NEW YORK — Wikipedia, hoping to limit errors and vandals, is testing new restrictions on the editing of articles on the online encyclopedia.
Wikipedia is seeking a balance between credibility and openness.
While anyone can edit entries, the site is testing pages that require approval of changes by an experienced Wikipedia editor.
If users respond well to the test, the new restrictions will apply to all entries for living people in the next few weeks.
The idea is to block the kind of high-profile vandalism that has marred some pages.
In one of the most recent embarrassments, rogue editors declared that Democratic Sens. Robert Byrd and Edward Kennedy were dead.
Still, the proposed restrictions might discourage legitimate editing and thus limit timely updating and improvement of articles. That may be especially true on more obscure pages with fewer active volunteers to approve edits.
Wikipedia defines an "experienced editor" who can OK changes as a user who has been registered for a few days, said Jay Walsh, a spokesman for the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the site.
Wikipedia's original philosophy called for harnessing the collective knowledge of volunteer editors without any major restrictions.
Front Section, Pages 8 on 08/26/2009