Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2008-02-11/In the news

Sanger says "We can actually do better"
Wikipedia's creator at EMU: 'We can actually do better' - Larry Sanger spoke at Eastern Michigan University about some of Wikipedia's problems as he promoted Citizendium, his latest online venture. The article points out a number of issues including inconsistent article lengths and the fact that it is written by volunteers without any particular expertise. Sanger claims that Citizendium is more like a "country fair" with judges, and with more oversight than Wikipedia.

US-centric views affect neutrality
Wikipedia's neutrality is a 'facade' - A lecturer at the University of Sydney has accused Wikipedia of US-centric bias, after some of his edits were reverted because, he claims, some of the references came from sources that fell outside the norm. He criticised the ability of administrators to remove content arbitrarily (which is not strictly accurate) and said that the no-original-research policy results in the inability to "re-organise information from a variety of sources" (again, not strictly accurate). Even a "liberal" US view excludes many perspectives from other parts of the world, he claims.

Other mentions
Other recent mentions in the online press include:
 * Wikipedia ruled by 'Lord of the Universe' - The article suggests that Jossi Fresco, the creator of the Conflict of Interest Noticeboard, has been involved in a cult-like organisation and engaged in edits relating to that organisation that violate conflict of interest rules.
 * Wikipedia Refuses To Delete Picture Of Muhammad - Some Muslims have objected to visual depictions of Muhammad on Wikipedia, although Wikipedia does not censor its articles. (See also the related article in this issue.)
 * All you need to know about Wikipedia - Based on a presentation by Brianna Laugher, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Wikipedia, from the software to policies and the lamest edit wars.
 * Does the Internet need to be saved? - Netizenship is compared to that of a volunteer fire department, where not everyone can fight fires but there are those who will light the fires.