[WikiEN-l] Apposite commentary on Wikipedia's arts coverage

[David Gerard]

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2008/sep/18/wikipedia.goya


My answer (currently in the mod queue):


"The trouble is Wikipedia's aim to Neutral Point of View. It achieves
this with great imperfection, but it is what we're aiming for. The
trouble is that editors quickly gain an allergic reaction to any
subjective phrasing at all.

"Particularly problematic are popular culture articles about living
people. These attract (a) fans, who make them into hagiographies (b)
obnoxious obsessives who confuse an encyclopedia with a platform for
investigative reporting. Rubbish articles ensue.

"A reasonably reliable way around this is to quote the opinions of
prominent critics (preferably noteworthy ones in themselves),
noteworthy books on art/music, etc. This is of course more work and
not easily remedied with a quick Google. Better hit that bookshelf
after all!"


- d.