Study: Most Wikipedia articles about brands have factual errors
And Wikipedia is slow to respond to PR and communications professionals who request changes, according to the study’s author.
If so, we’ve got some bad news.
A new study published by PR Journal found that 60 percent of organizations with Wikipedia articles contain factual errors. Making matters worse, Wikipedia is slow to respond when a request for a change is made, according to the study.
PR people, the study noted, want the ability to make corrections to these articles in a timelier manner. Currently, when they request corrections through Wikipedia’s “talk pages,” responses can take days or weeks.
“Fully 24 percent of those who used the talk pages to try to correct errors never got a response at all,” explained Marcia W. DiStaso, assistant professor of public relations in the College of Communications at Penn State University.
DiStaso’s study, “Measuring Public Relations Wikipedia Engagement: How Bright is the Rule?” drew upon 1,284 responses from PR and communications professionals at corporations, PR agencies, non-profits, government and educational institutions.
More than half of the respondents believe Wikipedia should change its policies to allow them more direct input in editing articles about the organizations for which they work.
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