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From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

To be placed at the end of talk pages:

What to type What it makes
{{Welcome}}
Talk
Welcome to Wikinews

A nice cup of coffee for you while you get started

Getting started as a contributor
How to write an article
  1. Pick something current?
  2. Use two independent sources?
  3. Read your sources before writing the story in your own words?. Do choose a unique title? before you start.
  4. Follow Wikinews' structure? for articles, answering as many of who what when where why and how? as you can; summarised in a short, two- or three-sentence opening paragraph. Once complete, your article must be three or more paragraphs.
  5. If you need help, you can add {{helpme}} to your talkpage, along with a question, or alternatively, just ask?

  • Use this tab to enter your title and get a basic article template.
    [RECOMMENDED. Starts your article through the semi-automated {{develop}}—>{{review}}—>{{publish}} collaboration process.]

 Welcome! Thank you for joining Wikinews; we'd love for you to stick around and get more involved. To help you get started we have an essay that will guide you through the process of writing your first full article. There are many other things you can do on the project, but its lifeblood is new, current, stories written neutrally.
As you get more involved, you will need to look into key project policies and other discussions you can participate in; so, keep this message on this page and refer to the other links in it when you want to learn more, or have any problems.

Wikipedia's puzzle-globe logo, © Wikimedia Foundation
Wikipedia's puzzle-globe logo, © Wikimedia Foundation
  Used to contributing to Wikipedia? See here.
All Wikimedia projects have rules. Here are ours.

Listed here are the official policies of the project, you may be referred to some of them if your early attempts at writing articles don't follow them. Don't let this discourage you, we all had to start somewhere.

The rules and guides laid out here are intended to keep content to high standards and meet certain rules the Wikimedia Foundation applies to all projects. It may seem like a lot to read, but you do not have to go through it all in one sitting, or know them all before you can start contributing.

Remember, you should enjoy contributing to the project. If you're really stuck come chat with the regulars. There's usually someone in chat who will be happy to help, but they may not respond instantly.

The core policies
Places to go, people to meet

Wiki projects work because a sense of community forms around the project. Although writing news is far more individualistic than contributing to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, people often need minor help with things like spelling and copyediting. If a story isn't too old you might be able to expand it, or if it is disputed you may be able to find some more sources and rescue it before it is listed for deletion.

There are always discussions going on about how the site could be improved, and your input is of value. Check the links here to see where you can give input to the running of the Wikinews project.

Find help and get involved
Write your first article for Wikinews!

Use the following box to help you create your first article. Simply type in a title to your story and press "Create page". Then start typing text to your story into the new box that will come up. When you're done, press "save page". That's all there is to it!



It is recommended you read the article guide before starting. Also make sure to check the list of recently created articles to see if your story hasn't already been reported upon.

{{subst:Welcome-anon}}
Talk

Welcome

Welcome to Wikinews!

A nice cup of coffee for you while you get started

Getting a head start as a Wikinews contributor

Welcome! Thank you for joining Wikinews; we'd love for you to stick around and get more involved. To help you get started we have a short essay that will guide you through the process of writing your first full article. There are many other things you can do on the project, but its lifeblood is new, current, stories written neutrally.

As you get more involved you will want to look into the key policies for the project and other discussions you can participate in, so keep this message on your collaboration page and refer to the other links in it if you have problems or want to learn more.

I would recommend that you get a username. You don't have to log in to read or edit articles on Wikinews, but creating an account is quick, free and non-intrusive, requires no personal information (not even an e-mail address), and there are many benefits of having a username. (If you edit without a username, your IP address is used to identify you instead.)

 

 

 

 

 
All Wikimedia projects have rules. Here are ours.

Listed here are the official policies of the project, you may be referred to some of them if your early attempts at writing articles don't follow them. Don't let this discourage you, we all had to start somewhere.

The rules and guides laid out here are intended to keep content to high standards and meet certain rules the Wikimedia Foundation applies to all projects. It may seem like a lot to read, but you do not have to go through it all in one sitting, or know them all before you can start contributing.

Remember, you should enjoy contributing to the project. If you're really stuck come chat with the regulars. There's usually someone in chat who will be happy to help, but they may not respond instantly.

