Religion On Wikipedia Is A Recipe For Controversy As 'Edit Wars' Rage On
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/27/religion-wikipedia_n_5618877.html
Religion News Service | By Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Posted: 07/27/2014 9:17 am EDT Updated: 1 hour ago
The 'Wikipedia' logo is seen on a tablet screen on December 4, 2012 in Paris.
LIONEL BONAVENTURE via Getty Images
(RNS) When he was a student at Brigham Young University three years ago, Anthony Willey came across a Wikipedia page on Mormons. What he read filled him with frustration.
The article focused on polygamy, which seemed odd since Mormons officially outlawed the practice in 1890. It didnt say what Mormons believe or what made them unique, Willey said. I had the thought, Whos editing this stuff? and that got me hooked.
Since editing that page and adding 50 percent to the content, Willey has made more than 8,000 edits to the editable online encyclopedia, mostly on articles related to Mormonism. His top edited pages include entries on Joseph Smith, Mormons, Mormonism, and Black people and Mormonism.
The problem confronting many Wikipedia editors is that religion elicits passion and often, more than a little vitriol as believers and critics spar over facts, sources and context. For Wikipedians like Willey, trying to put a lid on the online hate speech that can be endemic to Wikipedia entries is a key part of their job.
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