User:Oceanflynn/sandbox/Wikinews

This is a shareable personal research tool on how a Wikipedia editor can contribute to Wikinews.

Pillars of writing a Wikinews article
Each article should be newsworthy, NPOV, and sourced with at least two RS. Each article is a "collaboration between a writer (or writers) and an independent reviewer (or reviewers)". It is "presented in the writer's own words" and in a news style for a general international audience.

Wikinews is "global in reach but potentially local in coverage" They "may cover events — either local or global — with little or no previous mainstream coverage. Each Wikiness article must be "fresh". It is typically considered stale when it's two or three days old.

Official policies of Wikinews
Wikinews articles are written from a neutral point of view

""The neutral point of view attempts to present ideas and facts in such a fashion that both supporters and opponents can agree. Of course, 100% agreement is not possible; there are ideologues in the world who will not concede to any presentation other than a forceful statement of their own point of view. We can only seek a type of writing that is agreeable to essentially rational people who may differ on particular points.""

- Jimbo Wales, Wikimedia founder.

Wikinews style guide
Wikinews style guide "Never use the passive where you can use the active.

General guidelines
"Every user is expected to interact with others civilly, calmly, and in a spirit of cooperation."

Headlines
Article titles should consist of a "descriptive, enduring headline" that conveys the "most important and unique thing about the story at that time. Headlines should be written in active tense, attributing "any action to someone". They should be written with downstyle capitalisation.

Two types of Wikinews articles

 * There are two types of Wikinews articles: Synthesis and Original reporting

Synthesis articles
The synthesis article draws on "media reports from several (minimum two) independent sources which must be cited. Multiple reliable sources are required for verifiability and neutrality."

Original reporting

 * Original reporting

English language
"[...] the English language is in a bad way, [...] Our civilization is decadent, and our language – so the argument runs – must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, [...] Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is [...] not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes."

- —George Orwell, Horizon

My Wikinews contributions
My first Wikinews articles:


 * UN Report on Global Warming calls for rapid 'unprecedented' changes globally to limit planetary warming to 1.5 degree C
 * US National Climate Assessment warns of climate-related damages to economy, ecosystems, human health