[WikiEN-l] A definite version of WP:CRYSTAL

[Jay Litwyn]

Okay, so it is a fact that expert people are saying things that they cannot 
know. I am all over global warming projections, myself, and I do not think 
they are encyclopedic. They are the subject of endless debate over what the 
rate of increase in error is as you go into the future. The material that 
goes into those projections is much more important than what comes out of 
them. Weather history, economic history -- those are fine subjects for an 
encyclopedia. They must be condensed and made interesting with links and 
analysis. Found a trend? Sure. Display it. Extrapolating it should be an 
excercise left for the reader. Direction of wind in a high pressure zone 
north of the equator? Sure. Today's projected high in Timbuktu. Far too 
trivial. You would need megabytes of space for every day and our sources 
would be...um...lifted. We would be echoes.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Oskar Sigvardsson" <oskarsigvardsson at gmail.com>
To: <fredbaud at fairpoint.net>; "English Wikipedia" 
<wikien-l at lists.wikimedia.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] A definite version of WP:CRYSTAL


> On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 4:01 PM, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at fairpoint.net> 
> wrote:
>> So how should we treat this from the Fianancial Times:
>>
>> Merrill chief sees severe global slowdown
>>
>> By Greg Farrell in New York
>>
>> Published: November 11 2008 14:42 | Last updated: November 11 2008 20:06
>>
>> The global economy is entering a slowdown of epic prop­ortions comparable
>> with the period after the 1929 crash, John Thain, chairman and chief
>> executive of Merrill Lynch, warned on Tuesday.
>>
>> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/834ebf5e-aff9-11dd-a795-0000779fd18c.html
>>
>> What is true is not necessarily the underlying projection but the fact
>> that presumably expert people are saying these things.
>>
>> Fred
>
> Exactly. I see no reason for wikipedia not to say "The total scale of
> this crisis is as of yet uncertain, but several economists are
> projecting [whatever]", with references. Saying this isn't trying to
> predict the outcome, which wikipedia shouldn't be doing, it's just
> simply reporting what people are saying about the crisis. It provides
> neutral and relevant information.
>
> --Oskar
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