[Foundation-l] Update (was Re: The systematic and codified bias against non-Western articles on Wikinews)

Shii shii at shii.org
Wed Sep 7 04:14:57 UTC 2011


I wasn't going to update this situation, but it's funny enough that I
decided I have to.

Wikinews does seem quite dead recently. As far as I can tell, there
are only two users online in the past four days! The other one is
someone named User:Bddpaux, who informed me:

"You have to slowwwwwwly gain respect here. It will be given, but it
must be earned. I'm not yet a reviewer and I'm merely HOPING to become
a credentialled reporter here sometime this year"

"As someone who's really had to GRIND IT OUT for each rung I've earned
here.....IMHO Xe could stand to show a modicum of humility at this
point."

Apparently he is not yet allowed to set the "checked" flag on
articles, but has worked very hard for a number of months to achieve
whatever ranks and titles he lays claim to.

Isn't a wiki administrator just an editor with a mop? That's how I
treat my privileges on Wikipedia. I have never threatened other
editors with blocking over policy disputes, or demanded that they show
"humility" towards me. The hierarchy on Wikinews seems to be
authoritarian and pervasive.

In any case, User:Pi zero, the guy who failed my article, has now
blocked me for "vandalism". I am not a typing student and don't have
any gay friends (c.f.
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Friends_of_gays_should_not_be_allowed_to_edit_articles
) so it's not at all clear to me what the word "vandalism" means in
this context.

Okay, I'm done with Wikinews now, so that's all-- for real this time.

Shii



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