Recently two articles have been published that discuss the authority of blogs and wikis. When, if ever, can they be used as reliable information resources?
The Wikipedia article: Schiff, Stacy. "Know it All: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?" New Yorker July 31, 2006.
Schiff argues that while "Wikipedia is to Britannica as American Idol is to the Juilliard School," it has a wealth of information not available in the traditional encyclopedia. For every three errors in Britannica, there are four in Wikipedia. Pretty good stats for a startup!
The blog article: Zeller, Tom, Jr. Anne Frank 2006: War Diaries Online. New York Times July 24, 2006.
The blog is the 21st century's personal narrative. This is primary source material. To get a real feel for what is going on in the Middle East today, go to any of the blogs listed in this article and read what is really going on from a first person perspective. Not only will you find text, you will find photos and videos of events as they happen--uncensored!
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