Wikinews:Correction policy
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This is a proposed policy. You can choose to follow it. If it is followed by all, and has wide community support, it may become an official policy. Please comment on the collaboration page of the policy on any changes you would like to make, or just edit the page directly. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy". |
This Wikinews policy is meant to address reader and writer concerns on how to adequately correct reporting errors in published stories.
What is a reporting error?[edit]
Reporting errors deal with inaccuracies in factual data, whether minor or major. A minor error could run the gamut from a typo or misspelling to misattributions. They are usually easy to fix and require minimal re-writing of the story. Major errors could be facts taken out of context, reliance on flawed source materials or incomplete reporting (error of omission) which affects the accuracy of the entire article. With a major error, the entire article may need to be scrapped and re-written from the start.
Reporting errors are not the same as bias[edit]
Reporting errors concern facts which are inaccurate regardless of the point-of-view of the reader or writer. Errors resulting from slanted reporting or biased selection of sources should be handled with the Wikinews:Neutral point of view policy.
Reporting errors are not the same as wiki errors[edit]
Errors in wiki code should be handled by consulting the Wikinews:Style guide.
Corrections:[edit]
Fixing minor errors[edit]
This being a wiki, minor errors are simple to fix. Simply edit the page to correct the flaw.
Fixing major errors[edit]
When a major error is found, the {{Publish}} or {{Published}} tag in the edit code of the article should be replaced with {{Develop}}.
Additionally, specific issues detailing the errors should be cited in the article's talk page.
Deletion of faulty articles[edit]
In some cases an article which has major reporter errors and cannot be fixed in a timely fashion may be nominated for deletion using the Wikinews:Deletion Requests page. But this should be rare. Articles should be rehabilitated when possible.
Justification for policy[edit]
Every news organization publishes the work of people, who being human, are bound to err. This policy is to allow a centralized place of reference for Wikinews contributors and readers to access established community standards to address errors in reportage.