Wikitorial
Encyclopedia
A wikitorial is a term coined by the Los Angeles Times
to describe a traditional editorial
that can be edited in the fashion of a wiki
(computer software that allows users to edit text and make changes to one document). On June 17, 2005 the Los Angeles Times wrote the first Wikitorial, entitled: War and Consequences. The new Wikitorial was about the War in Iraq. Below that editorial the paper wrote an invitation to its readers to rewrite the editorial in the wiki fashion. They called the experiment a "public beta" and suggested that it may be a failure or a new form of opinion journalism
.
Jimmy Wales
, head of the Wikimedia Foundation
, which governs Wikipedia, was one of the early contributors to the new Wikitorial which inspired a counterpoint editorial, redirections and much discussion.
inserting multiple pictures of goatse
. Around 4:30 AM local time the vandal was changing the site to pornographic photos and just as quickly, within seconds, a guardian was reverting it to the earlier editorial. Shortly after 5:00 AM the connection was broken and the Wikitorial has not been available since then.
Readers who access the site find this message:
During the two days the Wikitorial was available it had changed from the original length (just under eleven hundred words) to just over twenty-seven hundred words. Several experienced Wikipedians offered suggestions for the organization of the Wikitorial.
's Argus Leader
has inaugurated a new online feature called You Re-Write-It Editorials. It follows the Wikitorial pattern with the main difference from the Los Angeles Times experiment being that the moderators will check the editorials before posting them to avoid the problems experienced by the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
to describe a traditional editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
that can be edited in the fashion of a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
(computer software that allows users to edit text and make changes to one document). On June 17, 2005 the Los Angeles Times wrote the first Wikitorial, entitled: War and Consequences. The new Wikitorial was about the War in Iraq. Below that editorial the paper wrote an invitation to its readers to rewrite the editorial in the wiki fashion. They called the experiment a "public beta" and suggested that it may be a failure or a new form of opinion journalism
Opinion journalism
Opinion journalism is journalism that makes no claim of objectivity. Although distinguished from advocacy journalism in several ways, both forms feature a subjective viewpoint, usually with some social or political purpose...
.
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, head of the Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
, which governs Wikipedia, was one of the early contributors to the new Wikitorial which inspired a counterpoint editorial, redirections and much discussion.
Closing
The L.A. Times Wikitorial was closed on June 19, 2005. This was due to a vandalVandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
inserting multiple pictures of goatse
Goatse.cx
Goatse.cx , often referred to simply as "Goatse", was originally an Internet shock site. Its front page featured a picture, entitled hello.jpg, showing a naked man stretching his anus with both hands, to approximately the width of his hand. The inside of his rectum is also clearly visible...
. Around 4:30 AM local time the vandal was changing the site to pornographic photos and just as quickly, within seconds, a guardian was reverting it to the earlier editorial. Shortly after 5:00 AM the connection was broken and the Wikitorial has not been available since then.
Readers who access the site find this message:
Where is the wikitorial?
Unfortunately, we have had to remove this feature, at least temporarily, because a few readers were flooding the site with inappropriate material.
Thanks and apologies to the thousands of people who logged on in the right spirit.
During the two days the Wikitorial was available it had changed from the original length (just under eleven hundred words) to just over twenty-seven hundred words. Several experienced Wikipedians offered suggestions for the organization of the Wikitorial.
Wikitorial II
South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
's Argus Leader
Argus Leader
See also List of newspapers in South DakotaThe Argus Leader is the daily newspaper of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is South Dakota's largest newspaper by circulation.-Description:...
has inaugurated a new online feature called You Re-Write-It Editorials. It follows the Wikitorial pattern with the main difference from the Los Angeles Times experiment being that the moderators will check the editorials before posting them to avoid the problems experienced by the Los Angeles Times.