[Med-Events] Newspapers trapped by a false quote in Wikipedia (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 00:55:20 +0200 From: axel ellrodt <axel.ellrodt.lists@gmail.com> Reply-To: That which is not fit for CCM-L and is also not *just* humor. <med-events@ccm-l.org> To: That which is not fit for CCM-L and is also not *just* humor. <med-events@ccm-l.org> Subject: [Med-Events] Newspapers trapped by a false quote in Wikipedia very mildly amended Googlish Newspapers trapped by a false quote in Wikipedia Constance Jamet (lefigaro.fr) 07/05/2009 | Mise ` jour : 15:11 | Commentaires 29 | Ajouter ` ma silection To demonstrate the misuse of the Web may be journalists, one student added to the page dedicated to Maurice Jarre words invented. A quote taken daily by many Anglo-Saxons. This is a quote that was found in the columns of newspapers and blogs of the Anglo-Saxon world. At the end of March, passing of french musician Maurice Jarre, several English newspapers like The Guardian and The Independent London, but also prestigious Indian and Australian newspapers, in their obituaries quote "poetics" thoughts of the artist: "I could say that my life itself was a soundtrack. Music was my life, music gave me life, and music is what I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die, there will be a last waltz playing in my head, only I can hear. " Problem, this sentence was never written nor uttered by the composer, who died at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer. It comes from the imagination of Shane Fitzgerald, a young man of 22 years studying the sociology and economics at University College Dublin. The Irish student revealed Wednesday to have fooled the press by publishing false citations on Wikipedia. In search of a topic for his presentation of the course on globalization, the student decides to show how journalists are dependent on information circulating on the Internet, doing a little experiment on Wikipedia, "accessed by many journalists. " Shortly after the death of the composer of "Lawrence of Arabia", he published on the English version of the online encyclopedia that famous quote. Wikipedia was suspicious, for he did not quote sources, and removed it. But determined, Shane Fitzgerald posts again. In his third attempt, the apocryphal statement escapes the vigilance of the moderators and remains twenty-five hours in line. Enough to be copied, particularly by The Guardian, The London Independent, BBC Music Magazine and the Daily Mail. Ethical qualms This success has exceeded all expectations Shane. "I did not expect that it goes so far. I expected that it can be found on blogs or sites, but not on quality newspapers, "he told the Irish Times. But the young man confides to have asked questions about the ethics of such an approach. "Had I the right to use the death of someone to perform this social experiment? But when I learned that on TV his passing, I knew I had a good story, a news piece on which journalists would be under pressure to write quickly. So I tried to find a phrase that would not harm the reputation of Maurice Jarre, "said he. To the great surprise of the student, who finally changed the topic of presentation, the weeks passed and the newspaper are aware of nothing. Shane decided to reveal by e-mail his trickery. The Daily Mail and BBC Music Magazine has since withdrawn the subpoena, which remains visible at many sites. The Guardian has not only published an erratum, but also an article on this subject. "The timing for Shane to upload his hoax could not be better. Shane changed the Wikipedia page of Maurice Jarre in the night, hours after the announcement of his death [23 hours proved to Paris time on Sunday 29 March]. We gave the topic the next morning to a journalist who had only a few hours to write my paper, "said the daily. "What is worrying is that have discovered the pot aux roses (uncovered ze mystuhry) because the author of this farce came out on his own" "However, the moral of the story is not that journalists should stop looking at Wikipedia, but they should not duplicate information that they can not trace the origin," says The Guardian, who regrets that Shane Fitzgerald had waited a month before revealing the truth. _______________________________________________ Med-events mailing list Med-events@ccm-l.org http://lists.ccm-l.org/mailman/listinfo/med-events
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J.A. Terranson