Singapore on wikipedia: Strict checks for local pieces

Straits Times 6 Dec 09;

Much about Singapore can be found on Wikipedia but there's more to be done still.

The Wikipedian community here lists dozens of topics that need to be created or expanded, from this year's flu pandemic to the battle of Bukit Timah and the country's flora and fauna.

Yet, few have come forward. Regular contributors believe part of the reason could be the tight scrutiny by the diehard contributors and editors who have raised the stakes for newcomers.

Contributors said the evaluation and rating of an article - done by a peer review - can be intimidating.

Only six of the 3,368 articles relating to Singapore have been given a top rating so far.

Homegrown contributor Jack Lee, an Assistant Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University, believes the quality control has merit. He suggests that at some stage a foundation could be created to reach out to local institutions to upload accurate facts.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said no designated officials monitor Wikipedia.

He added that the Government, aware of the website's popularity, had given talks to public agencies to build awareness of new media platforms.

Shefali Rekhi