Wikipedia:How the Current events page works
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
How the Current events page works
The Current events page is where we list news on a daily basis with a link to background articles. Of primary importance are events. In addition, trends and developments are also listworthy. However, we do not list POV-laden editorials and opinion pieces. Please note that there is an extra page for Current sports events.
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How the Current events page helps Wikipedia
Many people use search engines to find information on current events. Probably a very significant percentage of searches on Yahoo, Google, etc., on any given day, are on topics that are big at the moment. If we make an effort to add relevant links to the Current events page and to create good articles for whatever that page is linking to, we will be able to get lots of traffic from the search engines. We will also establish a reputation for being a place where people can come to find information on things that are happening right now.
Wikipedia is not a news service
That's the job of Wikinews. We shouldn't be in the business of writing articles about breaking news stories, unless indeed we can be very confident, as in the case of the September 11 attacks, that in the future there will be a significant call for an encyclopedia article on that topic. One very significant danger is that news articles must be kept current in order to remain accurate. Wikipedians might begin a news article and then simply lose interest in the topic, whereupon the article becomes inaccurate. In short, we aren't set up to be an amateur news organization, and we shouldn't try to compete with professional news organizations.
Moreover, Wikipedia is not a collection of primary source material. Direct first-hand reporting of current events is primary source material. Wikinews accepts primary source material, however, and is a repository of such primary source material that is there for Wikipedia to cite.
Wikinews can also be cited in its capacity as an amalgam of primary sources. Citing a news summary article on Wikinews, which in its turn cites the multitude of news sources that it is summarizing, can save Wikipedia the trouble of citing the long list of news sources directly itself.
Current events is a news backgrounder
What we can do, probably better than professional news organizations in many cases (who often give inadequate background information), is write in-depth background articles on topics that deeply inform and facilitate a sophisticated understanding of current events. Hence, while we almost certainly wouldn't want to write an article about, for example, the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif to the Northern Alliance, we certainly would welcome articles about the Northern Alliance, Mazar-i-Sharif, ethnic conflict, etc. In many ways, having that background is more important than following the daily news itself.
Wikipedia and Wikinews complement each other in this respect. Just as Wikinews can provide or collate primary source material on current events for Wikipedia, saving Wikipedia trouble, Wikipedia can provide in-depth background articles to Wikinews about people, places, and things in the news, saving Wikinews the trouble of writing, and maintaining, backgrounders. (Professional news organizations have no encyclopaedia as a sibling project to call upon.)
Writing entries
Each listed news item should be no more than one small paragraph long. Write concisely, omitting superfluous words, but grammatically, in properly formed sentences. Aim for brevity: concentrate on what happened, where, and to whom. This isn't really the best place to explain why; again, use Wikinews if you want to write such articles.
At the end of the listing, cite a Wikinews news summary article or quote one or more URLs, from reputable news sources, as references. These references – or judiciously linked Wikipedia articles – should offer the detailed explanations, background information, and the like that were omitted from the listing.
Label the URLs clearly with the source, abbreviated as appropriate. See current usage for examples.
Setting the context
It is customary, if possible, to indicate the context for a story at the start of the line. A good example would be:
- SCO v. IBM Linux lawsuit: SCO Group files subpoenas for Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds. [1]
The context string, SCO v. IBM Linux lawsuit, links to a story on the relevant topic. This is ideal but not always possible.
Here is another good example:
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A hard-hitting UN report says that Israel will effectively annex large areas of Palestinian territory as a result of the permits it intends to issue to Palestinians near the controversial "security wall" currently being erected in the West Bank. [1]
The context is not the geographical location
For example, this is incorrect:
- Saskatchewan: The NDP government of Lorne Calvert is returned to power with a majority government in the general election. [1]
However, this is correct:
- Saskatchewan general election, 2003: The NDP government of Lorne Calvert is returned to power with a majority government. [1]
as is this:
- Politics of the Netherlands: The first Balkenende cabinet resigns. Because of the constant internal fighting in the new party LPF, the other two governing parties, CDA and VVD, decided that continuing the coalition was impossible. It seems almost certain that there will be new elections, possibly as early as December. [1]
This is incorrect:
- Solar system: The sun surprises astronomers by launching another solar flare, this time the largest ever recorded. [1]
The solar system is the location, not the context. This is better:
- The sun surprises astronomers by launching another solar flare, this time the largest ever recorded. [1]
The context is not the subject
This is incorrect context:
- Jessica Lynch: A new book reveals details of her capture and captivity. She was treated brutally, as evinced by her physical condition, and, according to medical records, was anally raped. The book says some Iraqi doctors said Lynch was virtually dead. [1]
Why? Because Jessica Lynch is the subject of the entry, not the context. It would be better to rewrite it with a context like this:
- A new book reveals the details of Jessica Lynch's capture and captivity. She was treated brutally, as evinced by her physical condition, and, according to medical records, was anally raped. The book says some Iraqi doctors said Lynch was virtually dead. [1]
Yet another example:
- Space: After 26 years, and at a distance from Earth of over 8 billion miles, Voyager 1 exits the solar system. It is expected to keep on transmitting into the 2020s. [1]
This is better:
- Voyager program: After 26 years, and at a distance from Earth of over 8 billion miles, Voyager 1 exits the solar system. It is expected to keep on transmitting into the 2020s. [1]
On timezones
List, if possible and appropriate, local time and UTC for events. For example, if an earthquake takes place, it is useful to have both a common reference (ie, UTC) and the local time, so as to be able to place it in context (rush hour, lunchtime, etc). Otherwise prefer local time.
