Wikipedia falsely reports comedians death

Actor and comedian David Adkins, aka Sinbad, is alive and well despite claims to the contrary which appeared, disappeared and then reappeared on Wikipedia last week. An apparent hoaxer said that the comedian had died, something Adkins became aware of when his daughter gave him a call on Thursday.

The claim disappeared from Wikipedia, but then reappeared and Adkins says he began to receive a huge amount of telephone calls and emails from people who thought he was dead. "Saturday I rose from the dead and then died again," the Los Angeles-based entertainer told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

This highlights both the weaknesses of the open nature of Wikipedia, which has been open to similar abuse in the past ; and the dangers of people relying on it as an accurate source for information.

The comedians Wikipedia profile is currently locked to prevent further vandalism. On the discussion page of his profile Wikipedians are considering whether or not to mention the Wikipedia scandal in Adkins biography on the site, raising a Chicken or the Egg style question about the encyclopedia.