British Cops Told To Use Wikipedia as a Source In Trials
Posted by Michael Klurfeld | Filed under Michael
Lawyers from the UK firm Crown Prosecution Service have been “advising officers to source information” from Wikipedia for use in trials. The result of this are anecdotal incidents in which the information presented against the defendant at trial are just plain wrong.
As cool as Wikipedia is, it should not be used as a source for something which can be literally life or death, which trials frequently are. Wikipedia should be allowed as a source in things like primary and secondary school essays and for crash courses in various scientific topics, but if you’re doing something serious, such as building a bridge, don’t rely on the site’s articles about engineering.
All of that being said, news items like this only work to set back Wikipedia. Most of the the site contains correct information, which is why people use it. The scientific articles, such as those on engineering, are often better maintained than even textbooks (though again, for situations which have far-reaching ramifications, you want to verify the information you get). Many people who need to get quick facts on topics online have learned to bypass the search engines and go straight to the Wiki because it is such a fantastic resource. If you want ridiculous information that’s completely incorrect, try a Wikipedia knockoff.
