Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/News/April 2011/Editorials

Your military history newsletter – Issue LXII, April 2011 Front page • Project news • Member news • Article news • Editorial

Neutral point of view, by Buggie111

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There are many different people on this world, all with their own point of view. This means that there are many different people on Wikipedia. Australian veterans, Kenyan single mothers, European college students, American executives, children, retirees, teachers, the list goes on and on. White, black, yellow or purple, each of these people give their own special contributions to Wikipedia. That is what Wikipedia is about, after all. But along with this comes a point of view, something that Wikipedia is striving to make neutral. This can be from the editor themselves, or a book that they pick up at their library. To help preserve an honest website, these need to be compromised into a fair and equal view.

Whether your view is ultra-violet or infra-red, keep the encyclopedia in the middle.

For the first point, inform new users of the neutral point of view role early, and help show them examples of what is and is not a fair and equal point of view. For more experienced editors, keep calm in explaining to them about the neutral point of view pillar on the talk page of the affected article or on the involved user's talkpage. This is key to solving things before they spiral into the realm of incivility and chaos.

The problem with fair sources is harder to combat. Try to insert reliable sources into an article, instead of websites created by someone who might have a potential bias. For sources in print, try to get a point of view from both sides of the spectrum, such as adding German, Russian and Western sources on a battle during World War II in a Russian town. If you omit any part of the spectrum, the article does not stay fully accurate, which is a problem for an article which is a Good Article, A-Class or Featured Article candidate.

So, put simply, show all views on Wikipedia, but not any one too much. Remember this when writing articles, and Wikipedia will become a more accurate encyclopedia. All the best.