Have you got your Wiki Barnstar badge yet?

Everyone has or will used Wikipedia at some point. It is used for word definitions, home work, referencing, general information. Everything is on Wikipedia, so why shouldn't we use it?
The English Wikipedia page was founded in 2001 and has gained 4 million articles since. It originally was set up as a free encyclopedia, open to anyone to edit or delete the articles to what they want or how they think it should be. Jimbo Wales the co-founder and promoter of Wikipedia was the first edit to the pages in 2001. 
Linking with the open access blog previously, it shows that it is free and anyone is able to access the information however, anyone is also allowed to edit the information causing it to be inaccurate information. 

Each contributor has their own page of their edits, and Wikipedia rewards them with 'Barnstars'. They are badges to place on their pages to show their hard work. It can be pictured as giving Scouts their camping badges for doing the ironing, putting up a tent, and first aid. Although it is easy to joke about these, it is taken seriously and people are proud of their accomplishments in contributing to Wikipedia. There are so many types of Barnstars available ;
The original, Random acts of kindness, Surreal, Anti-Vandalism, Anti-flame, Philosophy
...And so many more

"We do not expect you to trust us" - Wikipedia 

However, Wikipedia not being fact has relevance to Journalism. Not all the information a journalist is given is accurate, it could be manipulated, incorrect, a lie, we can never be sure on whether or not someone is truly being honest. Hope is the only answer.

So do we trust our old friend Wiki?
From the way it is available to be edited we shouldn't but it has become such a huge part of researching it would be difficult to change our ways all for the fact it may have been slightly tweaked. We just have to hope that it is true, a valid or else school kids will probably fail their homework assignments. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.brisbanegrammar.com/blogs/library/?p=290

Anytime, anywhere, open access!

Searching the internet for academic publishing, and peer-reviewed scholarly journals has never been easier with the unrestricted access provided online. Authors publish their work online allowing access for everyone and anyone to read it, costing nothing. Authors get paid by research funders to do research, therefore publishing their articles gets used quicker and it can reduce publication delays. However, is giving your work out to the world for everyone to see, a good idea?

Schools would not agree to free work online, for students were not working to their potential best as they had got it from some one else. It could be argued as that open access is harmful, almost along the same pathway as theft. We would not actually be paying for someone else's stuff so is that stealing? Arguably, those who are not academic scholar should not be able to have access to the publishing's for it is not necessarily needed.

However, as a journalist it is quite good to read articles and other input on particular topics, without plagiarism- of course. If the work online is free it is quite useful for a normal cost for particular journals or articles is far more than what people would want to pay. Especially university students who'd rather spend their money partying than buying books they could easily get for free. Bargain?

The open access movement mentions articles and journals however it could be seen as piracy of films, TV shows, and music? We can download music online for free, watch our favourite shows and films online by streaming. Only particular websites allow this to happen however, somehow it will happen. Lime-wire was used to download music illegally, with no funds but eventually was banned, will this happen to all open access sites? 

If work is out there for us to read, it is not illegal and not copyrighted then surely it is not going to cause harm. The illegal and piracy issues is a criminal act, and always known and spoken about but will it ever change? besides we are only human who doesn't want a freebie?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access
http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm