The biographies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are under siege. Whether we like it or not, tons of us turn to Wikipedia for digestible background information. Because any of us can edit an entry, we all hold the power of truth in our hands. With that much influence at stake, why wouldn't a prankster, or worse, a political opponent, try to include not so flattering, and not so true, information?
Luckily two unpaid and unofficial wonks are on the case. NPR profiled Jonathan Schilling and Tina Vozick, Clinton and Obama supporters, respectively. These two dedicated defenders of truth, and their candidates, police the pages around the clock, protecting their candidates in this Wiki-warfare.
Sometimes the most offensive material pops up at inconvenient times. For an example, read more.
Vozick visited Obama's page one summer late at night. "There was a picture there of naked men, black men in a sauna. It wasn't there very long, but it was put back a couple of times."
These monitors are self-trained. Schilling explained to NPR: "I've read any number of books about her. I've gone to libraries many times to research it, I've gone to university libraries to find political science papers about some aspects of her public reaction. I'm pretty familiar with her whole biography."
Why do they do it? Schilling likes the large audience, and the chance to research something he's passionate about. But it's not all good. Vozick said: "We put in a lot of hours and the pay is absolute zero." I'm sure Clinton and Obama appreciate this complimentary support; but I wouldn't be surprised if they also had a few paid staffers on hand to monitor the internets.









Calvin Klein
Sonia Rykiel
Bonprix
thats hilarious. I love when people try to quote me from wikipedia, cause i say "you know that anyone can go on there at any time and edit that" and they look defeated.
1When I read on Hillary Clinton's Wikipage that she killed more people with her bare hands than Hitler, I knew the numbers couldn't be THAT high.
2It's good they have monitors on the case. I love the Wiki, but people have got to remember that since it is open for the public to edit, bad things can happen.
My favorite Wikipedia story is of the time I Wiki'ed "butter" and read, "Butter is also used to rub on Kyle's belly."
3I....I'm sorry Jude...you Wiki'ed Butter? .......
4I do stuff like that when I get bored. I've Wiki'ed "medieval cuisine," "sea horses," and "Korean soap operas" as well.
I figured, "Hey, I like butter, why not learn some more about it?"
I just didn't expect to learn how Kyle moisturizes his belly. And who's Kyle?!
5kyle and butters are on southpark.
6BTW my latest searches on Wikipedia:
Abominable snowman
Catherine of aragorn
G Tube
7I think I need to do more random Wiki searches
8CaterpillarGirl - That's why any smart researcher looks the information up on Wikipedia as a portal, then follows the source links to more credible sources =)
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