This article titled, “Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?” discussed whether or not Wikipedia was a reliable source and if it will ever become a legitimate source. The article gave examples of from both sides of supporters to make sure it wasn’t bias. One example from the supporters of Wikipedia was from a professor who believed that Wikipedia was nonsense and that anyone could post faulty information and have it posted for long periods of time. As it turned out, three hours after his thirteen false posts, they were all deleted and an email was sent to him asking him to refrain from posting illegitimate information. This incident changed that professors mind and made him a believer that Wikipedia does act as a legitimate encyclopedia. From the other point of view, many examples were brought up. Mr. Seigenthaler, a longtime journalist, noticed that a Wikipedia entry claimed that he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both John and his brother, Bobby. This post was listed for several months and Mr. Seigenthaler claimed that Wikipedia was a flawed and irresponsible research tool and that it tarnished his reputation. This article was very information presenting both sides of the issue leaving it up to you to decide your opinion on the topic.
In my opinion, I believe Wikipedia is a very useful research tool. Do I trust it enough to write a research paper using its information? No, because there is some flaws in it. But I believe for basic knowledge, it is one of the best tools around. If I am curious about measurements on a ruler or want to know about the history of television for my own personal use that I have no knowledge about, I think it is the perfect tool to introduce me into a topic. So even though there might be some flaws in it as the article presented, I do think it can be useful depending on how you use it.
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