Wikipedia religion: RNS examines risks of the online encyclopedia

[cbayer]

http://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2014/8/wikipedia-religion-rns-examines-risks-of-online-encyclopedia

August 18, 2014

Jim Davis



The biggest strength of Wikipedia is also its biggest weakness: What one person writes, another can change or delete. This issue is writ large when it comes to religion topics, as noted in a recent feature article at Religion News Service.

"Religious topics are one of the top 100 most frequently vandalized on Wikipedia," says the article, which keeps up a brisk pace despite the 1,200+ words. It explains not only the why of religious edits, but the difficulties of how to keep things straight -- and, in a field as subjective as belief, what it means to try to keep things straight.

The story starts with Mormons, surely one of the more scrutinized faiths, especially since Mitt Romney's presidential bid in 2012. In three years, Anthony Willey, a Mormon and a Wikipedia administrator, has done more than 8,000 changes, mostly on his own faith.

The problem confronting many Wikipedia editors is that religion elicits passion — and often, more than a little vitriol as believers and critics spar over facts, sources and context. For “Wikipedians” like Willey, trying to put a lid on the online hate speech that can be endemic to Wikipedia entries is a key part of their job.

Willey, who says he doesn't work "as an agent of my religion," also edits pages on other religions, like Islam and Christianity and on the Baha'i Faith. And he faces a lot of challenges. People blasting other religions. People boosting their religions. People spouting opinions or hate speech. People using unreliable sources.

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