The core policies
 

 

 

 

 
Places to go, people to meet

Wiki projects work because a sense of community forms around the project. Although writing news is far more individualistic than contributing to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, people often need minor help with things like spelling and copyediting. If a story isn't too old you might be able to expand it, or if it is disputed you may be able to find some more sources and rescue it before it is listed for deletion.

There are always discussions going on about how the site could be improved, and your input is of value. Check the links here to see where you can give input to the running of the Wikinews project.

Where you can help and get involved
 

 

 

 

 
Why create an account?

You don't have to log in to read Wikinews. You don't even have to log in to edit articles on Wikinews—anyone can edit almost any article, even without logging in. Nevertheless, creating an account is quick, free and non-intrusive, and it's a good idea to do so, for many reasons.

If you create an account, you can pick a username. Edits you will make while being logged in will be assigned to that name. That means you get full credit for your contributions in the page history (when not logged in, the edits are just assigned to your IP address). You can also view all your contributions by clicking the "My contributions" link, which is only visible when you are logged in.

You will have your own user page where you can write a bit about yourself. While Wikinews is not a homepage provider, you can use this to display a few pictures, write about your hobbies, etc. Many users use their user page to maintain a list of the articles they are most proud of, or to collect other valuable information from Wikinews.

Also, when you are not logged in, all your edits are publicly associated with your IP address at the time of that edit. If you log in, all your edits are publicly associated with your account name. They are also still internally associated with your IP address.

In addition, There are many features of the MediaWiki software (which powers Wikinews) that are only available to registered users. For example, registered users can mark edits as "minor". Minor edits can be filtered from the list of "Recent changes". We do not give the privilege to mark edits as minor to anonymous users because we do not know who is behind a given IP address at any time, so we cannot build a basis of trust. (Marking edits as minor if they are not is considered very rude.)


 

 

 

{{subst:test}}
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Welcome

Thanks for experimenting with Wikinews. Your test worked, and has now been reverted or removed. Please use Wikinews:Sandbox for any other tests you want to do, since testing in articles may disrupt the site's working and will be reverted quickly.

Template messages/User talk namespace, welcome to Wikinews! Please refrain from using the main namespace for testing. Here are a few good links for newcomers on how to edit Wikinews:

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these!

Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews:

There are always things to do on Wikinews:

By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes (~~~~), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!

{{subst:vandal warning}}
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Hello. Your recent contribution(s) constitute vandalism and have been reverted or removed. Further vandalism may result in your account or IP address being blocked from editing without further notice. Please contribute to Wikinews in a constructive fashion instead. Thank you.

{{subst:spam warning}}
Talk

Hello. Your recent contributions are considered to be spam and have been reverted or deleted. Should you believe that your contributions are not spam, please argue your case in Wikinews:Admin action alerts. Further spamming may result in your editing privileges being removed. Please contribute to Wikinews in a constructive fashion instead.

{{subst:stop}}
Talk

This is your last/only warning. The next time you vandalize a page, you will be blocked from editing Wikinews. Please use the sandbox for any other tests you want to do, since testing elsewhere will be reverted quickly.

{{subst:stop1}}
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You have been temporarily blocked from editing for vandalism of Wikinews. If you wish to make useful contributions, you may do so after the block expires.

{{subst:stop2}}
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You have been temporarily blocked from editing for vandalism of Wikinews. Please note that page blanking, addition of random text or spam, deliberate misinformation, privacy violations, and repeated and blatant violation of WN:NPOV are considered vandalism. If you wish to make useful contributions, you may come back after the block expires.

{{subst:block|reason}}
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Block
You have been blocked from Wikinews for reason. If you believe this block is unjustified or wish to contest it, you may add {{unblock|your reason}} to this page, go to Wikinews IRC to request to be unblocked, or send a message to wikinews-l AT wikimedia org.

{{subst:indefblocked|reason}}
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{{subst:Copyvio sas}}
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First off, we really appreciate your contribution.

But sometimes users submit an article from somewhere else, not realizing that Wikinews cannot keep copy-and-paste versions of articles which are published elsewhere under a restrictive copyright. An article created in this way is a copyright violation, and Wikinews policy is to erase these even if they are excellent article ideas.

