--- Angela beesley@gmail.com wrote:
They're calling themselves Wikinews journalists, which is what they are.
Anybody who works on Wikinews can say that. Yes. This is about a sub group that wish to say they have Wikinews press credentials as a means to gain access to press events. That is *very* different.
It's no different from anyone who has edited Wikipedia calling themselves a Wikipedian or a Wikipedia editor, which many people do.
It is very different. They wish to use these credentials and the Wikinews name to gain access normally only granted to credentialed journalists.
Surely it would be only be a violation of the trademarks if it were being done by people who were not writing at Wikinews?
Not so. They do not have permission to use the Wikinews trademark in a way that implies they are officially credentialed by Wikinews or Wikimedia. They are not.
The community are the ones who approve people - who else would do it?
If you thought I meant that, then Im sorry I was not clear. All I want is for the board to either place their stamp of approval on what is already going on and help with its administration (such as providing a phone line for people to check the credentials of people who claim to have them), or stop it the whole thing completely. The current system for selecting the people who are considered to have credentials seems to be OK.
I see this as a means of formally recognising trust within the community, not so different from administrator access.
Administrator access only pertains to what the people who have it do on our projects. Giving people press credentials is *very* different since they will be using the good name of Wikinews and Wikimedia out in the real world. If they misuse those credentials and thus the good name of Wikinews and Wikimedia, then we all get harmed by that.
I think the Wikinews mailing list would be a more appropriate place to continue this so as to get input from the people who have created the accreditation systems.
This is an issue of use of trademarks. This list is the best place to talk about that.
-- mav
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