Wikipedia:Skeptical point of view

When discussing an article that covers fringe claims, some Wikipedia editors use the phrase "skeptical point of view" (also called the view of "skeptical sources") to denote the mainstream view opposing that of the proponents of such claims. Typically it is argued that the skeptical point of view is merely another point of view which must be balanced against the proponents' point of view, and that the neutral point of view is somewhere in between. This plays upon a common confusion surrounding the word "neutral" in "neutral point of view". In fact Wikipedia is not neutral in that sense because avoiding false balances is an essential part of the neutral point of view policy. For example, it would be against the neutral point of view policy for an article to adopt a neutral position on whether or not the Moon landings were hoaxes, as if the hoax view were equally valid.

An article should be based upon what independent secondary sources say about its subject. Especially when an article touches upon controversial "fringe" claims, it is important to find sources that are independent of the proponents of such claims. Wikipedia readers naturally expect articles to be free of propaganda, that is, not serving to promote the claims of proponents but neutrally reporting the independent view "from the outside".

Thus the "skeptical point of view" in this context&mdash;that is, the independent view which is free of propaganda&mdash;is the neutral point of view. Wikipedia does not aim to present a balance between propaganda and independent reporting; it eschews propaganda altogether.