Wikipedia, the Free encyclopedia, is one of the shining examples of Internet collaboration: anyone can add or subtract to Wikipedia at will. And through this, Wikipedia has created a nice resource -- a good starting point, but not a necessarily reliable resource -- for reading some 800,000 articles.
Unfortunately (though not surprisingly), an informal study by The Guardian entitled, Can You Trust Wikipedia? found that several Wikipedia entries were incorrect: "The founder of the online encyclopedia written and edited by its users has admitted some of its entries are 'a horrific embarrassment'." (Oct. 24, 2005).
Despite this problem, I've just read that Mr. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, is considering distributing Wikipedia on CD or DVD to the developing world, to folks who do not have access to the internet, either at all or sporadically (either because they can't afford it, or it's not available).
According to CNN, "Entries from Wikipedia, the popular free online encyclopedia written and edited by Internet users, may soon be available in print for readers in the developing world," founder Jimmy Wales said.
Does it make sense that Mr. Wales should want to distribute information that is false? The motive is outstanding, but the method ... questionable.
How will anyone know whether an entry is wrong or right? Is this a public relations disaster in the making, for an effort that otherwise has been such a positive force for good? How will the school kids in Abidjan or Kupang or Porto Velho feel if they find out the information given freely was known to be wrong?
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