Wikipedia told Philip Roth he’s not “credible source” on book he wrote | Ars Technica

Sign of the times

“Roth's complaint was detailed by Roth himself today in "An open letter to Wikipedia" published by The New Yorker (a sister publication of Ars). Roth tried to fix the error that his novel was "allegedly inspired by the life of the writer Anatole Broyard.” In reality, Roth explains, the book's story was inspired by an event in the life of Roth's friend, Princeton professor Melvin Tumin. Tumin was trying to track down a couple of students who had never attended class, and asked if they were "spooks." The two students were black, leading to accusations of racism against Tumin.

When Roth tried to give Wikipedia the true origins of the novel, he says he was told by a Wikipedia administrator on Aug. 26 "that I, Roth, was not a credible source."

“I understand your point that the author is the greatest authority on their own work, but we require secondary sources," were the exact words of the Wikipedia administrator, according to Roth.”

Wikipedia told Philip Roth he’s not “credible source” on book he wrote | Ars Technica