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[–] 117 points 10 months ago (17 children)

There's a lot of misinformation on Wikipedia too, of many different kinds. Some smaller pages exists purely for someone's PR. I've seen blatantly false (but "verifiable") stuff too but the most common thing is to have pages that are just creative with the truth.

Also sometimes I'll notice an article make multiple different claims that all point to the same source and then check the source and realize it is not a valid source for all of those claims, just some.

And also there's stuff that gets flagged as verified based on extrapolation of data from a combination of sources. For example: one source says "John Doe facing 1 billion dollars fines if found guilty" and another source says "John Doe was found guilty", then the article says "John Doe fined 1 billion dollars after being found guilty" as verified, then you go search the web and find no mention of any fines actually being issued following the verdict.

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  • [–] 80 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    Btw this is not an argument against Wikipedia in any way.

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    How is it not? Genuine question, I use wiki a lot, and generally trust the articles, though I have seen some inaccuracies before.

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago*

    Btw this is not an argument against Wikipedia in any way.

    I think it's perfectly valid to criticize it for accepting "blatantly false but "verifiable" " edits. I'm aware that the world is complex and perfection is idealistic, especially when it comes to topics where sources are inherently strongly biased, but publishing false information on a site with the format, style and reputation of Wikipedia is a real problem at a scale with far-reaching impact. To shift the onus of fact-checking onto the user is extremely inefficient and negligent.

    I'm not even saying that there is a better solution, but it's certainly an argument criticizing Wikipedia.

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  • [–] 21 points 10 months ago* (9 children)

    It’s not just smaller pages. Brands and people pay for PR people to groom their page to present in a good light. Sure, it includes the information but it is groomed to be “neutral” and minimise the negative perception. Look at Musk’s page as an example.

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  • [–] 26 points 10 months ago (8 children)

    But shouldnt fact be neutral? For example: "the holocaust was evil and killed countless innocent civilians" or "the holocaust resulted in (actual estimate) civilian deaths" The former is emotional and the latter is factual, but both highlight the perpetrated evil against the innocent.

    Maybe I'm oversimplifying your point.

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  • [–] 20 points 10 months ago (6 children)

    Yes.

    But it’s also possible to just quietly omit information.

    The holocaust resulted in millions of deaths

    Sounds bad

    the holocaust resulted in the death of approximately six million Jews and a further eight to ten million people from other groups such as Russian POW, Slav, Roma, Sinti, and homosexuals.

    Puts figures to how bad it was.

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  • [–] 12 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    ...and homosexuals

    Imagine if western powers had carved off a chunk of the middle east and then said "and this spot is just for the gays".

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  • [–] 11 points 10 months ago

    I frequently check Wikipedia citations, just to be disappointed. Wiki sources can be a great shortcut to good citations, but often I realise much of an article's content is built out of the soggiest cardboard.

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