Wikipedia has always been a great source for uncovering information, such as the storylines for old television shows, a brief history of cities around the world, and definitions of slang and rare words. However, as any college- or high school-aged student can tell you, it’s never been the most reliable source for good, hard facts.
The fact that Wikipedia pages can be edited by anyone who surfs the web poses both a benefit and a problem. Opening the information pages up to the public means that over time, a page collects a wealth of information much more detailed and broad than any single author could produce. Little known facts and useful tidbits pop up over time, making reading a Wikipedia page similar to discussing a particular subject with a large group of friends. No one opinion dominates a page, and most of the time false information is overwritten by other authors with more accurate information.
Sometimes, however, false information is not removed quickly, much to the downfall of those looking to gather accurate facts from the site. Pranksters have been known to declare healthy celebrities dead, to include racy anecdotes in the biographies of saints, and to become a virtual mourning site for the recently deceased.
Wikipedia is now attempting to rectify this situation without overly censoring their large number of public authors. This article mentions that “at-risk” sites, such as Michael Jackson’s page, are more tightly monitored than others in some countries, and now Wikipedia is trying to take this security a step further. For the next few weeks, all additions and modifications to standing Wikipedia pages will have to be approved by a moderator before they are added to the web page. If the system seems to go well, it could become a standard Wikipedia security measure.
Hopefully, this procedure will weed out the pranksters and hoax-starters and leave behind a cleaner, more accurate website. However, there is also a chance that the moderators may wipe out some of the more interesting and little-known facts that make Wikipedia such an interesting website. Hopefully a balance can be struck that will be beneficial to all.