Re: [Wikinews-l] [Foundation-l] Proposal for the creation of a Wikinews foundation - Wikinews-l

21 Aug 2007

Christophe Henner wrote:
...
  Hi,

 This is my opinion, I don't think it's a good idea. On a short term,
 it would be really usefull, but in fact on the long term I do believe
 it wouldn't be a so good idea. There would be confusion like "is
 wikinews a Wikinews Foundation project or a Wikimedia Foundation
 Project." Moreover, you're proposal looks like, to me, like a
 "Wikinews Chapter".
    The proposal is essentially Wikinews Chapter, what we actually call it
is only a small concern assuming we get usage of the Wikinews trademark.
...
  In France, but I think it should be the same in other
countries, in
 order to have a press card, the main aim of the "Wikinews Foundation"
 you have to earn 50% in a journalism job. And earn it in France. So
 Wikinews Foundation won't help the french wikinewsie. For
 accreditation the French Chapter is helping at it, and actually we are
 not that bad in having them.
    This is mostly a European issue. In the US, Canada, New Zealand (and
most other countries) anyone who wants to can call themselves a
journalist and create a press card. The problem is in the absence of any
sort of government press cards most event organizers and government
officials (police mostly) base their decisions off of the presence of an
organization that issued the person with a presscard. One important step
of this process is that event organizers and government official will
contact or expect contact from the issuing organization who must be
willing to verifiy that the person is one of their own.
...
  So, what could handle your foundation a chapter
couldn't? In my
 opinion, worldwide, really few, and perhaps even "less". Wikinews is,
 in fact, a really different project, but I don't think that's a reason
 to have a "Wikinews Foundation".
    Most of the current accredited reporters are not currently covered by a
chapter. I would imagine this will always be the case. A Wikinews
foundation would however be able to act globally, since the vast
majority of our task would just be to confirm that user is with us.
...
  By the way, did you asked and discussed for a
&quot;user(a)wikinews.org&quot;
 adress or other global @wikinews.org adresses recently?
    It was discussed on our water cooler and an e-mail was sent to the
foundation(or so I am told) after Brion said that it technically was
doable. BrianMC would probably be the better person to answer this.
-Craig Spurrier
[[n:Craig Spurrier]]