Wikipedia talk:In the news/Archive 1

message: Konqueror has a problem when viewing this section of the Main Page: it displays texts of the events with the same width as the text of the first event, showing large blank area below the image. I have changed sample template on this page so that it is displayed properly in Konqueror. Is it acceptable? How does it looks in other browsers? Nikola 09:42, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Konqueror 

message: This page is about suggestion for Main Page, section In the news:
* Week  June 2004, from 9th to 13th:
I suggest include information about human cloning, specially in the UK. Seee http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,9865,1280916,00.html
(User:Mac)
❝Sverdrup❞ 11:22, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  From ''Main Page News'' 

message: Is this really major news? Looks more like Serbian local news. I don't really think it belongs here.  (Anárion) 13:15, 12 Sep 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Serbian evolution crisis 

message: Just to let everyone know - I have a rough draft for tomorrow's ITN to include the European software protests. It's a bit out of the ordinary in that (a) the image it uses is horizontal instead of verital, and (b) it has an external link (to the official protest site). →Raul654 18:04, Apr 13, 2004 (UTC)
I removed this:
:
:* Numerous websites close in protest of European Union legislation to expand software patents. Offical protest site.
I think this issue is insignificant (especially when compared to all the other articles). Would you see this on the front page of a paper newspaper? This is not Slashdot. And don't forget: 
:Please do not add stories to this page that have not had their articles updated yet in light of the story. Do not add links to stubs or poor quality articles.
Kent Wang 04:52, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Software protests

message: Sorry, User:Simonides, i don't mean to keep editing what you have posted.  It's not another silly edit war.
IMO, "... has died aged 95 ..." really sounds awkward to me, hence my changes.  I feel strongly that "...has died at age 95 ..." is better ("... has died at the age of 95 ..." is even better, but it's too long), and I wonder if the past participle "aged" is misused here.  I also thought about ending the sentence after the word "died" to 'weasel' out. (The place of death is not important, anyway.)  However, I am not going to edit it again, in case my grammar is wrong.
Have a nice day, or evening wherever you are.
-- PFHLai 06:31, 2004 Aug 6 (UTC)
:Thanks for the explanation; I guess it's merely a matter of personal choice. The alliteration in "died aged" could be avoided, but IMO it's at least tighter than "at age" - the latter seems more appropriate for youthful accomplishments, ex. "won a medal at only 17". -- Simonides 06:47, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The OED says that the "aged" terminology is used specifically for a horse. Note also that this is not a wine, etc. - Centrx 20:59, 6 Aug 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Re: "Why do you keep re-inserting "at age 95"? 

message: <satire>There is a space bias in the ITN section.  2 out of 4 articles are about space.  I demand that they be removed and something relating to the real world be added. </satire> Gentgeen 02:27, 1 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Space bias 

message: Golbez removed the reference "pictured right", saying "we never had 'pictured right' before and i don't remember it being discussed.. seems to artificially lengthen the item" — actually, see Image notation above. Mateo SA | talk 23:17, Oct 9, 2004 (UTC)
:Yeah, okay, I was wrong. :P This has already been pointed out to me. Stop rubbing it in, meanies. :) --Golbez 23:37, Oct 9, 2004 (UTC)
: Yeah, it's often been left out, but ought to be in there. - Centrx 19:35, 10 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Pictured right" 

message: “Sarah Michelle Gellar admits to charges of Regis Philbining her parents.” — What does this mean? There's nothing about what this might mean on Sarah Michelle Gellar. The edit summary say it's a test, is it a joke or something? --64.36.233.199 21:44, 25 Oct 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: My test had to take place on the Main Page, it was a test of the main page.  I found a glitch earlier that took to the “View Source” for the main page when I typed in http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?Title=Template:In_the_news&action=edit and I thought that Template:In the news might be protected now.  Also, I was testing how long it took for the so-called “vandalism”—It was not vandalism—to be reverted.  10 minutes.  Not bad. Let's not make a big deal out of this, it was a one-time test.  RFC me if you will, but let's leave it at that. — El Chico! Talk 12:12, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: You could have just asked somebody else first… sjorford 14:26, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Ask somebody else what?  If there was a glitch?  How long it took for a revert?  Some things just have to be tested…this was one of them. — El Chico! π 15:47, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Let me put it simply...it's the Main Page. It's the most viewed page on WP, and the first one that all casual visitors see. It doesn't look good if our "In the news" section contains gibberish. As for what you could ask...well, yes, just ask if anyone else is seeing the same problems as you. Who knows, perhaps somebody else already tested it? We're a community, you know, people do talk to each other. sjorford 08:06, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Regis Philbining" ? 

