The Colbert Report (pronounced “kohl-BAIR rih-por”) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005 to December 18, 2014 for 1,447 episodes. The show focused on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a “well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot”, is a caricature of televised political pundits. The show’s writing was grounded in improvisation, and often lampooned current events stories. The Colbert Report saw immediate critical and ratings successes, leading to various awards, including two prestigious Peabody Awards. (More from Wikipedia)
My interest in Wikipedia was piqued by several stunts fomented by Stephen Colbert on his show The Colbert Report. In one famous incident, “The Wørd” on July 31, 2006 was “Wikiality”; Colbert explained that on Wikipedia, "any user can change any entry, and if enough users agree with them, it becomes true.” He then encouraged his viewers to modify the Wikipedia entry on “elephants” to state: “Elephant population in Africa has tripled over the past six months”. The changes mounted by the “Colbert nation” spread to other pachyderm-related articles: African forest elephant, African bush elephant, Babar the elephant, white elephant, Dumbo, etc.
I remember another time when Stephen Colbert changed a Wikipedia entry on camera during The Colbert Report so as to fit his worldview – that is to say, the worldview of his buffoonish character “Stephen Colbert” who hosts the show; he is a different person from the actual human being.
