Fake Wikipedia Quote of Composer Maurice Jarre Makes Way Into Newspapers Worldwide

When you are explaining how to USE and NOT USE Wikipedia to classes this is a great example. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30699302/wid/11915829?GT1=40006

Newspapers across the planet published a quote that originated on Wikipedia, and attributed it to the Oscar winning composer Marcus Jarre. The quote was placed in his Obituary and newspapers in America, Great Britain, India, Australia, and numerous blogs published it. The pithy quote read:

One could say my life has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final Waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear.

The quote was created by 22 year old Sociology student Shane Fitzgerald. Shortly after Jarre's death, he published the quote on Wikipedia, and reporters picked up the quote, published it, and others copied their lead.

Administrators at Wikipedia removed the quote 3 times because of lack of attrbution, sometimes within minutes, sometimes within hours. But not quickly enough to prevent journalists from copying & pasting the quote.

In one of Fitzgerald's classes, they were studying how fast information traveled around the globe and how media outlets are increasingly relying on Internet sources to produce content for news. It's refreshing to see that professional journalists need to ask the question "Source?" in addition to our students...