[Foundation-l] Wikinews is giving out press credentials

Fri Nov 11 05:42:01 UTC 2005

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005, Elisabeth Bauer wrote:

> Delirium wrote:
>
>> I don't see the importance of the outside vs. inside distinction in this 
>> case. It is entirely proper for a Wikinewsie to be given the authority to 
>> represent themselves to the outside world as "vouched for by Wikinews" if, 
>> in fact, they are vouched for the Wikinews community. So long as they are 
>> not presenting themselves as representatives of the Wikimedia Foundation, I 
>> don't see the need for Foundation approval.

This seems right to me.  Especially when it is other wikinewsies providing 
the verification, monitoring the accreditation pages, &c.

Elian wrote:
> Okay, I do. The foundation as the owner of the name Wikinews is the ultimate 
> instance to decide who is allowed what to do with this name. It can decide to

Hmm.  So if, for instance, the Foundation decided that 'Wikinews' could 
only apply from now on to original reporting, that is all that would be 
allowed on the project?  If the Foundation decided that a particular 
editor is unfit to contribute to a project whose name it owns, it can ban 
that person from contributing, or from mentioning to others that he has so 
contributed?

Would you feel better if there were a "Wiki reporter's guild" project on 
Wikinews, which distributed WRG press passes that included neither 
Wikinews name nor logo?

> case of press credentials but it stays their decision. If the wikinews 
> community wants to hand out press credentials, they should submit their 
> policy to the foundation and have it approved by the foundation. Since the

You could make exactly the same claim about any editorial policy on 
Wikipedia.  The effects of a change in tagging, AFD, NPOV, or other 
quality-related policy on EN:WP likely has far more of an effect on the 
external perception of the Wiki[pedia] trademark than a press credential 
policy (be it on WP, WN, or even Commons).

Once you stop trusting the community to develop sensible processes, every 
policy on every project eventually needs to be vetted by the foundation 
(whatever that means - special weekly Board sessions to review new 
processes?  expedited treatment of minor process updates?).  Every policy, 
no matter how small, affects Wikimedia trademarks in some way -- and the 
way they are percieved in some external relations.

--SJ

> policy seems quite okay, I see no reason why the foundation shouldn't accept 
> it, but there's certainly a need for approval as they want to use the 
> trademark in external relations.
>
> greetings,
> elian