Another problem which sometimes comes up is press releases: Press releases are sometimes excellent sources, but they do not qualify as unbiased news articles so they can't be published as they are. Two key things to remember about press releases is that they're usually written to represent the viewpoint of an involved party (Thus likely running foul of our Neutral Point of View policy). And second, they are generally covered by copyright which can conflict with our open editing approach.

A better way to get an article on an exciting subject published here is to write an original article following the guidelines described in writing an article, or to write a brief explanation of the subject and include the url address of articles or websites to use as sources. If you are part of the story that the article is about, you may also wish to consider requesting an interview rather than writing the article yourself.

Thanks again!

{{Proxyblock}}
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This IP address has been blocked because it is believed to be an open proxy or zombie computer. To prevent abuse, editing from these proxies is currently prohibited. Please visit the Wikinews chat room with questions. If you feel this is untrue, consider putting {{unblock|No longer proxy}} on this page. Note, if you create an account you may (or may not depending on circumstances) be allowed to edit.

{{subst:needsources|article name}}
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Welcome to Wikinews! Thanks for creating article name, articles like this are appreciated. There are a few issues that must be dealt with before it can be published. The most important is that all Wikinews articles must cite sources for the information they contain. Articles should cite sources by using the {{source}} tag at the bottom of the story. There are instructions for using the {{source}} tag when you click the "source" link on this message. If your article contains original reporting, you should read the information at Wikinews:original reporting. If you are part of the story that the article is about, you may also wish to consider requesting an interview rather than writing the article yourself.

Discussion about your article will occur on the article talk page. Please go there to start or participate in the discussion with other Wikinews contributors. Keep at it and try to get this article published, which can sometimes be difficult, but you will find that it is worth the effort.

{{subst:needexpand|article name}}
Talk

Welcome to Wikinews! Thanks for creating article name; we need more articles like this. There are a few issues that must be dealt with before it can be published. The most important is that it currently only contains a bare minimum of information. Wikinews articles should be comprehensive. Try to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how. Remember that your article will be read by people who may not know anything about the topic. You may find the Style guide and Content guide to be helpful.

Discussion about your article will occur on the article talk page. Please go there to start or participate in the discussion with other Wikinews contributors. Keep at it and try to get this article published. Getting news stories that interest you published at Wikinews can sometimes be difficult, but you will find that it is worth the effort.

{{subst:needexpandandsrc|article name}}
Talk

Welcome to Wikinews! Thanks for creating article name, we need more articles like this. There are a few issues that must be dealt with before it can be published. The most important is that it currently only contains a bare minimum of information. Wikinews articles should be comprehensive. Try to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how. Remember that your article will be read by people who may not know anything about the topic. You may find the Style guide and Content guide to be helpful.

All Wikinews articles must cite sources for the information they contain. Articles should cite sources by using the {{source}} tag at the bottom of the story after or before you write your story. If your article contains original reporting, you should read the information at Wikinews:original reporting. If you are part of the story that the article is about, you may also wish to consider requesting an interview rather than writing the article yourself.

Discussion about your article will occur on the article talk page. Please go there to start or participate in the discussion with other Wikinews contributors. Keep at it and try to get this article published. Getting news stories that interest you published at Wikinews can sometimes be difficult, but you will find that it is worth the effort.

{{subst:needcleanup|article name}}
Talk

Welcome to Wikinews! Thanks for creating article name, we need more articles like this. There are a few issues that must be dealt with before it can be published. The most important is that it currently does not conform to our Style guide. Wikinews articles must meet certain standards. You may find the information at Writing an article to be useful.

Discussion about your article will occur on the article talk page. Please go there to start or participate in the discussion with other Wikinews contributors. Please keep at it and try to get this article published. Getting news stories that interest you published at Wikinews can sometimes be difficult, but you will find that it is worth the effort.

