Welcome to Wikinews

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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.

Tempodivalse [talk] 14:27, 28 May 2009 (UTC)Reply

Scotland Yard protest

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Hi, I've just looked at your Scotland Yard article. Unfortunately it's too old to run as news, unless you can update it with more facts from the past 2-3 days...it's too bad, it's a good article. Thanks. --Killing Vector (talk) 21:52, 28 May 2009 (UTC)Reply

If you only obtained the information yesterday that's fine. But, we'd prefer it if your original research notes were more complete.
Any original research that you can publicly put online safely should go on the article's collaboration page. Anything you'd prefer was shared only among Wikinews reporters can be e-mailed to scoop@wikinewsie.org. Anything that you only want to share with a few trusted Wikinews accredited reporters can go to whichever ones you know best; I'm on edmund.schluessel@wikinewsie.org.
You don't have to break anyone's confidence but we have to find a way to balance anonymity with verifiability of sources...you've taken on quite an article for your first story. Once you've got a few under your belt you can apply for accreditation.
One final note, Wiki markup means you don't have to include HTML tags. Check out W:Wikipedia:How to edit a page for instructions on basic markup. --Killing Vector (talk) 10:53, 29 May 2009 (UTC)Reply
I've done some cleanup & editing on the article but there are three points I'd like to raise. One is that your photo Image:UPLOAD_UCAPV_RALLY_NSY.jpg has conflicting permissions. In one place you list it as CC-BY-SA-3.0, our preferred license, but in the permissions box you have them as CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0. Non-commercial and non-distribute Creative Commons work can't be used by Wikinews, so if you'd like the photo to go into the article you'll have to drop that license. Secondly, your paragraph beginning "As the speeches ended, activists set up a sound system...", I'm not sure where you're going with that. Were police supposed to have closed that road in the agreement the march made with the police? Finally, this is a well-written article overall. I do have to ask, just to be sure, whether you were taking part in the march or just observing; Wikinews's code of ethics says that you can't both take part in and report on a protest event. Thanks. --Killing Vector (talk) 11:20, 29 May 2009 (UTC)Reply

Temp Accreditation

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I have passed your accreditation request for tomorrow-look forward to seeing the finished piece! As I said at AR, please request permanent accreditation after. Good luck!   Tris   19:37, 9 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

Thanks Tristan, all went well on the action. Have finished article and tagged for review, photos to be added tommorrow. Was a bit boring compared to prev. years where they've got into the building or the roof and unfurled huge banners etc. The older hippies were a little more sedate this time. :) --Juleshs31 (talk) 20:59, 11 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

Username change

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Hi! Just in case you didn't notice, I have one question i need you to answer before I can rename your account, see this. Cheers, Tempodivalse [talk] 15:19, 12 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

A trophy for you!

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Thanks for all you help on Thursday! Cocoaguy (talk) 05:11, 31 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

 
I, Cocoaguy, hereby award JulesMattsson the Wikinews Trophy for the help he gave me on Time Square bomb scare.
Aw shucks, thanks. Thanks for the OR and photos at the scene :p --JulesMattsson (talk) 12:43, 31 December 2009 (UTC)Reply

Accreditation Request

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OK, all closed up now-sorry about the delay!! You'll need to ask Brian for the @wikinewsie.org email address which I imagine would be useful and access to the closed wiki as well. If you want the press pass to go on your userpage just give me a shout and I'll find it. Hope it's useful!   Tris   22:54, 3 January 2010 (UTC)Reply

