Folks, http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009090897749/News/Local-News/Wikipedia-vandal… *Sonora has entered the debate over the accuracy of Wikipedia. * *For two days last month, the city’s entry on the user-edited online encyclopedia described the town as a racist, elitist backwater. * *Wikipedia has come under scrutiny over the years for inaccuracies due to its policy of allowing the public to generate new entries and edit existing ones. Defenders of the Wikipedia, though, say it utilizes the wisdom of the masses and is generally no less accurate than print encyclopedias. * *Whatever the case, Wikipedia is nonetheless currently considering making its entries harder to edit, possibly by enlisting a number of expert gatekeepers. * *Sonora’s entry makes a case for the proposed policy change. * *From Aug. 23 to 25, according to Wikipedia’s records, less-than-flattering edits by someone with the user name “Vayne,” who claimed to be a 21-year-old Sacramento college student named Michael, could be found throughout Sonora’s Wikipedia page, which dates back to 2002. * *Vayne said Sonora’s lack of racial and ethnic diversity, non-Christian places of worship and economic opportunities make it an uninviting place for some. * *“Many (Sonorans) are of higher economic standing and tend to be unwelcoming to visitors without money,” Vayne wrote. “Visitors new to the area or who might be considered ‘ethnic’ should prepare for the high level of ethnic disparity by blending as best as possible. ... Most Latinos have sought work and opportunity elsewhere where they are less likely to be judged due to economic standing, skin color, or a linguistic barrier.” * *Vayne also weighed in on homelessness in Sonora, saying, “The local government literally ignores the homeless problem.” * *The entry was spotted by a Sonora resident on Aug. 24, who contacted Board of Supervisors member Liz Bass, who represents the city, and asked her to do something about it. Bass got some local staffers on the job of restoring Sonora’s entry. * *Bass said the unflattering entry amounted to “cyber-vandalism.” * *“It sounds like a disgruntled person who didn’t get what they wanted out of this experience,” Bass said. “I’ve lived here 37 years. Obviously, we do have shopping centers, a homeless shelter downtown, a bypass and people of color do live here.” * *Vayne had claimed that Sonora lacked malls, divided highways and homeless shelters. * *Monty Youngborg, a retired volunteer for the Tuolumne County History Museum, who does technical work for the museum, likes the idea of Wikipedia tweaking its policy, saying its editors “should have some verified pedigree.” * *“You get these people, maybe they got into trouble with the cops, who can really make a mess and put out a lot of untruths,” Youngborg said. “You never know what sets people off.” * *Youngborg called Wikipedia a “valuable tool,” which he uses often. * *He said the more technical the entry, usually the more accurate it is. * *Because of the plethora of false or biased data available not just on Wikipedia but throughout the entire Internet, Youngborg recommends that people use a “jaundiced eye” when surfing the Web. * *“I think people are going to have to get a little more calloused at the Internet,” Youngborg said.* This is our current article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora,_California Regards *Keith Old*