Wikipedia: Start Here, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

 We've all heard the warnings about Wikipedia; it's unreliable, it was founded by some youngster know-nothing with a big head full of big ideas, and it's staffed by a bunch of 13 year-olds who think they're editors or something. In fact, here's a succinct summary of Wikipedia's shortcomings, lifted from the damnable site itself:

 “Critics of Wikipedia target its systemic bias and inconsistencies and its policy of favoring consensus over credentials in its editorial process. Wikipedia's reliability and accuracy are also an issue. Other criticisms are centered on its susceptibility to vandalism and the addition of spurious or unverified information. Scholarly work suggests that vandalism is generally short-lived.”

 That paragraph had six different references, though, which is the best part about Wikipedia for college students in a rush for a citation that will look convincing. It's an encyclopedia that sources its information right in front of you, and you can go directly to it! Beautiful. The internet is a wonderful machine.

 I used Wikipedia to unearth information about the mysterious al-Hadithi portrayed by David Suchet. I learned that his name is actually Naji Sabri Ahmad Al-Hadithi, and that he was likely an informant for the CIA, although this information became widespread knowledge some time after “Live From Baghdad” was released. There appears to be little historically rooted reason for al-Hadithi's sympathetic portrayal in “Live From Baghdad,” other than dramatic purposes and the fact that he was reportedly “one of Iraq's most recognizable faces in the West.”

 The article on al-Hadithi serves as an excellent caveat about Wikipedia, though. The article is short, poorly cited, and contains a suspiciously speculative section at the end concerning intelligence he may or may not have provided that led to the 2003 Iraq war. Reader beware.