Monday, July 20, 2009

Why Wikipedia is Still a Second-Rate Encyclopedia

Second-and third-rate illustrations.

Link to July19 New York Times article, "Wikipedia May Be a Font of Facts, but It’s a Desert for Photos".

Excerpt: At a time when celebrities typically employ a team of professionals to control their images, Wikipedia is a place where chaos rules. Few high-quality photographs, particularly of celebrities, make it onto this site. This is because the site runs only pictures with the most permissive Creative Commons license, which allows anyone to use an image, for commercial purposes or not, as long as the photographer is credited.

Actually, it's a much bigger issue than the unflatering photographs of celebrities. Compare the visual presentation of Wikipedia's article on "Montana" -- or any other U.S. state -- with that of World Book encyclopedia.

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