Matt C. Abbott
Wikipedia contains baseless claim about slain priest
By Matt C. Abbott
Wikipedia is a mixed bag, for sure. Entries must always be scrutinized for accuracy. Disputes arise over use of certain news sources. Edits can be made, re-edits can be made, and users/editors (who can be anyone) can be blocked.
I'm not a Wikipedia user/editor, nor do I want to be.
On the page about the late Father Alfred Kunz, whose 1998 murder remains unsolved, a user/editor wrote: "Some locals believe, knowing the personality of Mr. Kunz [sic], that he was possibly murdered by a local who knew he had molested one of his male students at St. Michael's."
The user/editor cites a 2009 story from The Capital Times that contains no such claim. In other words, the user/editor fabricated the claim and made it appear that it comes from a legitimate news source.
I brought this to the attention of Lt. Kerry Porter of the Dane County Sheriff's Office, who responded: "As you are probably aware, there is no evidence to support the claim made concerning molestation."
Another Catholic writer commented: "That edit was most likely made with malice."
The rest of the Wikipedia entry on Father Kunz contains enough outdated information that it should either be deleted or significantly revised and updated.
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran an in-depth podcast series on the case. Click here to read and listen to the materials. It's quite interesting – and, most importantly, features well-researched and accurate information.
Update as of May 22, 2019:
Since this column was published, the baseless claim has been deleted from the Wikipedia entry. I'll continue to monitor the entry for inaccurate information.
© Matt C. Abbott
May 20, 2019
Wikipedia is a mixed bag, for sure. Entries must always be scrutinized for accuracy. Disputes arise over use of certain news sources. Edits can be made, re-edits can be made, and users/editors (who can be anyone) can be blocked.
I'm not a Wikipedia user/editor, nor do I want to be.
On the page about the late Father Alfred Kunz, whose 1998 murder remains unsolved, a user/editor wrote: "Some locals believe, knowing the personality of Mr. Kunz [sic], that he was possibly murdered by a local who knew he had molested one of his male students at St. Michael's."
The user/editor cites a 2009 story from The Capital Times that contains no such claim. In other words, the user/editor fabricated the claim and made it appear that it comes from a legitimate news source.
I brought this to the attention of Lt. Kerry Porter of the Dane County Sheriff's Office, who responded: "As you are probably aware, there is no evidence to support the claim made concerning molestation."
Another Catholic writer commented: "That edit was most likely made with malice."
The rest of the Wikipedia entry on Father Kunz contains enough outdated information that it should either be deleted or significantly revised and updated.
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran an in-depth podcast series on the case. Click here to read and listen to the materials. It's quite interesting – and, most importantly, features well-researched and accurate information.
Update as of May 22, 2019:
Since this column was published, the baseless claim has been deleted from the Wikipedia entry. I'll continue to monitor the entry for inaccurate information.
© Matt C. Abbott
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
