[Foundation-l] Wikinews is giving out press credentials

[Angela]

They're calling themselves Wikinews journalists, which is what they
are. It's no different from anyone who has edited Wikipedia calling
themselves a Wikipedian or a Wikipedia editor, which many people do.

Surely it would be only be a violation of the trademarks if it were
being done by people who were not writing at Wikinews?

The community are the ones who approve people - who else would do it?
It certainly wouldn't be feasible for the Board to credential people,
with whom they are not familiar, and especially who are editing in
languages other than English or French. It's up to the organisations
choosing whether or not to accept these "press credentials" to find
out what they mean - and they will see that, like Wikipedia, this is
something that comes from within the community, not something handed
down from some higher authority.

I see this as a means of formally recognising trust within the
community, not so different from administrator access. Should the
Board also be approving who is allowed to give themselves the official
title of "Wikipedia Administrator" or "Wikimedia Steward"? Obviously
not, so why would Wikinewsies need any approval beyond that from their
own community?

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.

Angela

On 11/6/05, Daniel Mayer <maveric149 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Who gave the Wikinews community persmission to give out press credentials to
> its users? This is a major abuse of the Wikinews trademark and could put the
> foundation in legal jeopardy or at least subject it to bad press if one of the
> credentialed users abuse the Wikinews name to gain access they should not be
> granted.
>
> http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Credential_verification
>
> Nobody on that list has the right to use the Wikinews or Wikimedia trademarks
> in a way that would suggest any official status to the passes. Thus those names
> and logos can not be used on the passes without either Foundation or a local
> chapter approval and oversight.
>
> Either the foundation should officially get involved with handing out
> credentials, or the nonsense going on at Wikinews should stop.