Wikipedia as a news source
I’ve seen several articles like this one taking special note that during a major news event, Wikipedians constantly update Wikipedia articles with new information. Several media analysists are now arguing that Wikipedia is no longer just an encyclopedia, but also a news source as well.
I think there are several things wrong with this notion. To list:
1. Wikipedia articles are mostly in chronological order, while news articles use an AP style with their lede, putting the most important information on top and then working its way down. Essentially, most news articles ruin the ending in order to provide the most pertinent information first.
2. There’s no original reporting. Because of citation rules, Wikipedians have to rely on other news sources to break the news first. So you won’t learn anything from a Wikipedia article that you didn’t see on CNN first.
3. There’s no effective way for the site to alert readers that there’s breaking news. Sure, in the V. Tech shooting, people were linked to the page and more readers piled on. But when it comes to more obscure news, most people wouldn’t even be aware for awhile that the page is being updated.
It’s funny that you should mention it, because I actually used Wikipedia to stay abreast of information regarding the Virginia Tech Massacre. I found it difficult and tedious to extract all the details from scattered news reports that gave the tiniest bits of “breaking news” as it became available. By reading Wikipedia, I essentially got all the information that was publicly available in the one convenient read. Not having a lot of spin was nice, too.
Mind you, I believe your criticisms are valid. Wikipedia was never designed to be a news platform. Still, it has some merit in providing the most information about an ongoing event in the same place.
Stephen,
Yeah, I was thinking about that as I was writing it. While it’s a good thing to have news reports with breaking news, it’s also nice to have a chronological summary of what’s happening. I think one of the major faults of the media is the fact that it’s designed so if you’re coming late to a story, it’s hard to know the full context. The wikipedia method provides that context.