TRUTH IN NUMBERS? everything, according to wikipedia
Price: $310.00 Code: 2400 |
Directed by Scott Glosserman and Nic Hill
2010, 85 Minutes
Purchase: $310 | Classroom rental: $125
Examining the history and cultural implications of the most popular reference website in the world, Truth in Numbers? Everything, According to Wikipedia provokes a deeper conversation on the power of new media, on how knowledge is collected and disseminated, and on who should have the authority to control it.
Wikipedia, the free access online encyclopedia, is one of the most popular websites in the world. "More people see Wikipedia every day than CNN and BBC combined," says Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. He sees his brainchild as a forum for the people of the world to share their knowledge, and everyone is invited to contribute information. Wales hopes to document the sum of human knowledge for the masses and provide information to people who otherwise would not have access to it, especially in countries where media outlets are restricted by the government.
The critics of the website argue that this seeming democracy is actually more like a cult with the website under the control of Wales and a few prolific editors who anonymously contribute thousands of articles. By allowing anyone to edit any page anonymously, the encyclopedia loses its accountability and credibility as the entries can be edited for personal, political, or economic gain, withholding information and ultimately distorting the truth.
Through carefully woven interviews, with Jimmy Wales and the website's frequent contributors with their Utopian ideals on one side and the website's critics such as Howard Zinn on the other, filmmakers Scott Glosserman and Nic Hill succeed in presenting us with a truly neutral, in-depth look at this unique phenomenon in media studies.
" A telling documentary... This detailed examination offers much to discuss. Booklist
" A thought-provoking examination of a much-debated topic." Video Librarian
2010, 85 Minutes
Purchase: $310 | Classroom rental: $125
Examining the history and cultural implications of the most popular reference website in the world, Truth in Numbers? Everything, According to Wikipedia provokes a deeper conversation on the power of new media, on how knowledge is collected and disseminated, and on who should have the authority to control it.
Wikipedia, the free access online encyclopedia, is one of the most popular websites in the world. "More people see Wikipedia every day than CNN and BBC combined," says Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. He sees his brainchild as a forum for the people of the world to share their knowledge, and everyone is invited to contribute information. Wales hopes to document the sum of human knowledge for the masses and provide information to people who otherwise would not have access to it, especially in countries where media outlets are restricted by the government.
The critics of the website argue that this seeming democracy is actually more like a cult with the website under the control of Wales and a few prolific editors who anonymously contribute thousands of articles. By allowing anyone to edit any page anonymously, the encyclopedia loses its accountability and credibility as the entries can be edited for personal, political, or economic gain, withholding information and ultimately distorting the truth.
Through carefully woven interviews, with Jimmy Wales and the website's frequent contributors with their Utopian ideals on one side and the website's critics such as Howard Zinn on the other, filmmakers Scott Glosserman and Nic Hill succeed in presenting us with a truly neutral, in-depth look at this unique phenomenon in media studies.
Subjects & Collections
Reviews
" Highly Recommended. Truth in Numbers turns out to be an engrossing film, focusing as it does on the origins, practices, and implications of the Wikipedia enterprise. Its beautifully shot, elegantly edited, [...] informative, even-handed and unfailingly interesting." Educational Media Reviews Online" A telling documentary... This detailed examination offers much to discuss. Booklist
" A thought-provoking examination of a much-debated topic." Video Librarian