Latest Dirty Political Trick - WikiRoving

[Brazenly Liberal]

Reposted from Brazenly Liberal Blog

Democratic Senator Robert Byrd has been WikiRoved. So has Democratic Rep Jim Marshall.

It's the latest - and arguably the most juvenile - trick to come out of the GOP's bottomless bag. So contemptibly childish, it needs a new word. We hereby coin "WikiRove."

WikiRove (v)
To stain or attempt to ridicule, defame, or destroy the reputation of by altering one's Wikipedia entry; "Capitol Hill staffers have WikiRoved Robert Byrd."

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that can be altered by anyone with a computer, has proved remarkably useful for pulling political dirty tricks.

Political operatives are covertly rewriting — or defacing — candidates' biographical entries to make the boss look good or the opponent look ridiculous.

As a result, political campaigns are monitoring the Web site more closely than ever this election year.

Revisions made by Capitol Hill staffers became so frequent and disruptive earlier this year that Wikipedia temporarily blocked access to the site from some congressional Internet addresses. The pranks included bumping up the age of the Senate's oldest member, West Virginia's Robert Byrd, from 88 to 180, and giving crude names to other lawmakers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060428/ap_on_el_ge/wikipedia_politics;_ylt=AgTR2VhwcnbkIDh7rlf3oB2yFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

[annabanana]

1. pretty childish all around

All this will do is eliminate widipedia as a useful source.
I guess the rule is, "What can't be abused, must be destroyed."

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. I'm of the opinion that the Republican party heavily recruits from

college campuses. Frat boys grow up thinking that rules are meant to be broken. And when you're doubly immune to criminal prosecution because (A) you have someone in your fraternity with ties to the GOP; and, (b) you're a young white male, well, no wonder we have the environment we have today. To many people played it over the edge and got away with it. Each time they did, it raised the bar for the next guy.

[Brazenly Liberal]

5. Here's one indication of just how right you may be

Lawmaker Chided for Going to Frat Party

WASHINGTON - Republican Rep. John Sweeney's attendance at a beer-drinking, college fraternity party has drawn criticism from Democrats who accused the New York lawmaker of using poor judgment.

"What is a 50-year-old congressman doing at a frat party at 1 in the morning cavorting with students 30 years his junior? Teaching them how a bill becomes a law?" Blake Zeff, a spokesman for New York Democrats, said Friday.

Sweeney stopped by the Alpha Delta Phi party at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., late last Friday, a visit first reported by the college newspaper, the Concordiensis. The paper also printed a photo of the lawmaker posing with students. Local newspapers in the region posted similar photos online.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060428/ap_on_go_co/congressman_frat_party

[librechik]

13. also business schools now teach that if breaking a law is cheaper

than complying, a "good" businessman breaks the law without thinking twice.

[HamDon]

9. Wikipedia is not a useful source

for anything political or historical in nature. The revisionists are rampant over there. Read this site: http://wikitruth.info/index.php?title=Main_Page

[seaglass]

10. I have used it quite often and it is a useful source but not the sole

source.

It is the nature of the beast that when a source is open it is going to have flaws and complainers and cheerleaders.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. This is why I have never been able to completely trust Wikipedia.

It is a shame they cannot have a pre edit review.

[AllieB]

6. I agree. My nephew, who is a sophmore history major,

has caught many errors, some that are outside the political agenda also. I agree about some kind of a 'pre-edit' where the entry is purged of political opinion. It's disgusting that the wingnuts are using wiki as a propaganda tool.

[seaglass]

4. Wiki tracks them, take a look at this page...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Staffer_Edits

The have tracked IP addresses to the House and Senate. Interesting stuff.

[Brazenly Liberal]

7. Interesting - thanks for posting that!

From a quick scan, it looks like the questionable edits are not all Republican shenanigans, but largely so.

[seaglass]

8. Yeah it was front page news locally when Meehan's staff

made changes to his Wiki entry.

It would be nice if Wikipedia had some type of alert at the top of the page that the content had been recently edited but not verified so that users could feel comfortable that info was accurate and neutral.

[wizdum]

11. Republicans imbeciles seem to forget that democrats have computers too

and this little prank can cut both ways. They are nothing more than treasonous hacks that have betrayed their country in more ways than one can count. This is just another example of their hatred of America.

[dogman]

12. Dem on Dem attacks also.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/26/cox.wikipedia/index.html
Snip>A Georgia gubernatorial candidate accepted the resignation of her campaign manager Wednesday after he was accused of changing the online Wikipedia biography of an opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary.

[Adelante]

14. DU was Wiki-Roved, too

But not by right wingnuts. I read an amazing thread over there that included my very own DU screen name that was an utter pack of lies claimed to have been based on information developed by a DU mod. It's pretty nutso there, but I did get to see that Wiki editors battle bravely to correct these wrong-headed attempts to defame. I actually gained in respect for the project as a result of this experience.