PolitiCal

March 8, 2010 | 4:51 pm

A group of Democrats seeking to derail Meg Whitman’s candidacy for governor has created an Internet site where people can dish dirt on the former EBay chief – as long as it is factual and well-sourced, the creators say.

The website, www.wikimeg.com, created by a group called Level the Playing Field 2010, is modeled after Wikipedia, where users can contribute their own information. But it offers an alternative to Whitman’s entry in that forum. “The Wikipedia page, if you look at it, reads like propaganda from an Eastern Bloc country 20 years ago,” said Ace Smith, a Democratic consultant who has previously worked with Jerry Brown, the presumed Democratic nominee for governor.

The site’s founders say it is meant to encourage transparency – “to promote the civic discourse,” said communications strategist Chris Lehane – and reveal information about Whitman’s taxes, her use of a corporate jet and her actions at EBay.

“We are looking at this as a great experiment in digital democracy,” Lehane said.

In response, Whitman’s campaign issued a statement from its intern, Marcheta Marshall, a Stanford freshman who said her title is “Director, responses to silly media stunts by underfunded Team Brown front groups.” The statement said:

“Looks like these guys are pretty worried about Meg. Just like Wikipedia, I’m sure my professors won’t even allow me to use it as a source for my term papers. So why does Jerry Brown’s silly front group think it’s good enough for voters? I know reporters won’t be fooled into promoting made-up information on a gossip site.”

To read entire story, click here.