User:Wiki-Pharaoh/Unreliable news sources
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In Wikipedia, a news source is a publication or other record which is created by a news organisation. News sources that are unreliable cause inaccurate content to be written onto the encyclopaedia. An unreliable news source on Wikipedia is one that has regularly published or made available information which conveys or represents, to a reasonable person, that information is factual but is proven to be false. Citing unreliable news sources should be avoided.
Defining false information
[edit]In order to determine the factual accuracy of publications made by news sources it is important to establish a widely accepted definition of what constitutes factual and false information.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines "false" to mean not according with truth or fact and "fact" being defined as the truth about events as opposed to interpretation.
Dealing with content cited with unreliable news sources
[edit]There are three ways to deal with content on Wikipedia that has cited an unreliable news source. Firstly you can be bold and edit out the content. Secondly you can file a request at the reliable sources noticeboard or finally you can create a request for comment. Requests for comment will usually draw attention to the news source in question and is therefore a good option for seeking multiple opinions or gaining consensus on restrictions for the use of the source in future. For help creating a request for comment please see WP:RFC.
Pitfalls to avoid
[edit]- A news source as a whole is not considered to be unreliable if it has made the occasional mistake.
- Try to find out if the specific journalist or other news source employee who wrote the unreliable information from the source has been fired. If they have, consider this to be a sign that the news outlet is making an effort to avoid unreliable reporting.
- Sometimes news sources document evidence which claims to validate a factual position they are taking. In these cases evaluate the evidence rather than the claim. If the evidence itself is false and that can be proven this can be a good sign that a news source is unreliable.
- Opinions of the news source, that are clearly shown as opinions to the reader, do not in anyway factor into if or not the source is reliable. Actions speak louder than words and simply because a news source might indicate a bias against or for a subject in an opinion article does not mean they will act on this in anyway when publishing content which appears to be factual in nature.