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→Accountability and the Seigenthaler Hoax: sub
Jimmy Wales has admitted that certain administrators, contrary to their own rules, have at times completely removed editing evidence.
Jimmy Wales has admitted that certain administrators, contrary to their own rules, have at times completely removed editing evidence.
==Accountability and the Seigenthaler Hoax ==
==Accountability and the Seigenthaler hoax ==
In May 2005, an anonymous user added content to the biographical page on [[John Seigenthaler Sr]], a journalist and an assistant to former attorney general [[Robert F. Kennedy]] that stated:
In May 2005, an anonymous user added content to the biographical page on [[John Seigenthaler Sr]], a journalist and an assistant to former attorney general [[Robert F. Kennedy]] that stated:
:"John Seigenthaler Sr. was the assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the early 1960s. For a short time, he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both [[John F. Kennedy|John]], and his brother, Bobby. Nothing was ever proven," and "John Seigenthaler moved to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1971, and returned to the [[United States]] in 1984. He started one of the country's largest public relations firms shortly thereafter."
:"John Seigenthaler Sr. was the assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the early 1960s. For a short time, he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both [[John F. Kennedy|John]], and his brother, Bobby. Nothing was ever proven," and "John Seigenthaler moved to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1971, and returned to the [[United States]] in 1984. He started one of the country's largest public relations firms shortly thereafter."
The false information remained in Wikipedia for many months until a friend of the victim discovered the biographical entry in September 2005 and alerted Seigenthaler, who then contacted the Wikimedia foundation to have the article corrected. Daniel Brandt, another victim of a spurious biographical entry sought to establish accountability and discovered the perpetrator of the prank was an acquaintance of a Seigenthaler relative.<ref>http://www.journalism.cf.ac.uk/2006/online/index.php?id=parse-195-0-0-251&article=336&author=India+Camm</ref> Seigenthaler, the first editorial director of ''[[USA Today]]'' returned to the editorial pages of that publication to criticize the lack of accountability and threat Wikipedia poses to free speech.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm</ref> After his retirement from ''USA Today'' Seigenthaler founded of the First Amendment Center, an organization dedicated to a national dialogue about [[First Amendment]] rights and values.
The false information remained in Wikipedia for many months until a friend of the victim discovered the biographical entry in September 2005 and alerted Seigenthaler, who then contacted the Wikimedia foundation to have the article corrected. Daniel Brandt, another victim of a spurious biographical entry sought to establish accountability and discovered the perpetrator of the prank was an acquaintance of a Seigenthaler relative.<ref>http://www.journalism.cf.ac.uk/2006/online/index.php?id=parse-195-0-0-251&article=336&author=India+Camm</ref> Seigenthaler, the first editorial director of ''[[USA Today]]'' returned to the editorial pages of that publication to criticize the lack of accountability and threat Wikipedia poses to free speech.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm</ref> After his retirement from ''USA Today'' Seigenthaler founded of the First Amendment Center, an organization dedicated to a national dialogue about [[First Amendment]] rights and values.
=== CNN interview ===
On December 5, 2005, Wikipedia founder [[Jimbo Wales]] and Seigenthaler appeared on [[CNN]]. An exchange between CNN moderator [[Kyra Phillips]] and Wales went like this:
On December 5, 2005, Wikipedia founder [[Jimbo Wales]] and Seigenthaler appeared on [[CNN]]. An exchange between CNN moderator [[Kyra Phillips]] and Wales went like this:
This in fact is not the case. Phillips was not free to answer, and/or remove the objectionable content within her biographical entry, as Mr. Daniel Brandt at that exact moment was discovering. Not four days earlier, Wales told ''Editor & Publisher'' magazine regarding Brandt's objections to a false Wikipedia biography about him, "I find it hard to take him very seriously at all," and libelous slanders remained in Brandt's biography from nearly a year and half.
This in fact is not the case. Phillips was not free to answer, and/or remove the objectionable content within her biographical entry, as Mr. Daniel Brandt at that exact moment was discovering. Not four days earlier, Wales told ''Editor & Publisher'' magazine regarding Brandt's objections to a false Wikipedia biography about him, "I find it hard to take him very seriously at all," and libelous slanders remained in Brandt's biography from nearly a year and half.
