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==Structural problems with Wikipedia==

==Structural problems with Wikipedia==

A major source of bias comes from the Wikipedia pillar of "verifiability."  Wikipedia proudly proclaims, "'''Verifiability, and not truth''', is one of the fundamental requirements for inclusion in Wikipedia;"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Verifiability&oldid=502902820|title:WP:Verifiability|accessdate=July 19, 2012}}</ref>  There have been many attempts to change this because when an editor tries to remove false content, editors who favor biased content rely upon this policy to retain the falsehoods.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability/2012_RfC</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Verifiability/Archive_53#RFC_-_Compromise_proposal_re_first_sentence</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mediation_Cabal/Cases/27_February_2012/Wikipedia:Verifiability</ref> An example of such misuse involve radical feminist who tried to have Wikipedia state that netball was an Olympic sport<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_and_the_Olympic_Movement&oldid=420754256|title=Netball at the Olympics|date=March 26, 2011|author=Laura Hale}}</ref> when in fact it has never been played "at the Olympics." Because they found a speech made in the New South Wales Parliament that said that netball was "technically an Olympic sport"<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=Parliament of New South Wales | url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20040921018 | house=Legislative Assembly | day=21 |month=September |year=2004 | column_start=11179 | column_end=11179 |speaker=Alison Megarrity |ref=harv}}</ref> they were able to keep in this false material as a verified fact.

A major source of bias comes from the Wikipedia pillar of "verifiability."  Wikipedia proudly proclaims, "'''Verifiability, and not truth''', is one of the fundamental requirements for inclusion in Wikipedia;"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Verifiability&oldid=502902820|title:WP:Verifiability|accessdate=July 19, 2012}}</ref>  There have been many attempts to change this because when an editor tries to remove false content, editors who favor biased content rely upon this policy to retain the falsehoods.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability/2012_RfC</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Verifiability/Archive_53#RFC_-_Compromise_proposal_re_first_sentence</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mediation_Cabal/Cases/27_February_2012/Wikipedia:Verifiability</ref> An example of such misuse involve radical feminist who tried to have Wikipedia state that netball was an Olympic sport<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball_and_the_Olympic_Movement&oldid=420754256|title=Netball at the Olympics|date=March 26, 2011|author=Laura Hale}}</ref> when in fact it has never been played "at the Olympics." Because they found a speech made in the New South Wales Parliament that said that netball was "technically an Olympic sport"<ref>{{cite journal|jurisdiction=Parliament of New South Wales | url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20040921018 | house=Legislative Assembly | day=21 |month=September |year=2004 | column_start=11179 | column_end=11179 |speaker=Alison Megarrity |ref=harv}}</ref> they were able to keep in this false material as a verified fact.

Requiring just one source to meet Wikipedia's verifiability is a serious logical flaw.  Any well-established fact can be contradicted by finding one obscure source somewhere on the web, and Wikipedia will allow just one reference to overrule the majority of definitive sources saying the opposite.

Requiring just one source to meet Wikipedia's verifiability is a serious logical flaw.  Any well-established fact can be contradicted by finding one obscure source somewhere on the web, and Wikipedia will allow just one reference to overrule the majority of definitive sources saying the opposite.

Another bias is from "show and tell."  Some Wikipedia editors have not outgrown their need to show off what they have found on the internet.  Again using the obscure sport of netball as an example, the editor found a photo posted on flickr that was labeled, "The Girls Netball Team"<ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/51132506@N00/1954358144</ref> even though it did not show anyone playing netball.  The editor then captioned the photo, "A Malawian netball team" and placed it along side a few other obscure facts to create a Malawi section of the netball article.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&oldid=420915334</ref> So how can the reader trust that the people in the photograph are really in Malawi and that they really play netball?  Adding photos to articles is the most visible form of the "show and tell" syndrome.  It can also result in including random, obscure facts and data in an article.  For example, an editor can find a data source from years ago, but if the data is included in the article without proper emphasis of the date, it creates the implication that the data remains true today.  

Another bias is from "show and tell."  Some Wikipedia editors have not outgrown their need to show off what they have found on the internet.  Again using the obscure sport of netball as an example, the editor found a photo posted on flickr that was labeled, "The Girls Netball Team"<ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/51132506@N00/1954358144</ref> even though it did not show anyone playing netball.  The editor then captioned the photo, "A Malawian netball team" and placed it along side a few other obscure facts to create a Malawi section of the netball article.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Netball&oldid=420915334</ref> So how can the reader trust that the people in the photograph are really in Malawi and that they really play netball?  Adding photos to articles is the most visible form of the "show and tell" syndrome.  It can also result in including random, obscure facts and data in an article.  For example, an editor can find a data source from years ago, but if the data is included in the article without proper emphasis of the date, it creates the implication that the data remains true today.

== Humorous quotes relating to bias and Wikipedia ==

== Humorous quotes relating to bias and Wikipedia ==