message: I hope our only source for the radiation leak story isn't an anonymous question on the Wikipedia:Reference desk. Why is this here, where did it come from? Rhobite 15:40, Nov 9, 2004 (UTC)
:Nothing on Sky, nothing on TCH (major Irish newspaper company), nothing on the Irish Times, etc.
:Hoax, anyone?
:Kiand 15:49, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Radiation leak 

message: The term Anti-French violence is linked to Anti-French sentiment which itself is a redirect to Anti-French sentiment in the United States, not in any way relevent. How can I edit the page to remove this mistake? --212.76.39.1
I removed the listing for now, because the article had a single line of information on the current violence—less than the summary did.  It looks silly when we have a news story with a bolded link inviting people to click through for information, and then there isn't actually any information there.  IMO, the sequence should go: 1) See a news story; 2) write a detailed article about it; 3) add it to "in the news".  People seem to do 3 before 2 though. --Delirium 21:27, Nov 12, 2004 (UTC)
:No. The sequence is 1) See a news story; 2) update relevant Wikipedia articles (or possibly create a new one); 3) add it to Current events.
:4) For the same or a different user later, once the item has been on current events for a bit (for people to amend): add to "in the news".
:If its a really important story and people are really sure of themselves (one thinks the updated content is good and encyclopaedic), then 3 and 4 can probably safely be merged.
:There are of course no hard and fast rules (as with everything in Wikipedia), but I believe the above fits with the guidelines, and it seems logical to me. zoney ♣ talk 21:45, 12 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[Côte d'Ivoire]] 

message: Reports indicate we now have full control of Fallujah (Woohoo!). Please update. - Calmypal 01:11, Nov 14, 2004 (UTC)
:"We"? The page has been protected. Besides, ITN only includes news items where the relevant articles have been updated to reflect the news. — David Remahl 01:34, 14 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fallujah 

message: The Bhopal story should be in the anniversary section, not 'In the news' section, I'm going to replace it with Iran's halt on nuclear enrichment. Neutralisation 02:41, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Did you read the BBC article like you were asked to? There's a slight possibility you'd know what you were talking about if you did. -- Simonides 21:30, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)

text: The post deals with a new investigation into poisoning occuring right now. It's unquestionably news. --119 04:15, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bhopal story. 

message: # Look for headlines on the BBC or Yahoo News pertaining to regions other than the US, US areas of interest (Iran, North Korea, etc) and UK.
# Help to avoid systemic bias by finding important articles about these ignored regions, unless there is a VERY important article that relates to a completely new event rather than some record in a long, ongoing process (ex. invasion) in the above named regions. Remember that not more than one headline per country is allowed. 
# Update as per guidelines, etc.
A good suggestion would be to post major headlines from different countries on a separate page as and when you see them (perhaps Current Events, or this Talk page) and other editors can check them out before adding new headlines and updating the relevant Wikipedia articles. See the wealth of information, for example, on : BBC - Europe, Yahoo - Latin America, Yahoo - Africa and so on; these are all good places to start though you should by no means restrict yourselves to those sources, unless they are not as reliable. -- Simonides 22:25, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: As I mentioned above, this map is a good way of viewing the biases of places like Google News and the other major news outlets. Reload that page a few times to get an idea of the biases involved. Often something significant, affecting millions of lives, is taking place on one of the blue areas of the map, and it only gets a passing mention in the 'international' press. - Xed 02:37, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  How to edit the template 

message: Hold on a second, we're actually giving an ODB obituary top placement on the main page? Above the resignation of four US cabinet members? I disagree with this, he hasn't produced anything notable in years. It's a shame but it isn't front-page news. Rhobite 00:21, Nov 16, 2004 (UTC)
:I agree. - Ta bu shi da yu 00:46, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Who put ODB back? 

