By: Joe Strupp In what may be the city of angels' most publicized goof since losing Shaquille O'Neal, the Los Angeles Times recently committed a technical foul of All-Star proportions.
Seeking to shake up its editorial pages, the paper launched its first online "wikitorial," which allowed readers to rewrite editorials and post opinions. Based on the popular "Wikipedia" Web site, the feature began June 17 as a "constantly evolving collaboration among readers in a communal search for truth."
What they got instead was an online mess. Within hours of the launch, someone had placed a profane, anti-American headline across several pages, while another vandal days later posted pornographic images. At one point, the original "wikitorial" was split in two by readers.
After two days, editors hastily shut it down, but not without trying to positively spin the blunder. "It was a very interesting experiment," Deputy Editorial Page Editor Michael Newman declared, until some "less high-minded people started screwing around."
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