Marshall wrote:
Re the first amendment, and the authors failure to
edit his own
article, etc.
The Wikipedia project itself bears some responsibility here. If you
are going to provide a soapbox for folks to stand on and exercise
their first amendment rights, you are in part responsible for what
they say.
Pawel responded:
>Many Wikipedians live in countries with no
"first amendment".
And that, we all agree, is a shame. Free speech should be protected
everywhere, period. But it also needs to be used responsibly
everywhere, period.
So the point is the same: if you are going broadcast someone's speech
(free or not), you are in part responsible for what they say. I'm not a
lawyer, but Wikipedia *seems* to be acting as a publisher and perhaps
editor. What will Wikipedia (or the Wikimedia Foundation) do if it is
sued for libel? Could this happen?
All the Best,
Marshall Poe
The Atlantic Monthly
www.memorywiki.org