Thanks Tristan, okay i'll drop a note on request wikinewsie account page, would you be able to send me the accredited reporter box thingy? I'm not entirely sure where it is, thanks. Also, do I need to add myself to the accredited list or do you or somebody else do that? As you can tell, my background is in journalism and not wikis :p Thanks, --JulesMattsson (talk) 23:14, 3 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
Just to note, i've created an account at the wikinewsie wiki for you. Check your email for the random password. Tempodivalse [talk] 23:58, 3 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
Shiny, thanks. --JulesMattsson (talk) 23:59, 3 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
Haven't received it yet, but that may just be a delay on my end. Just to confirm; was it sent to julesmattsson+wn[at]googlemail/gmail[dot]com? --JulesMattsson (talk) 00:06, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
Okay, scratch that. Have had an email from BrianMC. Thanks --JulesMattsson (talk) 00:41, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
I'm pretty sure I entered that email (and double-checked), but maybe I made a mistake? Did you manage to get in? Tempodivalse [talk] 01:01, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
No, but i've had an email from BrianMC confirming the email adress, I think he seems to be doing it. --JulesMattsson (talk) 01:16, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
  • OK, here's the code for the box-just copy and paste it, with the correct details added in. I'll add you to the list of accredited reporters.

{| valign="top" class="toccolours" style="width: 450px; float: right; border: 1px solid #aaf; clear: right; margin: 0.5em;" |- |width="160px"|[[Image:Accredited reporter.svg|left|150px]] | '''Reporter: ''' Name<br/> '''Location:''' Location<br/> '''Email: ''' <br>    [[Special:Emailuser/JulesMattson|Email via Wikinews]]    [mailto:email address if wanted|email address]<br/> '''Tel/Voicemail: ''' Telephone number<br/> </div> |- |colspan="2" align="center"| ---- <small>'''Disclaimer''': "''[[WN:CV|Accredited Wikinews reporters]] do not represent the [[w:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]], but are trusted contributors whom the Wikinews community has certified for the purposes of gathering information related to Wikinews articles.''" </small></div>[[Category:Accredited reporter|{{PAGENAME}}]] |} If you have trouble with the code/putting it on your user page, give me a shout. You don't have to fill in all the details if you don't want to.   Tris   11:26, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply

Okay, thanks, I'll try and work out the code :p --JulesMattsson (talk) 11:28, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
  • Hi Jules, slight problem with the wikinewsie account. Check the requests page for an explanation of the dilemma. Basically, i can't access your account so it's impossible for me to change the specified email address. Tempodivalse [talk] 15:30, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply
I've come up with a workaround for the problem, check the requests page for my suggestion and tell me what you think. Cheers, Tempodivalse [talk] 17:49, 4 January 2010 (UTC)Reply

TUSC token 5a5a30b847e6f738cc6e9cdb3774de45

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I am now proud owner of a TUSC account!

Ta

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Review --Irate (talk) 21:01, 10 January 2010 (UTC)Reply

Accred User ID

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Wikinews:Credential_verification#Mattsson.2C_Jules_.28Wikinews_user_JulesMattsson.29 is lacking a user id. Go hit up Special:Preferences and tell me what your user id is. --ShakataGaNai ^_^ 04:12, 28 February 2010 (UTC)Reply

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I'm currently kneck deep in exams. Well my user ID is 128833. But has something happened to my accreditation on this account? Am I not supposed to be a 'member' of the accredited reporters user group, but according to prefs. I am only in "Member of groups: Autoconfirmed users, Users" --JulesMattsson (talk) 09:46, 8 March 2010 (UTC)Reply

Deletion

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Removed content from my profile page.

Wikinews Writing contest 2013 is here. :) Please sign up to participate?

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We've created the Wikinews:Writing contest 2013, which will start on April 1 and end on June 1. It is modeled on the successful 2010 contest. It would be a really great time for you, as an inactive Wikinews accredited reporter, to renew your credentials by doing some original reporting or conducting interviews. People should be around to interview to prevent a backlog, and several reviewers have access to scoop to make it easier to review any original reporting you do. If you are interested in signing up, please do so on Wikinews:Writing contest 2013/entrants. There is at least one prize on offer for the winner along with the opportunity to earn some barn stars as a way of thanking you for your participation. :D --LauraHale (talk) 10:25, 25 March 2013 (UTC)Reply