In my "50 content companies" posting on Wikipedia, I mentioned the power of wikis to keep up with breaking stories.
Today, from time to time, I have glanced at Wikipedia's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Again, I've been impressed. Without all the hype of CNN (I can do without the "Killer Hurricane Katrina" hype in bold type), the entries in wikipedia provide nearly up-to-the-minute, relevant information, better organized than that of the news sites. And while the news sites push the video versions of their content, most of us glancing at news during work prefer text.
Wikis aren't perfect. And, as noted in the headline of the Wikipedia entry for Katrina, readers should not decide whether to leave their shelter based upon the Wikipedia information. That being said, the information posted to the wiki is a comprehensive view of the Hurricane from a social, economic and humanitarian standpoint.
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