Wikinews:Brevity
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This is an essay on using and contributing to Wikinews. The contents are strongly recommended practices, but may not be enforced official policy; however, they may supplement, comment upon, or offer guidance to interpreting official policy. Links to official policies can be found in the Wikinews introduction. |
| This is an essay, recommended rather than official policy; it may be useful to assist in the practical application of policy. |
Brevity is the soul of wit edit
- Above all, news is about telling a story.
| “ | Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, |
” |
Wikinewsies value brevity. It underpins the best-respected style guides. News articles are built upon tight, succinct language.
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
– William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style, 1918
This preference spills over into discussions. In debate, Wikinewsies prefer a participant "who gives his reader the most knowledge, and takes from him the least time."
In maintaining brevity, the remainder of this page consists of concise quotations on the matter. The above is Charles Caleb Colton, and the below a man who earned his right to ignore this convention:
| “ | I have made this [letter] longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter. | ” |
If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.
– Dennis Roth
| “ | If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea. | ” |