To the Point
Wikipedia: The Wisdom and the Folly of Crowds
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 ebbs in Kyrgyzstan, and the NBA season is finally over and the US is still alive in the World Cup.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenWikipedia 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.
In this episode
3 storiesEthnic 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.
Read the story8 minWikipedia: 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.
Read the story36 minComing 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.
Read the story7 min