Wales alleged that, "we are very, very responsive to complaints and concerns," however there are still cases of persons who have notified the WikiMedia Foundation about false and libelous material on Wikipedia webservers accessible to Google Search Engines which have been ignored.
Wales told CNN's Philips, "we're trying to make some minor adjustments." Seigenthaler complained about the lack of accountability; "with accountability comes credilbility" Seigenthaler observed, and expressed the fear that, "I'm afraid we're going to get regulated media as a result of that. And I -- I tell you, I think if you can't fix it, both fix the history as well as the biography pages, I think it's going to be in real trouble, and we're going to have to be fighting to keep the government from regulating you."<ref>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/05/lol.02.html</ref>
Wales told CNN's Philips, "we're trying to make some minor adjustments." Seigenthaler complained about the lack of accountability; "with accountability comes credilbility" Seigenthaler observed, and expressed the fear that, "I'm afraid we're going to get regulated media as a result of that. And I -- I tell you, I think if you can't fix it, both fix the history as well as the biography pages, I think it's going to be in real trouble, and we're going to have to be fighting to keep the government from regulating you."<ref>http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/05/lol.02.html</ref>
On December 9, Seigenthaler appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal with Brian Lamb. Seigenthaler expressed concern that members of Congress or other powerful figures in government may likewise be targeted. On November 2 2006, only days before the mid-term Congressional elections, an anonymous IP address which traces to the ''[[New York Times]]''<ref>[http://wikiscanner.virgil.gr/name2ip.php?orgname=New+York+Times&location= WikiScanner]</ref> changed the wording of [[U.S. House of Representatives]] [[Majority Leader]] [[Tom DeLay]]'s biographical entry from "a prominent member of the [[Republican Party]]" to "Grand Dragon<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_DeLay&diff=prev&oldid=85320018 Wikipedia/Tom DeLay, Revision as of 20:19, 2 November 2006 (edit), IP 199.181.174.146 </ref> of the Republican Party."
=== "the best thing that ever happened" ===
[[Image:Seigraph.gif|400px|thumb|right|The Seigenthaler scandal was viewed as "the best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia" as curiosity seekers to view the [[misinformation]] skyrocketed Alexa rankings.]]
[[Image:Seigraph.gif|400px|thumb|right|The Seigenthaler scandal was viewed as "the best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia" as curiosity seekers to view the [[misinformation]] skyrocketed Alexa rankings.]]
Despite the damage to an innocent person and embarrassment to Wikipedia's credibility as a viable source, the Seigenthaler scandal was viewed as a triumph by Wikipedia's inner elite and is considered "the best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia" <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:John_Seigenthaler%2C_Sr.#The_best_thing_that_ever_happened_to_Wikipedia Talk:John Seigenthaler Sr.#The best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia], retrieved 23 March 2007.</ref> after it catapulted Wikipedia's <ref>[http://wikipediareview.com/lofiversion/index.php?t1100.html Wikipedia: A Nightmare Of Libel and Slander], Joel Leyden, Israel News Agency, 8 May 2006.</ref> rankings into a top ten most visited website and gave it its first substantial publicity outside America.
Despite the damage to an innocent person and embarrassment to Wikipedia's credibility as a viable source, the Seigenthaler scandal was viewed as a triumph by Wikipedia's inner elite and is considered "the best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia" <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:John_Seigenthaler%2C_Sr.#The_best_thing_that_ever_happened_to_Wikipedia Talk:John Seigenthaler Sr.#The best thing that ever happened to Wikipedia], retrieved 23 March 2007.</ref> after it catapulted Wikipedia's <ref>[http://wikipediareview.com/lofiversion/index.php?t1100.html Wikipedia: A Nightmare Of Libel and Slander], Joel Leyden, Israel News Agency, 8 May 2006.</ref> rankings into a top ten most visited website and gave it its first substantial publicity outside America.