Wikinews:What Wikinews is not - Wikinews, the free news source
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This page is considered a
guideline
on
Wikinews
It is widely accepted among editors and considered a standard that all users
should
follow. However, it is not cast in stone, should be treated with common sense, and
occasional exceptions
are expected. Edits should reflect community consensus and best-practice. When in doubt, discuss first on the
talk page
Shortcut:
WN:NOT
Policies and Guidelines
Neutral point of view
Content guide
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Ignore all rules
Administrators
For Wikipedians
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Avoid weasel words
Blocking
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CheckUsers
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Speedy deletion
Don't disrupt Wikinews
to illustrate a point
Fair use
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Newsworthiness
Oversight
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Reviewing
Three reverts
Username
Etiquette
Wikinews
is
an online
news
source and, as a means to that end, also an
online community
. Therefore, there are certain things that Wikinews is
not
What Wikinews is not
Wikinews is
not paper
. Thus, Wikinews has no size limits, can include links, can be more timely, etc. It also means that the style and length of writing appropriate for paper may not be appropriate here.
Wikinews is not a
soapbox, chatroom, or discussion forum
. However, we do allow some polite discussion of the topic of the news articles on
opinion
pages.
ikinews is neither a
mirror
nor a
repository of links, images, or media files
. All content added to Wikinews may be edited mercilessly to be included on the site. By submitting any content, you agree to release it into
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
(however, Wikinews does incorporate many images and some text which is licensed under a more restrictive license into its public domain and CC-BY articles).
Wikinews is
not a free wiki host or webspace provider
. You may not host your own website or blog at Wikinews. If you are interested in using the
wiki
technology for a collaborative effort on anything other than writing journalistic news articles, even if it is just a single page, there are many sites (such as
WikiDot.com
or
Miraheze
) that provide wiki hosting (free or for money). You can even install wiki software on your server. Or you can refer
here
for a list of web hosts.
Wikinews is
not a theater of war
. Every user is expected to interact with others
civilly
calmly
, and in a spirit of cooperation. Do not
insult
, harass or intimidate those with whom you have a disagreement. Rather, approach the matter in an intelligent manner, and engage in polite discussion. Do not create or edit articles
just to prove a point
. Do not make
legal
or other threats against the Wikinews project, Wikinewsies, or the Wikimedia Foundation. Threats are not tolerated and may result in a
block
Wikinews is
not an encyclopedia
; that is, it is not an in-depth collection of non-newsworthy information. Just because something is a true fact doesn't mean it is suitable for inclusion here. Try
Wikipedia
instead.
Wikinews is
not
censored
for the 'protection of minors'.
Community consensus is never to censor content that may be considered objectionable.
Wikinews is
not a dumping ground for failed Wikipedia articles
. Just because it got deleted from Wikipedia doesn't mean it's likely to be better received here, especially if the original article was not
neutrally written
, had no sources, and had nothing to do with current affairs.
Wikinews is not Wikipedia
or any other project; it is a unique and distinct project with its own policies and processes.
What Wikinews articles are not
When you wonder what should or should not be in an article named "whatever", ask yourself what a reader would expect under "whatever"
from a trusted
news
provider
. There is consensus that Wikinews articles are not:
Wikinews articles are not
press releases
. There are a variety of press release aggregators who provide this service; check the
Reference desk
(or try
News sources on Wikipedia
) for links to some of them. Wikinews articles address the
5 Ws and H
where possible, and attempt to present newsworthy articles which are balanced and have multiple sources, which press releases by definition do not.
Wikinews articles are not
source documents
. Our sister project
Wikisource
is a repository for static documents; articles on Wikinews can and should be edited ruthlessly which would be inappropriate treatment for a source document. Also, many news-related source documents are copyrighted — verbatim copying of a source document could not reasonably be considered "
fair use
".
Wikinews articles are not
advertisements
. Especially, they are not political advertisements. Excluding opinion columns, which are currently not allowed, an exclusively one-sided article, either pro- or con- the subject of the article, is a form of advertisement.
Wikinews articles are not
scientific papers
or critiques of same. Articles might review or synopsize science, but must be written to be read by a wider, lay audience than that of a science journal — use of jargon must be limited and qualified.
Wikinews articles are not
encyclopedic articles
. Each article relates a specific event in time and all further edits should be to provide more information on that specific event in time or correct mistakes in the article. If the information is on a breaking news story it should most likely be included in the article for that story, however if it is a breaking development in even a day-old story, it most likely belongs in a new article. For instance, criminal cases often last months or even years, but events in the case should not be included in one article but articles on each separate event as it happens.
Wikinews articles are not
editorials
. Articles should restrict themselves to reporting news and not commenting on the news or newsmakers.
Possible measures in response to violations of these rules
Changing the content of an article (normal editing)
Changing the page into a redirect, preserving the page history
Deleting the page altogether if it meets grounds for such action after discussion on the
Wikinews:Deletion requests
page.
Changing the rules on this page (of course only when a consensus has been reached following appropriate discussion with other Wikinewsies)
See also
Wikinews:What Wikinews is
Wikinews:Content guide
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