But Edward C. Papenfuse, the state archivist and a Wikipedia fan, called Anderson's General Assembly initiative "an extraordinarily noble goal and one definitely worth encouraging."
As a former journalist, Anderson says he well understands the importance of objectivity. But he argues that the public benefit of having easily accessible information about lawmakers outweighs the risk that his involvement taints the site's neutrality.
"I'm not a totally neutral editor," Anderson concedes. But that doesn't mean he necessarily shies away from posting unflattering content about fellow Democrats.
Last year, Anderson said he ran afoul of House Speaker Michael E. Busch's office when he documented a pro-slots shift in the presiding officer's policy position. Anderson is opposed to legalized slot machine gambling in Maryland.
He said someone from Busch's office "took out" his slots passage on the speaker's page. Anderson could have put the passage back in, but he decided not to, he said.
For his part, Busch says he was unaware he even had a Wikipedia profile. Viewing his page for the first time last week, Busch said he was not interested in beefing up his own page, which remains considerably less detailed than Anderson's.
That's not an atypical reaction from Annapolis lawmakers, many of whom greet Anderson's project with bemusement.
"I'm on Wikipedia?" said Sen. Brian E. Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat. "Woohoo."
Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Baltimore County Republican who regularly debates with Anderson on a morning television show, joked that he would have to be more vigilant about changes to his Wikipedia profile.
"I have been hitting him pretty hard these last few weeks," McDonough said. "He may have some evil things up there now."
No, the only change Anderson has made to McDonough's page recently is adding a head shot in November. Anderson's goal for the remaining days in the current session is to photograph and post pictures of all legislators to Wikipedia. He has about 20 senators remaining, he said.
Now that virtually all the players in the General Assembly have Wikipedia homes, Anderson said he is spending less time as an editor and more as a reader.
"Like any new toy it kind of loses its shine after a while," he said.
gadi.dechter@baltsun.com
