User:Danielshumway/sandbox/DanielShumway Beginner Page

Beginner Questions Page for New Contributors (like myself) Who Have Been Cautioned or Otherwise Warned (It may very well be that no one will see this work-in-progress page until I somehow publish it -- I am a beginner with virtually no knowledge of behind-the scenes Wikipedia.)

I think the above title is quite self-explanatory. What this page is all about is putting together questions and comments related to issues new contributors encounter. I will not be providing answers, but I am hopeful that somewhere along the way I will be able to provide links to potential answer sources within Wikipedia and its contributor community. I am completely unfamiliar with that community, its organization and hierarchy, and its guidelines, requirements, and regulatory instruments. I am simply someone who wants a place to ask questions generally, consider them, and look for answers. If, somehow, you come across this page, feel free to insert questions of your own or suggest links to those answers. If you are a high level managing editor or something similar, please explain your authority and position before answering one of the questions; additionally please provide a link to an established rule or regulation. Thanks!

QUESTIONS

1. Someone told me that Wikipedia doesn't have a policy regarding bias. If someone writes a biased article (for example, one that ignores all positive aspects of a governor's work in office and focuses only on negatives such as controversies, accusations, and mistakes) what sort of requirements or tools are there to prevent readers from assuming they are getting the whole story or at least a fair attempt? Most of us out there on the Internet assume Wikipedia is self-monitored well enough to generally provide an accurate article that considers all major factors. (I, perhaps wrongly, assume Wikipedia has hired some encyclopedia professionals along with having a bevy of conscientious and experienced volunteer editors and contributors who are organized into some sort of monitoring system.)