NPR cautions about Wikipedia

Wikipedia's Growth Comes with Concerns

NPR's Laura Sydell's comments provide the Research Blog this opportunity to revisit this resource.

Some info about Wikipedia -

1) It is a user-written encyclopaedia.
2) Anyone can edit or change any submission.
3) An unnamed co-founder - no longer associated - complained about its uneven reliability.
4) An unnamed "former editor" of Encyclopaedia Britannica called it "no more trustworthy than 'a public restroom'".
5) "Wikipedians" hail the project as a model of democratized information.
6) Wikipedia offers this disclaimer: "General disclaimer - Use Wikipedia at your own risk!" and "Essentially all articles are written primarily or solely by individuals who are not subject matter experts, and may lack academic credentials in the area."
7) Some member of the press have cited it.

Therefore: it is really mandatory that one independently confirm any piece of information found there.

A more authoritative option is Britannica Online. Login and password can be found on the Research Web.