From: Ray Saintonge saintonge@telus.net
The Guardian has a story entitled "Can you trust Wikipedia?" in which various specialists rate Wikipedia articles in their field of knowledge: http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1599116,00.html [and gave ratings of 0, 5, 6, 6, 7, and 8 out of 10]
One distinctive feature of Wikipedia is the ability to self-correct. A simple issue like the Wheatley/Wheatly spelling in the Pepys article can be checked, and if need be corrected, very quickly. What would be more interesting would be to have these same critics review the same articles a month later to comment on the changes that have taken place as a result of their criticism.
Jam tomorrow.
To readers, Wikipedia is exactly as good as it is on the day they consult it, not a month later.
Do you go to a newsstand and buy the late edition of a newspaper in case something has been updated from the edition they delivered to your porch?