An interesting article from the NYTimes that I found on digg this afternoon…. Worth a read by those interested in new forms of media and how this could possibly change the way we view news and stay informed…. Some interesting observations here….
“Imagine a newspaper with over 2,000 writers, researchers and copy editors, yet no supervisors or managers. No deadlines; no meetings; no chain of command. That seemingly chaotic nonstructure isn’t recognizable of the hierarchical editorial control of old media, yet that’s exactly how Wikipeida, an essential source for the VA Tech shootings, works.”
I think just as any source of information we need to be educated. We as persons in a technological advanced world need to know what sources are credible and how to weed through the others. As educators we need to do the same for our children. Just as the author said many people rely on Wikipedia and yes there is some good information but there could very easily be information to steer clear of and we need to be educated enough to tell the difference.
Wikipedia seems to be a great way to promote collaboration around the world, and record information in a central location. The information can’t be biased, since it comes from so many different people with different backgrounds and viewpoints. Along with this diversity however, comes the question of reliability– If anyone with a computer can edit the information, how do we really know that it is credible? It is important, as with any Internet source, to check for credibility. As long as readers realize that they must do their homework and check sources before automatically taking the Wiki info as the final word, Wiki is an excellent place for current, updated information, including news events such as the Virginia Tech shootings.
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