I'm interested-what are thoughts on Wikinews here?

"Pointless exercise that replicates what hundreds of other sites already do, only slower and with less accuracy."

Their Best of Wikinews section kind of sums the site up.

You mean, how do WR members generally define the word "thought" in regards to WikiNews? I don't think we usually think of those two things as compatible, do we?

FWIW, they seem to be averaging – er – around four stories per day. Worldwide. I don't think Reuters is quaking in their boots.

Wonderfully bland, reaches a whole new level Wiki shiteness.

what do they do, just regurgitate news already reported? surely there's no original research allowed?

Apparently not – "everyone is invited to contribute reports about events large and small, either from direct experience, or summarized from elsewhere". Basically a big blog as far as I can tell.

Larry Sanger observed that wiki software is not a universally effective medium. He was referring to Wikitionary (which is indeed ungainly), but the criticism seems to apply in spades to Wikinews. Why would one want news that anyone can edit?

News organizations collaborate, of course, but they have a chain of editors that reworks articles before issuing a final version. Wiki software is terrible for this process. I guess there's at least a little synergy with Commons, but if I were a citizen reporter I would use something else.

I don't scorn those who contribute to Wikinews though. I've heard that they're on Google news now. Good for them.

i had some nice new boneless wings from Wendy's today, maybe I should report on that.

It'd be more newsworthy than this. And if that's a personal attack, so be it.

You would be proliferating lies as they are not actually composed of wing-meat.

Not zebrea meat, I hope???


Hmm... can that Wikinews interview now be used as a source in WP?

Sorry, but this is just priceless. Do you get the impression their one remaining editor lives in Buffalo?

Either that, or Buffalo is just a disastrous city.

Me, I've visited there once. The beef on Kummelweck sandwich was so good, I ordered a second one. The place reminded me of Detroit. A lot.

Whoa. That's too harsh, Kohs.

I was going to try some of those last week, but I chickened out, as it were. How are they? I'm interested in your report.

They imagine they're reporting, but in practice they're regurgitating. Basement-bound bloggers do not have the resources to do incisive* journalism.

*or even average

Guess you'll have to mechanically separate yourself from that chair to find out.

They do give you "a printable image of a personalized Wikinews Press ID Card that a user may print and laminate at their expense". Maybe a very short-sighted bouncer would let you into shows for free. (Since the sole criteria are "being a contributor to another Wikimedia Foundation project for several weeks, having started several articles on Wikinews or another project, and a commitment to NPOV as shown by edits and initial text", I think every single person on WR qualifies. Quite often under half a dozen names.)

Indeed; walking down Buffalo's Main Street feels like you're in a post-apocalyptic disaster film.

Never actually been to Buffalo, have you Frank??

Go there and see for yourself. I would, indeed, compare it to Motor City, or any of the
worst parts of the Rust Belt. With the bonus of incredibly awful winters. Ever seen 20
feet of filthy black snow?

Buffalo wants to tear down its abandoned homes

Buffalo - Where Progress May Be Marked More By Demolition Than Construction

Buffalo has one of the greatest, most beautiful railroad terminals in America, if not the world.
Look what happened to it.

like big crispy chicken nuggets smothered in sauce.

not too bad, to be honest. i had the honey bbq and a new "Frosty-Cino" which I pronounced as "frosty-see-no" but was chided that it was "Frosty-chee-no".

Wikinews is utterly pointless. If theres a big story it will have an article on WP before anyone on WN notices it. And all articles have to be reviewed and fussed around with and it often takes several days for approval by which time of course its not news.

News these days is part of the entertainment industry, if it aint an eye catching ratings grabber then it aint news.

Wikinews is rather like an extremely dull high school newspaper, it tries so hard to be accurate, relevant and worthy, little realising that none of these criteria are necessary for news stories.

If that is the best....oh boy!

I find Wikinews occasionally useful, but most of it is redundant to other news sources. This is rather interesting...

You find that interesting and you're a teenage boy?

You do know that there is a porn on the internet don't you?

I'm an admin at Commons; of course I do.

Oh that aint porn Jules, that is tame shit.

Well, go on over there and delete File:Recovered JPEG Digital Camera 159.jpg. Or at least rename the damn thing so people stop stumbling on it. (Needless to say, not safe for work. Or anywhere.)

That's a funny looking digital camera. Is that what David Shankbone takes his photos with?

Tame, where's the scat or watersports on Commons. I demand more depravity!

Here.

That really aint watersports, far to clean, that's practically family entertainment. Speaking of which where's the incest pictures?

Oh, thanks for that - that really made my evening!

Think how impoverished free culture would have been if JPEG Digital Camera 159 remained lost forever.

The name even suggests whoever it was deleted it, only to have realized their grave mistake and used an expensive data recovery service to retrieve it. I shudder thinking of what the person doing the data recovery had to go through.

Its been nominated for deletion since 12 Feb (are they really so slow?) and of course you can guess the arguments.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:..._Camera_159.jpg

(Safe-ish link; no picture.)

WN just seems redundant. From what I've seen, Wikipedia reports things faster simply because it's more popular and more viewed. The news site is slower than the encyclopedia – how useful is that?

Not to mention, Wikinews just plainly fails on search engine optimization, versus its big, bad brother Wikipedia.

Looking for info about the Logo television channel?

Wikipedia = 5th result
Wikinews = 10th result


Looking for info about the El Salvador election victor?

Wikipedia = 16th result
Wikinews = 23rd result


Wait, here's a Wikinews winner. Looking for info about the Indonesian pilot jailed for wrecking his plane?

Wikipedia = 37th result
Wikinews = 3rd result


Yay, Wikinews! ! !

Hm PeterSymonds must be reading my posts. Hes closed it as (surprise) keep.

"That some people might interpret it as being pornographic is not a reason in itself why an image should be deleted; only if the image has no legitimate informative value." Well, fair enough – how else would one illustrate Fastening a metal cover to a man's genitals by means of twin padlocks attached to rings which in turn go through piercings in his scrotum and penis? The Kid In Africa needs to know these things!

Well, that's what happens when you send a boy to do a man's job!