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 | This page in a nutshell: Cuckoo editing means inserting new content between an earlier statement and its supporting reference, thereby borrowing the earlier statement's legitimacy. |
Cuckoo editing refers (well, it does now!) to the practice of inserting unverifiable or false new content into an existing, referenced statement, thereby hijacking the existing statement's reference to provide legitimacy for the new content.
Cuckoo editing may be done in good faith, or maliciously. In either event, the inserted content cannot be verified from the inline citation that has now been hijacked. Nevertheless, it appears to be valid and properly supported. Cuckoo edits may therefore remain unnoticed within an article for much longer than might a simple, uncited addition, and thus mislead the reader for longer, too.