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Spanish TV Channels Vandalize Wikipedia

Posted by kdawson on from the setting-fire-to-a-house-to-see-how-quickly-the-firemen-arrive dept.

strider2004 writes to tell us that Barrapunto, a Spanish tech news site, has outed two TV stations in Spain, one public and the other private, for engaging in Wikipedia vandalism for the sake of a story. (The link is in Spanish; Google translation here.) The public station introduced falsehoods into the Wikipedia entry for John Lennon; the private one vandalized the Elvis Presley entry. Both stations said they were performing an "experiment" to check the reaction time of Wikipedia. Both articles were promptly corrected by other editors.
Update: 08/19 13:01 GMT by KD : Barrapunto is not affiliated with Slashdot.

12 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Red neck response by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    for all the idiots: Mexico != Spain

    It is for sufficiently large values of Mexico.

  2. Local FOX News translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    WIKIPEDIA... A free encyclopedia, so free ANYONE can edit it. Are child molesters using it to reach out to YOUR CHILDREN? The answer... coming up later this hour.

  3. Re:So.... by iminplaya · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is news?

    Bueno, fue hecho con una computadora...

    --
    What?
  4. I'm shocked! by Manchot · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't believe this is true! Why did no one tell me that Slashdot has a Spanish version? Seriously, looking at it is like looking at Bizarro Slashdot.

    1. Re:I'm shocked! by Tatisimo · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's no Slashdot! It has no CowboyNeal option on its polls!

      --
      Give Kashyyyk back to the Wookies
    2. Re:I'm shocked! by niktemadur · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's no Slashdot! It has no CowboyNeal option on its polls!

      Not to mention the usual witty commentary we've all come to know and love, time and again, but in spanish:

      - Imagínate un enjambre Beowulf de estos!
      - Esa no es una luna, es una estación espacial!
      - En Rusia Soviética, Wikipedia te vandaliza a TI!

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
  5. Re:Wait ..... by BinBoy · · Score: 5, Funny

    How on Earth can two television stations be of homosexual leanings?

    Vandalizing wikipedia is gay.

  6. Re:Another Brick In The Wall by abhi_beckert · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem is if 8 year old Johnny can't edit the page, he won't bother. Anyone can fix a typo, but if it's too much work they won't do it.

    The openness is the reason wikipedia succeeded. Not because being open gives better content, but because being open gives more content, and more content makes it valuable to more people, and being valuable to more people gives them more editors, and more editors usually gives better content.

    Also, you're forgetting: any page with regular vandalism does get locked down.

  7. Re:Need Disclaimer by xaosflux · · Score: 5, Informative

    The bottom of each page links to Wikipedia'a:

    General Disclaimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_dis claimer/

    Which links to the specific disclaimers:

    Risk disclaimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Risk_discla imer/

    Medical disclaimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Medical_dis claimer/

    Legal disclaimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Legal_discl aimer/

    and

    Content disclaimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Content_dis claimer/

  8. Fair's fair by cabalamat3 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think someone should write graffiti on big letters on the walls of these TV stations... purely as an experiment, you understand, to see how long it takes to remove it.

  9. Re:The experiment was already done before by belmolis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe the Colbert Report is not on Spanish TV?

  10. barrapunto - not just for nerds by boguslinks · · Score: 5, Funny

    Their slogan is not "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters", but "La informacion que te interesa"...

    What does that make them, the spanish Drudge Report?