sourceless en · ADJ
Etymology
From source + -less.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Without a source.
Wikipedia-derived factoids can be so important that there is a well-known feedback loop, called citogenesis, in which the mainstream news finds some claim made in a Wikipedia article, and publishes it (without citing Wikipedia). Then Wikipedia itself makes use of the news article. By means of this loop, an ultimately “sourceless” factoid gains a spurious authority.
2025 September 30, Larry Sanger, “6. Reveal who Wikipedia’s leaders are.”, in larrysanger.org: