[At-Large] "DonorGate" Is Latest Scandal To Hit Wikipedia

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

All,

  Seems truth and honesty on Wikipedia yet again in question.
Seems to me anyway, the stench of Wikipedia is getting nearly
overwhelming whether or not these latest allegations are
true or false...

In the latest of a long train of scandals to hit Wikipedia, the Sydney
Morning Herald reports on an accusation that founder and Wikia
President Jimmy Wales traded a multi-thousand dollar donation
for an article re-write. Jeff Merkey, formerly of Novell, claims
that Wales approached him in 2006 and said that for a fee, Wales
would personally see to it that the article on Merkey, which had
cast him in a negative light, would be re-written in Merkey's favor.
Merkey claims that after he donated $5,000, Wales followed through
on this quid pro quo. The Wikipedia edit history does indicate that
Wales wiped out the article on Merkey, and then personally re-wrote
it. The SMH reports that Wales has called the allegation 'nonsense.

See:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/more-woes-for-jimmy-wales/2008/03/11/1205125874243.html

Update: 03/12 00:39 GMT by  http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/ KD :
Wikimedia Foundation spokesman Jay Walsh provided this official
statement: "Current allegations relating to Jimmy Wales soliciting
donations for the Wikimedia Foundation in order to protect or edit
Wikipedia articles are completely false. The Wikimedia Foundation
has never accepted nor solicited donations in order to protect or
make edits to a Wikipedia article nor has Jimmy Wales. This is a
practice the Wikimedia Foundation would never condone."

Regards,

Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 277k members/stakeholders strong!)
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