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His goal is for Wikitribune to offer "factual and neutral" articles that help combat the problem of "fake news".
The service is intended to be both ad-free and free-to-read, so will rely on supporters making regular donations.
One expert said it had the potential to become a trusted site, but suggested its influence might be limited.
Wikitribune shares many of the features already found in Mr Wales's online encyclopaedia, including the need for writers to detail the source of each fact and a reliance on the public to edit articles to keep them accurate.
However, while anybody can make changes to a page, they will only go live if a staff member or trusted community volunteer approves them.
The other big difference is that the core team of writers will be paid, although there may also be instances in which a volunteer writes the initial draft and then a staff member edits it.
Wikipedia has built a trustworthy reputation. Can it be transferred to journalism?
takyon: A SoylentNews expert asked, "Whatever happened to Wikinews?"
[Ed. Note: updated at 19:20 with more information]
More coverage: (compiled by butthurt)
Fortune
Daily Mail
Nieman Foundation
The Atlantic
The Guardian
Silicon UK
Press Association 2017 via Clydebank Post
AFP via The Peninsula
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday April 26 2017, @07:55PM (2 children)
So they want to be better than an article like "2017 shooting of Paris police officers [wikipedia.org]". It's usually faster in place, with more information, better accuracy than most news sites. Albeit it may lack the absolute latest information from say the last hour.
Wikitribune seems like a project that looks after something to contribute to that will have poor incentives for contributors to do just that nor will the problem it supposedly trying to solve really need any fixing. Involving "journalists" seems more like an invitation for problems than solving anything. They ARE the problem in many cases. The babbling about fake news started to come when agenda journalism got a meeting with reality and other information sources. Media have a decades long history of spewing out shit and nonsense. They are dinosaurs whether they understand it or not.
"need for writers to detail the source of each fact" - ie original research will be allowed. My prediction is that many "oops" will happen as a consequence of this.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday April 26 2017, @08:08PM (1 child)
Wikimedia Foundation can finally find a semi-worthwhile place to waste the millions they have crowdbegged. A "real news" site that nobody reads and replaces a pre-existing Wikimedia project, instead of private jet trips and executive salaries. Woohoo!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday April 26 2017, @08:12PM
Yeah someone should really put an accountant to check the books and balances of the Wikipedia project.