Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 05-17-2012, 08:14 PM

A contemporary story that seems relevant here on several different levels:

How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit

Quote:

...

Each tale was carefully fabricated by undergraduates at George Mason University who were enrolled in T. Mills Kelly's course, Lying About the Past. Their escapades not only went unpunished, they were actually encouraged by their professor. Four years ago, students created a Wikipedia page detailing the exploits of Edward Owens, successfully fooling Wikipedia's community of editors. This year, though, one group of students made the mistake of launching their hoax on Reddit. What they learned in the process provides a valuable lesson for anyone who turns to the Internet for information.

aa5874 · 05-17-2012, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

A contemporary story that seems relevant here on several different levels:

How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit

Quote:

...

Each tale was carefully fabricated by undergraduates at George Mason University who were enrolled in T. Mills Kelly's course, Lying About the Past. Their escapades not only went unpunished, they were actually encouraged by their professor. Four years ago, students created a Wikipedia page detailing the exploits of Edward Owens, successfully fooling Wikipedia's community of editors. This year, though, one group of students made the mistake of launching their hoax on Reddit. What they learned in the process provides a valuable lesson for anyone who turns to the Internet for information.

You may have been fooled by believing that very story you found on the Internet.

rlogan · 05-17-2012, 09:08 PM

Golly. Imagine what is possible when the police power of the state is used to force an official version of history for more than a thousand years.

spin · 05-17-2012, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlogan

Golly. Imagine what is possible when the police power of the state is used to force an official version of history for more than a thousand years.

That's just called hegemony. You've seen how easy that's been to spot.

aeebee50 · 05-18-2012, 06:04 AM

Truth can hurt, but lies destroy.

outhouse · 05-18-2012, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

A contemporary story that seems relevant here on several different levels:

How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit

Quote:

...

Each tale was carefully fabricated by undergraduates at George Mason University who were enrolled in T. Mills Kelly's course, Lying About the Past. Their escapades not only went unpunished, they were actually encouraged by their professor. Four years ago, students created a Wikipedia page detailing the exploits of Edward Owens, successfully fooling Wikipedia's community of editors. This year, though, one group of students made the mistake of launching their hoax on Reddit. What they learned in the process provides a valuable lesson for anyone who turns to the Internet for information.

thats why its best to only quote wiki, if you already know the work ahead of time.

I have seen how some people want to create wiki history to further their own personal theology. [creating their own version of history]

there was a nutjob last year im sure here to on the garden of eden and "karsag" trying to manipulate wiki. so weak. it was all for finacial gain and I nailed him on it.

mountainman · 05-18-2012, 11:48 PM

Quote:

If there's a simple lesson in all of this, it's that hoaxes tend to thrive in communities which exhibit high levels of trust.

Mussolini was trusted by his administration, and propagated "Big Lies".

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05-17-2012, 09:08 PM	#3
rlogan Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Alaska Posts: 9,159	Golly. Imagine what is possible when the police power of the state is used to force an official version of history for more than a thousand years.

05-18-2012, 06:04 AM	#5
aeebee50 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 5,810	Truth can hurt, but lies destroy.

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