Wikipedia, which is to reference materials what Amy Winehouse is to singing gigs, is about to introduce color-coding to its three million entries. According to a report at Wired.com:
Starting this fall, you’ll have a new reason to trust the information you find on Wikipedia: An optional feature called “WikiTrust” will color code every word of the encyclopedia based on the reliability of its author and the length of time it has persisted on the page.
Some might think that’s almost as credible as the Bush administration’s color-coded threat level system, but WikiTrust claims to be decidedly more discerning:
Text from questionable sources starts out with a bright orange background, while text from trusted authors gets a lighter shade. As more people view and edit the new text, it gradually gains more “trust” and turns from orange to white.
Sounds like a Concept with a Capital K, guaranteed to dislocate your brain in short order.
Which, of course, plays right into Wikipedia’s hands.
Campaign Outsider 
“Some might think that’s almost as credible as the Bush administration’s color-coded threat level system…”
Somehow, having an algorithm (even one that apparently the nazis will mess with) makes me sleep better than having “no published criteria for the [color-coded] threat levels” (see wikipedia, and maybe check out “begging the question” while you’re there).
I think the real question is: once this is in place, will anyone who goes to wikipedia as a reference really look for alternative sources if they find a bright orange page?