[WikiEN-l] citing Wikipedia responsibly, redux

[Fred Bauder]

> Here's the New York Times in an article about Nikola Tesla:
>
> 	Today, his work tends to be poorly known among scientists,
> 	though some call him an intuitive genius far ahead of his
> 	peers.  Socially, his popularity has soared, elevating him
> 	to cult status.
>
> 	Books and Web sites abound.  Wikipedia says the inventor
> 	obtained at least 700 patents.
>
> 	[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tesla.html]
>
> Everyone knows how reliable Wikipedia is, and cited this way,
> the journalist doesn't even have to do any absolute verification
> of the "at least 700 patents" figure.  (And if it's inflated,
> well, that's understandable enough, since the inventor has been
> "elevated to cult status", and everyone knows that Wikipedia
> is the free encyclopedia anyone can edit.)

Fair enough, and we can turn the tables on them when through their White
House and CIA connections they publish information from undisclosed
sources which may or may not be legitimate news. (The alternative is
information planted by the administration to influence public opinion as
was done in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq).

According to The New York Times, citing undisclosed White House sources...

Fred Bauder