Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2006-05-15/In the news

Baidu Baike launched in China
The main Wikipedia story in the news this week was the launch of Baidu Baike, a new online encyclopedia in China, run by the search engine company Baidu (see related story). It is not a wiki, but does allow users to submit articles for editorial review. It also complies with Chinese censorship guidelines, unlike Wikipedia which has been banned in China since 2005.

The story was widely covered in mainstream and technology media:
 * "Baidu Baike aims to be main reference", Xinhua News Agency, China
 * "Baidu.com launches censored version of popular Wikipedia", Taipei Times, Taiwan
 * "Popular Chinese search site launches Chinese-language version of Wikipedia", The Star, Malaysia
 * "Site launches 'Chinese Wikipedia'", BBC News, United Kingdom
 * "Censors turn China's Baidupedia into closed book", Financial Times, United Kingdom (registration required)
 * Associated Press: "Chinese version of Wikipedia is launched", USA Today, United States

Tech publications:
 * "China launches its own Wikipedia: Negative vibes not allowed", vnunet.com
 * "Baidu Baike gets a query every 2 secs, claiming the first spot in online encyclopedias in China.", Spotlighting News
 * and dozens more

Wikipedia as a social creation
"Wikipedia and Social Collaboration" in the business journal Line 56 is a scholarly look at the internal workings of Wikipedia. It concludes:
 * Critics of Wikipedia claim that its content is worthless because it is not subjected to any form of authoritative review. For those who believe in the fixity of knowledge, this might be a reassuring argument. But I believe that the new mode of text embodied by Wikipedia can teach new generations about the responsibilities of social collaboration, the act of critical reading (applied even to Reference materials), and the permanently unfinished state of human knowledge.

WikiProject Ottawa
In an article Monday, the Ottawa Citizen encouraged readers to contribute to WikiProject Ottawa and help improve coverage of neighborhoods, buildings, and landmarks in Canada's capital.

Political editing
Two articles this week picked up an older Associated Press story highlighting the ability of politicians to use Wikipedia as a vehicle for the manipulation of information, including:
 * "Political operatives play dirty tricks on Wikipedia", Mail & Guardian, South Africa
 * "Temptation trumping Wikipedia controls", Toronto Star, Canada