How many Wikipedia editors do we have here in the coffee room? Any frequent editors of topics on a wide variety of articles? Any Wikipedia moderators or higher positions in the Wikipedia power structure? Anyone who was ever blocked from editing articles?
Do you trust or distrust Wikipedia articles on controversial or political subjects and personalities?
I heard a story about a professor who wanted to show his class that wikipedia was not a reliable source of info. He went on wikipedia before class and edited an article with some outlandish fact, with the intention of showing it to his class. When he actually opened the article in class, the line he put in had already been deleted.
I had a special guest doctor teach my class, and he spoke quite highly of Wikipedia.
One does not quote directly from Wikipedia. One goes there to find the references to pursue.
It’s like going to a model home, and seeing what’s out there. But you don’t pick up the model home and stick it inside your house-under-construction. You go there and gather the clues and plans of what to explore to fit into your home.