Media whacking Wikipedia

This infoholic often goes to Wikipedia to read about some obscure subject, say “The Brinks Robbery,” “The Boy in the Box” or some old Scotland Yard case.

Although my friend Bill warned me about trusting Wikipedia, I’ve found most of the entries I’ve researched have been thorough and interesting.

What makes them so is reader input, the ability to edit the entry and add your “two cents” – your own knowledge and research.

FishbowlNY's Neal Ungerleider (LINK) writes about "Wikipedia vandalism" with news outlets going after the competition: primarily employees of Fox News and The New York Times.

Ungerleider has posted a list of Fox News' extensive Wikipedia edits - which include “false information about the ratings of Fox News shows.” Traced through its IP address, FNC employees posted “accusations that MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann made light of Peter Jennings' death and deleted ratings info for MSNBC programs."

He continues, “Now, over to the New York Times. Right-wing blog Little Green Footballs found that someone from within the New York Times edited George W. Bush's entry to call him a jerk. Classy. But, more interestingly, employees of the Times are apparently editing the Wall Street Journal's Wikipedia entry. Hmm...”

These modern-day “Kilroys,” like “forum freepers,” are the same folks who write on bathroom walls. Wasting all that precious time on pettiness, when they could be investigating real issues and scandals.

God knows, there’s plenty to go around.