【Violet (2025)】

Jimmy Wales,Violet (2025) one of the minds behind the internet's cheat sheet, Wikipedia, has launched a new, unaffiliated website called the WikiTribune.

On the site's opening video message, Wales adjusts his glasses and tosses out the site's lofty ambition: "The news is broken, but we've figured out how to fix it."

SEE ALSO: Wikipedia stats reveal how our collective memory works

Oh really, Mr. Wales? Well, before we even got to look at the site, it turns out that someone made a miscalculation, because at around 8:30 p.m. ET, the site was totally down. Yes, it came up not long after, but the launch day hiccup was a freshman reminder that "fixing the news" isn't as easy as some think it is.

After taking a couple of potshots at traditional news media and lumping it in with social media, Wales presents his vision of "rethinking" the news by pairing professional journalists with community members to produce and verify news stories that are supported by subscribers. Included in the business model are the claims of no advertising and no paywall, with stories updated as facts come in and are vetted by the site's community. Basically, Wikipedia for news.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Although the first reaction from some seasoned media veterans may be to dismiss the idea, it's important to remember that even though sourcing facts from Wikipedia is still considered a no-no by professionals, many people use it for that exact purpose anyway.

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The site's advisors include veteran journalist and journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, actress Lily Cole, and former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, who started Truemors, a site that let users post news and have it rated by other users.

Currently, WikiTribune's 30-day crowdfunding goal is focused on hiring 10 journalists, with the lowest subscription tier starting at $10 on up to any amount someone decides to pay.

Crowdsourcing news has been tried in the past, but the difference here is that the "Wiki" branding along with Wales' involvement may give the venture some traction with contributors and readers who are already familiar with Wikipedia as a resource.

Still, Wikipedia's reputation as a place where inaccurate information often lingers on an important topic page may trump Wales' pledge to harness the model to serve readers solid news. Simply put, the Wikipedia model -- even with professional journalists and community members looking over the stories -- may not be enough to vet potentially inaccurate stories before those stories go viral and spread incorrect information.

We're sure to see a bunch of hot takes in the coming days regarding WikiTribune's chances, but we'll only have to wait a few weeks to find out just how much people do or don't want a Wikipedia for news.

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