What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You

[Commentary] The digital tsunami that swept over the Capitol last month, forcing Congress to set aside legislation to combat the online piracy of American music, movies, books and other creative works, raised questions about how the democratic process functions in the digital age. At the 11th hour, a flood of e-mails and phone calls to Congress stopped the Protect Intellectual Property Act (or PIPA) in its tracks. Was this the result of democracy, or demagoguery? Misinformation may be a dirty trick, but it works. Apparently, Wikipedia and Google don’t recognize the ethical boundary between the neutral reporting of information and the presentation of editorial opinion as fact.

[Sherman is chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents music labels.]