Revision 1529347 of "User:Pi zero/Pillars of Wikinews writing" on enwikinews

{{DISPLAYTITLE:{{#if:{{#titleparts:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|-1}}|{{#titleparts:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|-1}}/|{{NAMESPACE}}:}}Pillars of ''Wikinews'' writing}}
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* Each article is a '''collaboration''' between a '''writer''' (or writers) and an independent '''reviewer''' (or reviewers).

:: Articles aren't just "posted" on ''Wikinews''.  When you first create an article, there should be a template {{tl|develop}} at the top.  From then on, there will always be at least one template on the article saying where it is in our news production process.

:: Writers compose an article, then submit it for review; and if review finds it not-ready for publication, writers may revise and resubmit.  Reviewers rigorously check the article; provide feedback to help writers both for the current article and for future articles; and, ultimately, judge whether the article as-yet meets all project criteria for publication.  Reviewers cannot make large changes to an article without disqualifying themselves from independent review.  Some articles never achieve publication, while others are published with high quality after multiple non-ready reviews.  Successful writer&ndash;reviewer collaboration is founded on the shared goal of quality ''Wikinews'' publication.

* Each article is '''sourced'''.

:: A synthesis article must have at least two mutually independent, trust-worthy sources verifying the focal news event of the article.  This helps you achieve, though does not guarantee, accuracy, newsworthiness (below), and neutrality (below).

:: Everything in the article must be verifiable from the sources, except ''really obvious'' things, like "Paris is in France."

:: We strongly recommend you read all the sources '''before''' starting to write.  This helps with presentation (below) and neutrality (below).

:: The need for thorough sourcing also applies to [[WN:original reporting|original reporting]], though it works differently from sourcing of synthesis.  OR is difficult, demanding, and highly esteemed on ''Wikinews''.

* Each article is '''neutral'''.

:: Report the news impartially.  Don't ever assert opinions &mdash; attribute them to the party who said them.  Most analysis is opinion, so, if included at all, must likewise be presented as an attributed claim.  If an article focuses on just part of a story, the choice of part must not itself become misleading: the choice must be clear to the reader.

* Each article is '''newsworthy'''.

:: A newsworthy story focuses on a news event or phenomenon that is specific, relevant, and fresh.  An earthquake is specific; continental drift is not (though a ''report'' on continental drift might be).  Relevance should be to more than a few hundred people, which doesn't preclude local news.  Freshness usually means &mdash;for a synthesis article&mdash; it happened within the past day or two.

* Each article is '''presented in the writer's own words'''.

:: Although all the information is from the sources, its presentation must be original.  Choose your own ordering of the facts you choose to include, based on your understanding of the story.  Avoid imitating phrase or sentence structure, or distinctive turns of phrase or word choices.  At the most detailed level, you shouldn't have more than three consecutive words exactly as in an outside source (with obvious exceptions, like titles).  Direct quotes are reserved for newsmakers; you may directly quote, say, David Cameron based on what the BBC directly quoted him as saying, but don't quote the BBC unless they become part of the news story.

* Each article is '''presented in news style'''.

:: The [[WN:headline|headline]] tells the most important and unique thing about the focus of the article.  Then the [[WN:lede|lede]] captures the essence of the article by succinctly answering as many as reasonably possible of the [[WN:basic questions|basic questions]] about the focus.  The lede should show the focus is newsworthy.  After the lede, later paragraphs proceed in [[WN:inverted pyramid|inverted pyramid]] style.  The inverted pyramid arrangement of the later paragraphs, especially, has lots of room for variation.

* Each article is '''written for an international audience'''.

:: Our global readership might not recognize the name of the person, or city, or sports team, or the organization acronym you refer to.  So you need to explain (succinctly, if it's the lede, yet more in the headline) things like what profession the person is in, what sport the teams plays, what country the city is in or team or person is from.  Don't assume the reader is already familiar with, say, a sensational criminal case, either; they can look up details later (hopefully, on ''Wikinews''&nbsp;:-), but tell them enough that they won't be confused now.

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