[WikiEN-l] Re: Not to worry

[Sheldon Rampton]

Ed Poor wrote:

>Sheldon, I think you worry too much -- at least, as far
>as Jimbo and the Wikipedia project are concerned.
>
>Wikipedia is a work in progress. I don't think anyone
>would bother to launch a libel action against it, if for
>no other reason than it's hard to hit a moving target.

I certainly hope you're right, but people file libel actions for all 
sorts of reasons, some of which are unfair and unreasonable. People 
sue in hopes of getting a quick cash settlement; they sue because 
they're jerks or because they're paranoid; sometimes they sue because 
they're in the right.

Given the nature of my own project, I certainly want to make sure 
that I understand how libel law could affect the Disinfopedia. 
However, I don't think you can just *assume* that no one would bother 
to sue Wikipedia. Currently you're a much larger target than 
Disinfopedia, reaching a larger potential audience and therefore a 
larger pool of potential litigants. Even if we assume that the 
average Wikipedian is less likely to sue than the average 
Disinfopedian, you still may be at higher risk.
-- 
--------------------------------
|  Sheldon Rampton
|  Editor, PR Watch (www.prwatch.org)
|  Author of books including:
|     Friends In Deed: The Story of US-Nicaragua Sister Cities
|     Toxic Sludge Is Good For You
|     Mad Cow USA
|     Trust Us, We're Experts
--------------------------------