Welcome to Wikinews

A nice cup of coffee for you while you get started

Getting started as a contributor
How to write an article
  1. Pick something current?
  2. Use two independent sources?
  3. Read your sources before writing the story in your own words?. Do choose a unique title? before you start.
  4. Follow Wikinews' structure? for articles, answering as many of who what when where why and how? as you can; summarised in a short, two- or three-sentence opening paragraph. Once complete, your article must be three or more paragraphs.
  5. If you need help, you can add {{helpme}} to your talkpage, along with a question, or alternatively, just ask?

  • Use this tab to enter your title and get a basic article template.
    [RECOMMENDED. Starts your article through the semi-automated {{develop}}—>{{review}}—>{{publish}} collaboration process.]

 Welcome! Thank you for joining Wikinews; we'd love for you to stick around and get more involved. To help you get started we have an essay that will guide you through the process of writing your first full article. There are many other things you can do on the project, but its lifeblood is new, current, stories written neutrally.
As you get more involved, you will need to look into key project policies and other discussions you can participate in; so, keep this message on this page and refer to the other links in it when you want to learn more, or have any problems.

Wikipedia's puzzle-globe logo, © Wikimedia Foundation
Wikipedia's puzzle-globe logo, © Wikimedia Foundation
  Used to contributing to Wikipedia? See here.
All Wikimedia projects have rules. Here are ours.

Listed here are the official policies of the project, you may be referred to some of them if your early attempts at writing articles don't follow them. Don't let this discourage you, we all had to start somewhere.

The rules and guides laid out here are intended to keep content to high standards and meet certain rules the Wikimedia Foundation applies to all projects. It may seem like a lot to read, but you do not have to go through it all in one sitting, or know them all before you can start contributing.

Remember, you should enjoy contributing to the project. If you're really stuck come chat with the regulars. There's usually someone in chat who will be happy to help, but they may not respond instantly.

The core policies
Places to go, people to meet

Wiki projects work because a sense of community forms around the project. Although writing news is far more individualistic than contributing to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, people often need minor help with things like spelling and copyediting. If a story isn't too old you might be able to expand it, or if it is disputed you may be able to find some more sources and rescue it before it is listed for deletion.

There are always discussions going on about how the site could be improved, and your input is of value. Check the links here to see where you can give input to the running of the Wikinews project.

Find help and get involved
Write your first article for Wikinews!

Use the following box to help you create your first article. Simply type in a title to your story and press "Create page". Then start typing text to your story into the new box that will come up. When you're done, press "save page". That's all there is to it!



It is recommended you read the article guide before starting. Also make sure to check the list of recently created articles to see if your story hasn't already been reported upon.


-- Wikinews Welcome (talk) 06:27, 18 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

Contributing

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Hi. You tagged your article with {{db-author}}, which is the template on Wikipedia for "author requests that this article be speedily deleted". I was surprised to see that. Is that what you intended? --Pi zero (talk) 11:55, 18 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

Publication

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Hi. A reminder: don't put the {{publish}} tag on an article you create on Wikinews. I recommend the article creation form at WN:WRITE. Our publication process is described as the first pillar at WN:PILLARS, and also at the start of WN:Article wizard (I rather like that one because it has a neat picture of the workflow). --Pi zero (talk) 12:38, 19 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

U.S state moves to ban child marriages

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Interesting story, but it is really short. Can you please add some more information?
acagastya 08:33, 21 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

11:58, 21 March 2017 (UTC) Thank you for your feedback. I will add more when I am available tomorrow.

Child bride concerns spark state inquiry in Australia

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To verify the news, we need two independent news sources. But for this article, there is only one news source listed. This would result in a failed review because it is not verifiable. Please find another news source and also note that wikinews is for the global audience. Not many people outside Australia know that NSW is actually New South Wales.
acagastya 10:37, 27 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

Thanks. I realise it isn't exactly global but an issue that is worth being written about. I've made sure to chance it to New South Wales andI have found another news source. Ferngirl (talk) 20:41, 27 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

I am not saying that local news is not allowed on wikinews, I am saying NSW is not known by many people, so avoid abbreviations, which are not so commonly used (like USA, UAE, UK, FIFA and NASA). Write "New South Wales (NSW)". Once you have mentioned it in the article, then you can use the abbreviation in the article.
acagastya 21:22, 27 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

Thanks! I'll make sure to change it and remember that in the future.

Ferngirl (talk) 22:56, 27 March 2017 (UTC)Reply

UoW student?

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Are you a UoW student? --Pi zero (talk) 19:01, 7 April 2017 (UTC)Reply

Yeah I am! Why do you ask? 49.181.162.128 (talk) 22:11, 7 April 2017 (UTC)Reply

Well, as a matter of project bookkeeping, we try (though not always successfully) to put a template on the user talk page of each UoW student. I meant to start doing that when student accounts started appearing for this semester, but didn't get to it. So I'm belatedly trying to deal with it now. --Pi zero (talk) 22:22, 7 April 2017 (UTC)Reply