Glaring errors jostle quiet omissions. [Founder Jimmy] Wales, in his public speeches, cites the Google test: ‘If it isn’t on Google, it doesn’t exist. This position poses another difficulty: on Wikipedia, the present takes precedent over the past. The (generally good) entry on St. Augustine is shorter than the one on Britney Spears. … Wikipedia remains a lumpy work in progress.

Here’s what the Encyclopædia Britannica’s president, Jorge Cauz, has to say about its competitor: “Wikipedia is to Britannica as ‘American Idol’ is to the Juillard School.” Wikipedia’s founder Wales counters, “Wikipedia is to Britannica as rock and roll is to easy listening. It may not be as smooth, but it scares the parents and is a lot smarter in the end.”

The last WØRD goes to Colbert, whose word last night was “wikiality,” which is a lot like truthiness.

Colbert applauded Wikipedia for subjecting facts to majority rule. “What we’re doing is bringing democracy to knowledge,” he said. He closed by encouraging viewers to take the truth into their own hands and talk back to environmentalists.“Find the page on elephants in Wikipedia," he said, "and create an entry that says the number of elephants has tripled in the last six months.”

This morning, the entry on elephants carried a note at the top: “Because of recent vandalism or other disruption, editing of this article by anonymous or newly registered users is disabled (see semi-protection policy).”