From Lawrence Solomon at the Financial Post:
All told, (U.K. scientist and Green Party activist William) Connolley created or rewrote 5,428 unique Wikipedia articles. His control over Wikipedia was greater still, however, through the role he obtained at Wikipedia as a website administrator, which allowed him to act with virtual impunity. When Connolley didn’t like the subject of a certain article, he removed it — more than 500 articles of various descriptions disappeared at his hand. When he disapproved of the arguments that others were making, he often had them barred — over 2,000 Wikipedia contributors who ran afoul of him found themselves blocked from making further contributions. Acolytes whose writing conformed to Connolley’s global warming views, in contrast, were rewarded with Wikipedia’s blessings. In these ways, Connolley turned Wikipedia into the missionary wing of the global warming movement.
The Medieval Warm Period disappeared, as did criticism of the global warming orthodoxy. With the release of the Climategate Emails, the disappearing trick has been exposed. The glorious Medieval Warm Period will remain in the history books, perhaps with an asterisk to describe how a band of zealots once tried to make it disappear.
How many high school and college assignments were written based on what the students read (and copied) from Wikipedia? How many otherwise intelligent people have had their opinions swayed based on what they discovered at Wikipedia?
Sure, Connolley is no longer a Wikipedia administrator. He was de-sysoped for an unrelated topic, cold fusion, not for anything to do with the global warming issue. Yet for the last dozen years it was HIS opinions that were “translated” into fact at Wikipedia.
What type of person erases facts in order to allow his disillusioned beliefs to become the “new facts”? Sounds like some of the Holocaust deniers.
What type of encyclopedia can Wikipedia claim to be? How many more of these situations have we simply not discovered yet? Is there anyone out there that still believes in Wikipedia?
Connolley, Wikipedia, global warming, Medieval Warm Period, Climategate
