Re:How Wikipedia influences judicial behavior
by Spooky23 on Thursday July 28, 2022 @12:02AM
(#32260355)
Judges would consult encyclopedias and similar resources 40 years ago.
The difference is that a crowdsourced resource like Wikipedia is easier to manipulate by people who understand the system. There are plenty of PR specialists who get client articles pushed into Wikipedia or updated to their liking.
Wikipedia is a treasure, but it’s also vulnerable to a bunch of different attacks.
Re:How Wikipedia influences judicial behavior
by the_af on Thursday July 28, 2022 @12:27AM
(#32260480)
Agreed. But that's not about the quality of the articles themselves, and certainly not about their references!
Re:How Wikipedia influences judicial behavior
by RickJWagner on Thursday July 28, 2022 @07:52AM
(#32263100)
You're close to an important issue, I think.
False ideas can be spread simply by overemphasizing biased true statements and disregarding true statements that don't fit the narrative.
The effect can be multiplied by controlling the discussion through selecting the right 'questions' that are discussed.
Snopes is the exemplar.
References themselves are gameable. They argue references mentioned in Wikipedia are more likely to be cited by a judge!
This is not about the quality of Wikipedia, but about its undue influence and how easy it is to game it, references included!