Whenever a topic dominates the headlines it blows up on Wikipedia with users and editors battling to have proper information on the site. The coronavirus outbreak has been no different, Wired reported.
Over a few weeks, the English-language version of Wikipedia witnessed the creation of at least six articles about the outbreak. Since the beginning of January, over 18 million people have read those entries. Countless others have found their way to articles indirectly related to the coronavirus, including those for Sars, Wuhan, “bat as food” – and even Corona beer, which has seen an uptick in editing. This frenetic surge in interest is a challenge for Wikipedia’s community of volunteer editors, who have to deal with a firehose of information about the health crisis constantly flooding the website, and inevitably fight off rumours and misinformation.
Check It Out: Wikipedia War Rages Over Coronavirus Disinformation