{{subst:needorsources|article name}}
Talk

Welcome to Wikinews! Thanks for creating article name, we appreciate articles like this. This article appears to be what Wikinews calls original reporting. Wikinews articles must cite sources for all assertions they make. In the case of original reporting, you are the source. The way we usually deal with this is for you to place a comment on the article talk page, stating who you are, what your relationship is to the story you are covering, and describing the nature of the reporting (i.e. interviewing, taking notes, observing events, etc). You should also read Wikinews:Original reporting.

If you are intimately involved in the event being reported, it may be more appropriate for you to request an interview, rather than write an article.

Discussion about your article will occur on the article talk page. Please go there to participate in the discussion with other Wikinews contributors. Keep at it and try to get this article published, which can sometimes be difficult, but you will find that it is worth the effort.

{{subst:old|Old article}}
talk

I noticed you added new content to the article, Old article, which is more than 24 hours old. Thanks for taking an active role in improving the content on this site. People like you who take an active role make Wikinews better for all of us — readers and writers alike.

One thing to note, though, is that Wikinews articles are not works in progress. Articles are considered historical documents reflecting the knowledge and understanding of the event at the time of publishing. Once published for more than a day or so, they should not be continually updated or modified, except to fix minor style issues (e.g. spelling mistakes).

To report on new developments in an ongoing story, you can create a new article instead of just adding content to an already published, out of date article. That way your work will be seen by more people since readers tend not to revisit old news articles looking for updates.

If a published article contains a factual error, please bring it to our attention at WN:ALERT, so that a {{Correction}} notice can be added to the article, which is otherwise left unchanged.

Again, thanks for helping improve this site.

{{subst:Oldnews}}
Talk

I noticed you created the article, Old news event, which is now an old news event. Thanks for taking an active role in improving the content on this site. People like you who take an active role make Wikinews better for all of us — readers and writers alike.

One thing to note, though, is that Wikinews articles report about current news events. Articles are considered historical documents reflecting the knowledge and understanding of the event at the time of publishing. Once there are no more developments and it is past seven days, it's too late for Wikinews to report on it.

If there are new developments on the story, you can create a new article instead of just creating an old and out-of-date one. That way your work will be current (and if so, edited by more people) since readers tend not to read old news.

Your article has been deleted or submitted at the deletion requests page according to the deletion requests guidelines.

Don't be discouraged if your article has been deleted, you will find plenty of more current events to report about which help make Wikinews a better news source.

Again, thanks for helping improve this site.

{{subst:Template:Schoolblock}}
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This IP address has been blocked due to vandalism from your school or school district. If you are a school administrator or district official and would like to create accounts for your students, you can contact us by sending mail to wikinews-l (AT) wikimedia (DOT) org, and a local administrator will set up student accounts for you.

{{subst:Template:ip long block|user=yourName|day=time blocked|date=time of block}}
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Your account or IP has been blocked for 30 days as of {{{date}}}. It is possible you were blocked in error, or you are currently using an IP which was used by another person who was blocked with reason. If this is the case, or for any other reason, please contact me via [[Special:Emailuser/{{{user}}}|e-mail]] (if you've registered an e-mail account), or after the block has expired [[user:{{{user}}}]] [[user talk:{{{user}}}]]. Other administrators are also available, or you can check if anyone is in the IRC channel if you have access to IRC.

{{subst:Template:Schoolblock}}
Talk

This IP address has been blocked due to vandalism from your school or school district. If you are a school administrator or district official and would like to create accounts for your students, you can contact us by sending mail to wikinews-l (AT) wikimedia (DOT) org, and a local administrator will set up student accounts for you.

{{subst:warn}}
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Hello there. Please don't create test articles or other articles that are not news, as we are Wikinews. If you wish to test, please use the Sandbox. For more information about how to write a news article, see Wikinews:Writing an article. Thank you.

{{subst:test-bio}}
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Hello there. Thank you for contributing to Wikinews. Unfortunately Wikinews does not accept biographical articles, we are only for news (current events).. Other projects exist that do accept biographies exist, would probably be a better place for it. Wikipedia is a fairly popular example accepting biographies for some people, but they have very stringent standards for whom they deem important enough for inclusion. If the person who the article is about meets them, I would suggest moving the article over there. If not, there are probably other places with more lenient standards for inclusion you could try. Search around in Google.

Thanks for your understanding, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.