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NYT.com
Cartoonist Joseph Barbera died last month, the NYT reported. But, at least so far, he lives on in Britannica.com (below), which has not yet noted his passing. |
Argentinean journalist
Diego Rottman recently
blogged (in Spanish) about Wikipedia's ability to update faster than Britannica.com.
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Britannica.com
Click to see this encyclopedia article as it appeared Jan. 11, 2007. |
Checking current facts, he noted that four days after Saddam Hussein's death, both sites were updated with his execution date. But, for a less famous person such as cartoonist Joseph Barbera (who died Dec. 18, 2006), Wikipedia's entry has been updated with his date of death. In contrast, as of today (Jan. 11, 2007) Britannica's entry still hasn't been updated.
Also in Wikipedia the update for Barbera's death appears in many languages, while Britannica publishes in just in one: English.
Wikipedia has received ample criticism in the past, especially in journalistic circles. However, Rottman -- a journalist who also teaches research journalism -- explains in his weblog that "at least in terms of languages, updates and free access, Wikipedia is still the best source."
