The Daily Mail, a leading conservative British tabloid, has a storied history of scaremongering, warmongering, gossipmongering, stereotyping, and even supporting fascism. In the pre-internet era, it was mostly Britain's problem. But over the past decade, the Mail's online organ has metastasized into one of the world's largest news sources, covering dubious, salacious, and sensational stories wherever it finds them—with relatively little original reporting, accountability, or regard for accuracy. Its vast readership reminds us that popularity and credibility don't necessarily go hand-in-hand, especially on the internet.
On Wednesday, the volunteer editors of Wikipedia took a rare and widely lauded stand: They decided by consensus to “generally prohibit” the Mail's use as a source in the online encyclopedia's articles.
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