Maeganreinhardt’s Blog

Wikinews and Digg are both Internet sources that rely on user input and feedback to further their goal of providing reliable, relevant information to users. Though both value the opinions of their readers, each encourages user participation on different levels.

Wikinews aims to be an avenue for neutral, unbiased news by examining view points from all relevant sides. The site’s creators and users aspire to maintain this reliability by encouraging contributors to cite their sources and maintain neutrality. The site has a simple interface that is easy to learn and use. Once you become a registered user, you can submit and edit articles in a similar process to that of Wikipedia.

Wikinews designates two types of articles: synthesis and original reporting. The synthesis articles draw on already published stories, while original stories are contributed by users with firsthand experience. The site actively discourages any opinionated commentaries, advising users “if you want to tell the world what you think, try blogging.” There is an “Opinion” section for those who wish to participate in discussions about news stories.

While Wikinews is created purely for the sake of compiling an impartial account of current events articles, Digg does not attempt to influence the contributions or feedback from its users. Digg’s main goal is to employ user opinion to determine the value of a given entry. It functions by allowing members to post pieces they find interesting.

Unlike Wikinews, Digg is not restricted to impartial news articles; users can post commentaries and Youtube videos as well. Members can rate these entries with a “Digg” or “Bury”. Digg” indicates a favorable opinion; the objects with the highest number of “Diggs” are put on the main page. “Bury” indicates something you find objectionable; pieces with significant “Bury” feedback alert the site’s managers who may decide to remove the entry.

Between Wikinews and Digg, Digg seems much more useful in a news search. Though its main page is not devoted to stories that are considered more traditionally news (politics, government, the economy, scientific advancements, etc.), these stories are easily accessible. There are category tabs for technology, business, and entertainment; you can also search all entries using the search bar. Wikinews is heavily edited in order to maintain a level of impartiality, which is admirable; however, the articles on Digg are all pre-published from presumably reliable sources. Though an individual article might fall short on impartiality, a variety of articles discussing the same subject will likely provide enough different view points for the reader to understand differing perspective.