A fascinating paper presented by Andrew Lih, an Assistant Professor at Hong Kong University, at the University of Texas at Austin's recent International Symposium on Online Journalism analyzes how Wikipedia's articles are increasingly cited in the media and as a credible source. Wikipedia is a popular Internet-based, user contributed encyclopedia that is collaboratively edited.
"Wikipedia as Participatory Journalism: Reliable Sources?" (PDF) is the equivalent of The Pelican Brief for the public relations industry. It's a must read for any PR pro trying - as I am - to understand the impact that participatory/citizen journalism will have on our profession. It provides clear metrics that show how Wikipedia has quickly emerged as a media influencer. During a 14 month period (Jan. 03 - Mar. 04), according to the research, 113 Wikipedia articles were referred to by various news outlets.
There are several other interesting papers on the UT's International Symposium Web site as well. They can be found here.
