BBC News Online wikiproxy is an experiment by the author of whitelabel.org blog that takes the BBC News Online site and turns words in text into links to Wikipedia articles. And, it links on the right hand side of a story to blogs that link back to the page.

This has stirred some worry about the accuracy of Wikipedia articles, and some have the opinion that the BBC wikiproxy links to wikipedia could erode faith in the accuracy of BBC news due to the open nature of wikipedia. A difference in the wikipedia system and the way more traditional mediums like books, television and and printed magazines is that readers and content creators can discuss everything about the information presented. This consensus-style structure has some drawbacks, but it also has some benefits when enough community members voluntarily follow systematic guidlines and procedures (which appears to be happening on wikipedia.org).

Ultimately, the bottom line is, has there ever really been a time when people have been able to blindly trust any information source without thinking, judging and reasoning for themselves? Arguably, collaborative systems like wikipedia can make thinking, judging and reasoning for yourself easier by allowing for constructive dialogue. That’s the real value in Wikipedia and other online collaborative systems, for those willing to pursue it.