Tag Archives: #Wikipedia

Black Dahlia: How to Read a Story on the Murder of Elizabeth Short, and the Traps That Await Unwary Writers

Posted on January 14, 2023 by lmharnisch

Oxygen posted a story for the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s murder, so I thought I would go through it and point out the sorts of errors that writers usually make. Christina Coulter falls into many of the traps that await … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Black Dahlia: Jacob Edward Fisk, Victim of Long-Running Wikipedia Prank

Posted on August 25, 2020 by lmharnisch

I decided to randomly surf Wikipedia this morning and I’m never disappointed with how bad it is. Example: Some bozo has restored Jacob Edward Fisk as a “suspect” in the Black Dahlia case. Fisk’s name was added as a prank … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: ‘Suspect’ Dr. Adam Fairall — Another Wikipedia Prank

Posted on July 15, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here we have a purported list of “Black Dahlia Suspects” from Wikipedia. At least as it was of May 20, 2019. Wikipedia, being Wikipedia, this could change at any moment. This list is allegedly the 25 suspects named by Lt. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Now on Wikipedia — Hodel vs. Hodel Family Feud!

Posted on May 13, 2019 by lmharnisch

OK, I admit it. I love that this is happening. This is Steve Hodel vs. Fauna Hodel’s daughter Rasha Pecoraro on the question of the Hodel family DNA and whether it shows that George Hodel was Fauna Hodel’s father. (Spoiler … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Black Dahlia: Caught in the Act – Steve Hodel Adds Lies to George Hodel’s Wikipedia Page

Posted on February 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

So I just caught Steve Hodel inserting a nice, fat lie in his dad’s Wikipedia page. Oh this is so much fun!

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Television, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Black Dahlia: Wikipedia, George Hodel and ‘I Am the Night’

Posted on January 31, 2019 by lmharnisch

If you’re watching “I Am the Night”  on TNT, you may be tempted to read the Wikipedia entry on “evil” Dr. George Hodel. Here are a few warnings:

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Black Dahlia: Are There Any Good Black Dahlia Sites on the Internet? Part 2

Posted on January 12, 2019 by lmharnisch

John Gilmore’s “Severed” was once the most popular book on the Black Dahlia case, although it was eclipsed by Steve Hodel’s seemingly endless series of “Black Dahlia Avenger” books. You may Google “Black Dahlia” while you’re watching “I Am the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Crackpot Theory of the Day

Posted on November 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Every so often, my curiosity gets the better of me and I venture out on the Internet to take the pulse of Black Dahlia theories.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Reddit, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wikipedia: A Fact-Checker’s Shooting Gallery

Posted on October 8, 2015 by lmharnisch

Well, it works for me. I wanted a quick answer to the date of Aaron Copland’s “El Salon Mexico,” and sure enough, at the top of the Google search there was my old nemesis Wikipedia. I usually exclude Wikipedia from … Continue reading →

Posted in Wikipedia | Tagged | 3 Comments

Can Wikipedia Survive? Oh, I Hope Not

Posted on June 21, 2015 by lmharnisch

Behind the boosterism of this opinion piece by Andrew Lih in the New York Times (“it is by far the world’s most popular reference site” – notice that he doesn’t call it the world’s most accurate reference site) are some … Continue reading →

Posted in Another Good Story Ruined, Wikipedia | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Black Dahlia: Wikipedia Fail

Posted on January 17, 2015 by lmharnisch

Here is what’s wrong with Wikipedia: “The Black Dahlia” was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short … Short acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly lurid. FAIL. Elizabeth Short was nicknamed the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Wikipedia Strikes Again: Madison Bumgarner Edition

Posted on October 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

This entry on Madison Bumgarner has been fixed. But that it happened at all illustrates one of the main weaknesses of Wikipedia, which can be edited by anyone. Via Romenesko. The apparent vandal, 70.121.231.64, can be geolocated to either Kansas … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports, Wikipedia | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wikipedia vs. Joe Streater

Posted on October 11, 2014 by lmharnisch

Thanks to Earl Boebert for pointing us to this one. From Awfulannouncing.com: For years, [Joe] Streater has been falsely linked with one of the greatest scandals in the history of college sports. Streater was 100% not involved in the point … Continue reading →

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The ‘Decline’ of Wikipedia

Posted on November 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

A world without Wikipedia? Sounds good to me. Tom Simonite in the MIT Technology Review looks at the “decline” of Wikipedia (that would, of course, assume that it was ever worth anything). Yet Wikipedia and its stated ambition to “compile … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Wikipedia | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 15

Posted on June 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 28, 1937: Betty Braun Healy meets with Dist. Atty. Buron Fitts over her allegations about the death of Ted Healy. At the conclusion of the conference, she agreed that Healy had died of natural causes. (Los Angeles Examiner, Dec. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, History, Hollywood, Nightclubs, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 14

Posted on June 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 28, 1937: Dist. Atty. Buron Fitts has a conference with Betty Braun Healy and her attorney to answer her allegations about Ted Healy’s death. (Los Angeles Herald-Express) In case you just tuned in, we are nearing the end of … Continue reading →

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The Death of Ted Healy — Part 13

Posted on June 19, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 24. 1937: Betty Braun Healy disputes the autopsy results in the death of Ted Healy. In case you just tuned in, we are nearing the end of a long journey that began in April, when I stumbled across a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 12

Posted on June 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 23, 1937: Ted Healy’s funeral, as reported in the Daily News. In case you just tuned in, we are nearing the end of a long journey that began in April, when I stumbled across a Wikipedia entry claiming that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 11

Posted on June 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 25, 1937: Ted Healy “never learned to save money.” (Los Angeles Examiner) In case you just tuned in, we are nearing the end of a long journey that began in April, when I stumbled across a Wikipedia entry claiming … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Death of Ted Healy — Part 10

Posted on June 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Dec. 22, 1937: Ted Healy in the Los Angeles County morgue, photographed by the Daily News. In case you just tuned in, we are nearing the end of a long journey that began in April, when I stumbled across a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Film, Hollywood, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments