There has been claim and counterclaim recently in the world on online "encyclopaedia" Wikipedia.
Wikipedia describes itself on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About as multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. With rare exceptions, its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet, simply by clicking the edit this page link. The name Wikipedia is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a type of collaborative website) and encyclopedia. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference Web sites."
However the very uniqueness of the site in allowing entries to be edited by ANYONE can, and has led to abuses. Entries have been changed by people and companies, including biography and company profiles being enhanced by the subject, news and political organisations using the site for spin, and even the CIA and FBI becoming involved. This abuse has been verified by the introduction of new software which allows tracing of entry editors back to their home computer.
Some educational institutions have now taken the step of disallowing wikipedia as a source of information and those that do access the site for information should be aware of the possibility of bias.
You can read more about this at http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/CIA-FBI-computers-editing-Wikipedia/2007/08/17/1186857720243.html or http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2007/08/14/fox-news-changes-wikipedia-to-smear-rivals-olbermann-and-franken-comprehensive-list-of-changes
And remember, if you are look for accurate and current information, talk to your librarian about the best place to find what you are looking for, either in the library or through the world wide web.
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