LA Times Pulls Wikitorial, Blames Slashdot
Found on Slashdot on Monday, 20 June 2005
The LA Times pulled down it's "beta" wikitorial after people began inserting obscene content faster than the editors could remove it. Though there is nothing on the LA Times editorial page or in the general coverage, the NY Times notes (free reg req) the fact that the bulk of the vandalism occurred after a posting about the wikitorial appeared on Slashdot and goes on to quote a member of the LA Times editorial staff as saying, "Slashdot has a tech-savvy audience that, to be kind, is mischievous and to be not so kind, is malicious".
Honestly, what did they expect? A massive run of freelance editors who only submit stories which are worth a Pulitzer? They know what optimism really is. Anybody who has been around the web for some time can tell you that the chance to place virtual graffiti and free ads on a high-ranked newssite will be (ab)used. It doesn't need much brain to sum up 1 and 1. Blaming Slashdot (and the readers) for it is just wrong. That's like blaming the LA Times (readers too) for supporting homicide because they print articles about felony crimes.