that anybody can contribute, that a crowd of contributors can reach a consensus superior to what's handed down by designated experts. The risks are obvious, and as the site became vastly popular, it became more vulnerable to "virtual vandals." New rules were adopted, for accuracy and to protect reputations, but they discouraged contributors from helping to build "the wisdom of the crowd." We hear more about how Wikipedia actually works and whether it can continue to grow.
Guests:
- Julia Angwin: Senior Technology Editor, Wall Street Journal
- Andrew Lih: Visiting Professor of Media Studies, University of Southern California, @fuzheado
- Lee Siegel: Culture Critic, New York Observer
- William Beutler: Contributor, Wikipedia
Links:
- Angwin on volunteer writers leaving Wikipedia
- TtP 'Reporter's Notebook' on Wikipedia opening semi-protected articles to editors
- 2010 Wikimania conference
- Study comparing the accuracy of Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britanica
- Study on Wikipedia's accuracy in cancer research
- Lih's 'The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World's Greatest Encyclopedia'
- Siegel's 'Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob'
Reporter's Notebook
Coming Back: Lakers Win, US Soccer Ties ()
Today's sports headlines are all about comebacks. Last night in Los Angeles, the Lakers came from behind to defeat the Celtics. Today in Johannesburg, the US overcame a 2-to-nothing deficit to tie Slovenia, and stay alive in the World Cup. Sean Gregory writes about sports for Time magazine.
Guests:
- Sean Gregory: Sports Writer, Time magazine
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