Wikipedia founder honoured for services to academia but critics complain his site promotes 'intellectual laziness' - Telegraph

Wikipedia founder honoured for services to academia but critics complain his site promotes 'intellectual laziness'

Camilla Turner, education editor

27 SEPTEMBER 2017 • 12:01AM

Since its beginnings over a century ago, the British Academy has boasted some of the country’s most eminent professors and scholars among its fellows.

But now the organisation has been condemned for its decision to honour the founder of Wikipedia for his services to academia, as critics say that his site promotes “intellectual laziness”.

Jimmy Wales will be awarded a President’s Medal on Wednesday night by the British Academy at a ceremony in central London, for his “outstanding service” to humanities and social sciences.

Professor Sir David Cannadine, President of the British Academy, who hosted the ceremony, said the prize winners were “an outstanding group” who have “blazed new trails through their disciplines, shown dedication of the highest order and, through their work, furthered understanding of what it means to be human”.

Mr Wales’ honour was for “facilitating the spread of information via his work creating and developing Wikipedia, the world’s largest free online encyclopaedia”.

But Chris McGovern, a former Government adviser and chair of the Campaign for Real Education, said that the award represents the “dumbing down” of academia.

He said it is “very surprising” that a “reputable academic organisation” has made this award. “The problem with Wikipedia is that its entries can be exceptionally misleading,” he said.

“Wikipedia has benefits but a reliance on it is likely to dilute and undermine serious academic study. It actually has promoted a considerable amount of intellectual laziness.”

It actually has promoted a considerable amount of intellectual laziness

However, David Palfreyman, the director Director of the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, said he “applauds” the British Academy for making the award.

“My guess is that it is getting steadily more respectable and accurate,” he said. “The reality that today's students are the Wiki generation, and will resort to it whatever academics preach.

Anna Vignoles, a professor of education at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of the British Academy, said: “Communication is increasingly important so I guess it is natural to think about different ways about evidence gets into the public domain. The value of communication is increasing, social media and the internet are central to that.”

Mr Wales said it is “truly an honour” to receive the award. “My work has always been about democratising knowledge and empowering people to use that knowledge,” he added.

The British Academy, which was set up in 1902 by royal charter, and receives millions of pounds in public funding.