Tamsin, you are not comparing like with like.

Wikipedia should be compared with an encylopedia where the articles are written by experts in the area, then edited by professional editors whose reputation depends on making sure that the facts in the entries are correct.

Wikipedia contains thousands and thousands of incorrect facts.

One tiny example was the entry for the classic English crime novel, "Get Carter" the Wikipedia entry for which gave the wrong name of the town where the action took place. I checked it with the book open in front of me.

People look up encyclopedias to check these kinds of facts, but nothing in Wikipedia can be relied on for accuracy.