Welcome

edit
Welcome to Wikinews

 

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
  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.

--Brian McNeil / talk 22:39, 17 November 2009 (UTC) [Previously subst'd by InfantGorilla]Reply

Interview question

edit

soon I will be interviewing Noam Chomsky, can I post the interview on wikinews as original reporting?Soapy (talk) 01:14, 1 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

That is certainly a big interview. If you own the interview, then yes, you can publish it here as an original {{interview}}. If it is going to be published elsewhere under copyright protection, there will be a conflict. You must provide detailed notes of the interview, where when how, etc. Uploading an audio or video recording would be best of all. Also, since you are not an accredited Wikinewsie, perhaps you should speak with someone like Brian McNeil who is accredited and has experience with interviews of political figures. --SVTCobra 15:56, 2 March 2009 (UTC)Reply
Well I would consider myself an accredited wikinewsie lol, I have written at least dozen published articles, but yes I do own the rights to the interview and I'll speak to Brian after I do the interview about how I should go about publishing it Soapy (talk) 20:30, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/User_talk:SVTCobra"

Well, I have written hundreds, yet I do not have accreditation. --SVTCobra 20:36, 2 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

Noam Chomsky interview

edit

I've sent the interview back to Developing because it needs some copyediting for readability. Good job getting this, though, and good work. --Killing Vector (talk) 10:20, 28 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

According to User:Brianmc, we can't use the YouTube link directly; do you have the original video material? If so you can upload that to Commons and we can embed it in the article from there. --Killing Vector (talk) 18:41, 28 March 2009 (UTC)Reply
Well the video I would upload would be the same thing as if I had just downloaded it from youtube and uploaded it, but I guess I'll try and figure out how to do it unless you are willing toSoapy (talk) 03:30, 30 March 2009 (UTC)Reply
When you upload to YouTube it re-encodes and you get a lower quality; plus we can't use YouTube on its own due to its license. Tell you what, if you upload the original to www.yousendit.com and e-mail the download link it gives you to scoop@wikinewsie.org we'll sort it out for you. --Killing Vector (talk) 10:09, 30 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

I'm going to do the transcoding and uploading. Soapy, contact me by e-mail on edmund.schluessel@wikinewsie.org so we can OTRS your permission to use the video? --Killing Vector (talk) 19:30, 3 April 2009 (UTC)Reply

Don't know if you saw this:

Mr. Chomsky shows deeper insight into societal functioning than is commonly found amongst functionaries of government, members of academia or participants in the profession of journalism. It is sad that such light cannot shine strong enough into the darkness we are cloaked in by the all pervasive machinery of common journalism that enables the brainwashing by 'the system'. It is journalism Like Michael Dranove's that rates with the efforts of Bill Moyers on Public Television; I applaude wikinews for helping expand the counterforce to the Orwellian nightmare I find myself living in. -Bertvanwijck (talk) 11:14, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

Congratulations. :) --Killing Vector (talk) 18:10, 5 April 2009 (UTC)Reply

Barnstar!

edit
 
I, Tempodivalse, hereby award Soapy the Original Reporter's barnstar for his excellent interview with Noam Chomsky. Great job! tempodivalse 19:53, 7 April 2009 (UTC)Reply

Here's a barnstar for your work.   tempodivalse 19:53, 7 April 2009 (UTC)Reply

Sign Your Posts, Please

edit

Hi, Soapy! First of all, thank you for your contributions. I would like to ask you to sign your posts (even if you are an IP user) using ~~~~. This will produce a signature, which can be changed in your preferences. Wikinews uses this to identify users without having to look in the page history, and add a template saying who really posted it. Thanks again, and remember to sign your posts! ShakataGaNai ^_^ 18:29, 9 September 2009 (UTC)Reply

Review / Signature

edit

Two Items. #1 - Unfortunately you cannot review & publish articles such as this until you have "Editor" permission. #2 - Your signature is for a username not your own. Please fix it in your "My Preferences" --ShakataGaNai ^_^ 17:05, 2 October 2009 (UTC)Reply

Actually, the sig is fine, Shaka - the user just made a typo in the username field of the template. The bit where he left four tildes worked our properly. As for editor status, it's meant to be easy come, easy go so why not apply at WN:FRRFP? Blood Red Sandman (Talk) (Contribs) 17:22, 2 October 2009 (UTC)Reply

Editor status granted

edit

I have promoted you to the Wikinews:Editor class, as I feel you can be trusted to mark revisions of articles as sighted (review). Please take a moment to read:

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask for help on my talk page, and thank you for contributing to Wikinews!

Tempodivalse [talk] 17:51, 4 October 2009 (UTC)Reply

Headlines

edit

Please remember the style guide specifies downstyle for article titles. --Brian McNeil / talk 18:13, 17 November 2009 (UTC)Reply

Gotcha, how do I edit titles though? Soapy (talk) 19:43, 17 November 2009 (UTC)Reply
Titles are changed by selecting the "Rename" button from the drop-down menu bar at the top of the page, then typing in a new title and pressing "move page". Tempodivalse [talk] 19:46, 17 November 2009 (UTC)Reply

Title POV issue

edit

Please see Talk:Red Cross attacks Gaza blockade - Amgine | t 19:54, 14 June 2010 (UTC)Reply

privs

edit
 
Busy elsewhere? We understand, but this is a notice of privilege expiry!

Note! Your privileges on English Wikinews have been reduced.

Under the Privilege expiry policy (enacted October 13, 2012) the rights held by your user account have been reduced due to inactivity, or lack of privilege use. You can view your user rights log here.
Point 4 of the Privilege expiry policy provides for fast-tracking reacquisition of privileges. We all understand that real-life commitments can severely curtail the level of commitment you can give to Wikinews; the privilege reduction is in no way intended as a reflection on your past work, or to imply you are unwelcome. The aim in curtailing privileges is to address security risks, and concern that a long period of inactivity means you may not be up-to-date with current policy and practices.

--Pi zero (talk) 22:45, 19 December 2012 (UTC)Reply