Here’s an interesting new twist on Wikipedia: Not only is it partially responsible for the decline in academic research skills it is also apparently undermining military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
A Canadian general says that Wikipedia is among the most dangerous public-access websites because of the speed and ease with which it can be updated. People (we’re not quite sure who) are uploading information on casualties and damage from battles and insurgents are using this information to assess their success. Presumably much of this information is coming from soldiers themselves.
The story goes on to say that this ease of making sensitive information public is the reason behind an increased secretiveness by the Canadian military, which includes the unwillingness to release details on prisoners of war captured during battles.
The rhetoric makes sense if you simply take it at face value: soldiers shouldn’t be giving out secrets. My fear is, however, that basically they just want people to have fully sanitized version of what is going on there.
1 response so far ↓
Nate Wallace // April 12, 2008 at 12:19 am
Hiya, JMike…It’s your old homie Nathan from Alaska–tho’ I’m not in AK now…Just want to say hey and offer my congratulations on your personal and academic success–It’s quite impressive…Anyhoo–regarding your blog I’m responding to,I’m sure you’re aware of the old adage:”..The first casualty of war is the truth…” Frankly, The Canadian Government/Military’s sanitization of war prisoner and casualty estimates are the least of our concerns…The Bush Administration makes the Canadian Govt. look like a bunch of second-rate wannabes!! The Patriot Act has effectivly eviscerated The Bill of Rights and rendered the Fourth Amendment ,Haebeus Corpus and Posse Commitatus extinct. The dreadful state of American Journalism is quite clear…The Fourth Estate has betrayed the American People…I could yak with you all night over a few cold ones on this matter, Instead, I’ll simply ask for your scholarly review of some material I’ve aquired…Here’s the URL: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7866929448192753501 .Watch the credits carefully…Hit me back, Man…Your Friend, Nathan.
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