Student's Wikipedia hoax quote used worldwide in newspaper obituaries - The Irish Times - Wed, May 06, 2009
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0506/1224245992919.html

A WIKIPEDIA hoax by a 22-year-old Dublin student resulted in a fake quote being published in newspaper obituaries around the world. The quote was attributed to French composer Maurice Jarre who died at the end of March. It was posted on the online encyclopedia shortly after his death and later appeared in obituaries published in the Guardian, the London Independent, on the BBC Music Magazine website and in Indian and Australian newspapers. “One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear,” Jarre was quoted as saying. However, these words were not uttered by the Oscar-winning composer but written by Shane Fitzgerald, a final-year undergraduate student studying sociology and economics at University College Dublin. Mr Fitzgerald said he placed the quote on the website as an experimen

A WIKIPEDIA hoax by a 22-year-old Dublin student resulted in a fake quote being published in newspaper obituaries around the world. The quote was attributed to French composer Maurice Jarre who died at the end of March. It was posted on the online encyclopedia shortly after his death and later appeared in obituaries published in the Guardian, the London Independent, on the BBC Music Magazine website and in Indian and Australian newspapers.

Amusing how many journalists slag off Wikipedia, but then use it for their own research

oops

Notable site!

Some interesting videos and camera tricks explored.

Series of Six videos on people who abuse science by calling it paranormal because they don't know the difference. Or often used by scammers who pretend to have "powers".

Compulsive must watch video. Recorded for mainstream British TV and now released on the Internet.

A sociology student placed a fake quote on Wikipedia, only to see it show up in prominent newspapers, revealing that a lot of the press doesn't go much further than most 'Net users when it comes to researching a story.

another media hoax; bad journalism....

A key part of the argument for maintaining traditional journalism is that its trained reporters can perform research and investigations that the untrained masses can't, and the content they produce is run by editors and fact-checkers. The revelation that their research is often no more sophisticated than an average Web surfer's, and that the fact checking can be nonexistent, really doesn't help that argument much. Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2F2009%2F05%2Fwikipedia-hoax-reveals-limits-of-journalists-research.ars

According to the AFP, the hoax traces back to Shane Fitzgerald, a student at Ireland's University College Dublin. Upon learning of the death of the Oscar-winning composer Maurice Jarre, the student modified his Wikipedia entry, adding a completely fictitious post that was nicely designed to fit perfectly into any obituary. "When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear," the added material read in part.

Excellent share for students about not only wikipedia's limits, but also about the shoddiness and PR core of much journalism. Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2F2009%2F05%2Fwikipedia-hoax-reveals-limits-of-journalists-research.ars

When Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald posted a poetic but phony quote on Wikipedia, he said he was testing how our globalized, increasingly Internet-dependent media was upholding accuracy and accountability in an age of instant news. His report card: Wikipedia passed. Journalism flunked.

Media lifted quote off of Wikipedia about recently deceased composer which was posted by a student to see where it would appear.

Depressing. "The sociology major's made-up quote — which he added to the Wikipedia page of Maurice Jarre hours after the French composer's death March 28 — flew straight on to dozens of U.S. blogs and newspaper Web sites in Britain, Australia and India."

possible hoax sites

List of fake websites to use to teach Internet research.