Strengths and Weaknesses of Wikipedia

Wikipedia’s strengths and disadvantages are diverse. Starting with strengths, this site is important in view of the numerous reference works. As a web-based business and with a broad number of involved editors and authors, it provides a wide variety of subjects as well as hyperlinks that are not present in conventional newspapers. In addition, this platform provides links to the subject matter otherwise unavailable in non-active terms. In the same way, Wikipedia is surrounded by a few pages that have impartial and encyclopedic coverage of trendy entertainment, including science fiction and television programs. This scholarly database is spreading across-the-board international exposure of subject fields where the existing sources are highly segmented, entailing sports such as golf and football. Moreover, Wikipedia has heightened instances that any specific factual misleading statement or a factual error will get corrected promptly.

Conversely, there also exist diverse weaknesses associated with the application of Wikipedia. First, this site is certainly more focused on subtle destruction and premeditated factual faults while compared with the typical reference work. Second, Wikipedia is subject to remarkable omissions and oversights. Furthermore, its articles are likely to be incomplete in unusual ways and also in a more strictly restricted reference work. Nevertheless, this site’s contributors fail to cite sources hence making it difficult for the reader to determine the credibility of provided information.

What sources might be preferable for scholarly citations than Wikipedia?

There are diverse priorities of academic sites which are preferable than Wikipedia. The first citation is Google Scholar, a liberally accessible web search engine which contains full metadata or text of scholarly literature transversely an array of publishing disciplines and formats. Google Books and Google Print is a sub-branch of Google Inc. and it searches intact texts of magazines and books which have been scanned and changed to text through the application of optical character recognition (OCR) and kept in its digital catalog. Moreover, High Beam Research is a compensated search engine as well as full text online documentation possessed by Cengage Learning for thousands of magazines, newspapers, news wires, academic journals, encyclopedias and trade magazines in English.

What makes a wiki unique?

There are diverse elements which make a wiki to be different as compared to other academic sites. For instance, this site constitutes of open-source medium and collaborative information hence getting utilized by a large group of people. Moreover, wiki data is constantly edited and improved and this action of reviewing articles leads to an upward trend of quality and expanding consensus over information which is fairly balanced. The editors of this site keep on removing unconvinced statements over time, though they have a long time prior to removal.

Does bias exist in Wikipedia? Discuss the ramifications? Discuss the ramifications.

Dissimilar to some works of reference, this site’s biases are incoherent. Its data is gathered across the universe in all walks of life. Though the Wikipedia’s editor tries to get articles fitting a neutral viewpoint, diverse articles are not available. In fact, it is noted that two articles concerning subjects might have been inscribed by varying individuals hence displaying distinctive biases. Even in a single context radically conflicting or different biases may be available. Due to the absence of prejudice, Wikipedia is considered as a library rather than an archetypal reference work.

American Press Institute (Committee of Concerned Journalists)

What should a journalist do about bias? What is their role in it?

In the process of fighting bias, the journalist must ensure that the citizens’ right to get truthful and valid information is achieved, hence allowing the society to form adequate impression concerning social processes, their importance and essence, and relating to the situation in the modern world. Similarly, the journalists should ascertain that partiality does not subsist through not being involved in making choices of what to write or things they should omit. These people must know the favoritism is attached in the language and culture of the community on which they reports and therefore they should avoid chances where they may reflect their background and also the business model and news firm’s mission. Indeed, these individuals should understand that their role is to bear responsibility prior to the general community, before the professional association and before the law. For example, the social role of the journalists urges them to act in accordance with the provided ethical standards.

Give four examples of bias that “cuts both ways.”

There exist immense ways into which bias appears to cut ‘both ways’. For example, by the act of being sensitive to sources is a portion of listening denoting that the journalists are writing for them rather than for the audience. Moreover, the subsistence of extraordinary content such as a story saying that ‘a man-bites-a dog’ causes the journalist to distort the important information. Moreover, bias is also built in the manner the journalists select and swathe stories. At this point, some subjects may be routinely ignored or covered particularly when a crime emerge or during special parade or event. The other form of bias can occur on production particularly when the tales are automatic since they are simple to be compiled despite being incremental or trivial. At the same point, journalists may show unfairness through always calling certain sources for they know they will offer perfect quotes or answer their calls.

Give one example of subtle bias.

Political bias is a form of subtle partiality and it represents something reporters hear continually from the audience, though inside the newsroom, the topic is less discussed. Since the journalists are not willing to go deeper on such topic or they are not familiar with each other politically then it is difficult to report the existing problem.

What are the merits of transparency? What does it signal to the audience and why?

The advantage of transparency is that it offers the readers with freedom of deciding whether to believe the given information or not. This intelligibility conducts vital roles including stopping bias, depleting deception, and provision of valid information. Transparency signals that journalists are respecting the society through allowing them to judge the soundness of the information, the security of the used method during collection of information. Indeed, transparency action facilitates protection of readers from errors and dishonesty referencing.

What is the ”job” of the journalist?

The task of the journalist is to offer people with information in such a way they can evaluate it and then structure their personal minds about things to capture or not to take.

Why is verifying with first-hand sources imperative in journalism?

It is essential to confirm with the first-hand sources while conducting journalism task. This argument is based on the fact that information from the second and third party may get exaggerated, distorted or some data may be omitted hence leading to reporting erroneous and incomplete information.

Rolling Stones – Journalistic Integrity

Discuss the bias found by the Columbia Journalism

The Columbia journalism is viewed to be contained with elements of bias in various ways. For instance, this journalism was not aiming at reporting current news concerning what was presently happening within the community. Instead, this journalist is emerging to have an intention of providing the community with information about what they think rather than the message preferred by the audience. This is the reason why they contacted Jackie while in search for raping cases.

How did the journalist/editor fail to follow journalism guidelines per the American Press Institute?

There is clear evidence that the editor and journalist failed to submit to the journalism procedures as indicated y the American Press Institute. First, the journalist was not supposed to collect information on the phone since there was a need for evidential documents including medical files, captions, or other data which shows that the crime was reported to the police. Similarly, the editor did consider verifying the accuracy of information through requesting primary data prior to publishing the story.

What could they have done to avert this investigation?

In the process of avoiding this investigation on this matter, they could have indicated in the passage that the information was retrieved from secondary source but not their primary data.

What has occurred since this report was published?

There are diverse conflicts which have risen in between the media, the victim, and the community after the publishing Jackie’s story. For instance, Jackie through the support of some members of the community appears to blame media through claiming that the journalists will lead to increase in raping cases since they are arguing Jackie is lying that she was raped. Moreover, when the journalist apologized the community realized that in most cases they get provided with unrealistic information which is not unearthed unless when conflict arises from claimants. Furthermore, this publication of this story has made people fear getting interrogated about various things since they don’t know whether their cases will be put on the public without their consents. Indeed, Jackie’s story has portrayed journalism in a negative picture than it was previously viewed by the readers.

Works Cited

Coronel, Sheila, Steve Coll, and Derek Kravitz. ”Rolling Stone’s investigation: ”A failure that was avoidable.”.“ Columbia Journalism Review 5 (2015).

Additional Sources

http://www.nbc29.com/story/28733193/press-conference-held-on-rolling-stone-article-review

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/bias-objectivity/understanding-bias/

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/verification-accuracy/journalism-discipline-verification/

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/verification-accuracy/hierarchy-accuracy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia