Author of Wikipedia character assassination takes responsibility
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Sunday, December 11, 2005
Brian Chase, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee, hand-delivered a letter to the offices of John Seigenthaler Sr. in which he admits responsibility for false information he anonymously posted in a Wikipedia article. Initially a prank played on a friend, the false story claimed that Seigenthaler was a suspect in the assassination of President Kennedy.
The fake biography made rounds in the media after Seigenthaler discovered and denounced it in a USA Today op-ed article titled "A false Wikipedia 'biography'". A known free speech advocate, Seigenthaler refused to press charges. He recommended that Chase be re-hired for the job he was forced to quit when reporters, following leads from ad-hoc cyber detective Daniel Brandt, 57, of San Antonio, Texas, started calling the offices of his employer.
Sources
- Katharine Q. Seelye "Wikipedia prankster confesses". The Seattle Times, December 11, 2005
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