[Wikipedia-l] Years in review and the need for editorial judgement

[Brion VIBBER]

Lars Aronsson wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Jun 2002, Jimmy Wales wrote:
>>One of our "discoveries" is that people of very diverse opinions can
>>write encyclopedia articles together, using NPOV as a guideline to
>>mediate conflict.  It works remarkably well.  It would not work for
>>poetry, for political commentary, for fiction, etc.
> 
> Is this a discovery that is unique to Wikipedia?
> 
> Couldn't the same discovery be expressed: "it is possible (no matter who
> does it) to write articles (in an encyclopedia or newspaper), using NPOV
> as a guideline, so that no reader would care to protest against the
> wording of the text".
> 
> I think that this is the same approach that has been used by every
> encyclopedia and newspaper editor, ever.  Only they might have called it
> "factualism and objectivity" rather than NPOV.
> 
> Or is this wrong?

The difference is "every encyclopedia and newspaper *editor*". We're 
giving every crank off the street his own shot at the presses and 
politely asking him to clean up after the mess the last crank left.

It works surprisingly well. :)

-- brion vibber (brion @ pobox.com)