message: And yet again the ITN template is protected, it saddens me to see the hard work me and others invest in keeping this section balanced and up to date made impossible. Simonides, I support the intent of your actions, put the means and the result are both depressing and unfruitful. We should work towards a balance based on policy, but the ITN is but a small section which sometimes makes it a tough effort. -- Solitude\talk 08:44, Nov 18, 2004 (UTC)
k, I'm here in talk. Now stop your pitiful revert war. (well, stop when it's unprotected) Consensus obviously doesn't exist, so rather than risk getting blocked for violating the three revert rule, if such an amendment to policy passes, how about, oh, I dunno, we discuss it? --Golbez 09:22, Nov 18, 2004 (UTC)
:The section has been discussed to death, but for the most part only by me, because the others shy away rather than admit their shortcoming/s. I only want to see if anyone has a good reason not to implement my suggestions, and it seems pretty clear there are none - hence the refuge in a distortion of "concensus" or "policies" . -- Simonides 22:00, 18 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  ITN protected 

message: Who the hell keeps on adding him and why the hell do they think his death is important in the slightest? The man died nearly a week ago it's old news, not new news and even if it was new news, I would still oppose adding him to ITN. He is insignificant, his death is insignificant and is made even more insignificant by the fact that whoever is trying to add him to ITN is removing other more appropriate and significant news to compensate. Whoever keeps adding him read what the template says "Only of international importance or atleast interest", ODB is neither of international importance nor interest, he's not really of international importance nor interest from an Entertainment news standpoint. 172.186.197.216 18:37, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ol' Dirty Bastard 

message: The file :Image:Newiraqflag.gif seems to have a POV message in one of its rotations.  It says "Governor Adolph Bush did it only for the oil!" in big red letters, as can be seen in a screenshot I just uploaded: :Image:Inthenewsscreenshot.png.  This image should be deleted and a new flag image should be made, preferably a png so this can be avoided.  I'm posting this on WP:IFD as well.
Telso 21:16, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: I've stripped the second frame from the animated gif and reuploaded as Image:Newiraqflag-2.gif , that should do it for now. Not sure about the copyright of the original image, though. - JohnyDog 21:28, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The similar :Image:Iraq_flag_large.png is apparently  from the CIA World Factbook .
Are you sure there was a problem with :Image:Newiraqflag.gif? I thought the problem was only in :Image:NewIraqflag.gif, which I have since deleted... Evercat 22:11, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)

text: The big image on the page itself is ok (not animated), however if you link it as thumbnail (look at the version of this template just before my edit and wait for minute) you'll still get the animated flag - maybe the thumbnail wasn't updated correctly, or there is bug somewhere linking thumbnail from the (deleted) image with capitalizes 'i' ? - JohnyDog 22:21, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Iraq Flag POV Message 

message: Can we please reserve "In the news" for at least slightly important events? - Fredrik | talk 22:22, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Winamp's contribution to digital audio can't be understated and millions of people around the world will be sad to see it wither away. So I know for next time, what's the test for importance because I only thought about putting it there after I saw at least a dozen articles on it in major newspapers when I ran it through Google News. Enochlau 22:33, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Just because it was featured in a major newspaper doesn't make it front page news, which I think is what this section is reserved for. Winamp news is likely page 6 news, at best, or "Electronics" section news. Which doesn't mean it isn't news, it just isn't deserving of a place on the top five or so new items of the moment. Unless it is a slow news day, maybe. Molasses. --Fastfission 19:35, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Winamp "news"

message: I have temporarily protected Template:In the news due to this revert war. Come on guys, it's about a newsreader. Please find something else to argue about, and keep it off the main page. - Mark 03:49, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: As I said to you on your user page, I sent the same message to all three users who reverted more than once. I did not single you out in particular, and I completely understand what you did (if I had not seen the history of reverts on this topic already, I would probably revert it too). I merely temporarily (i.e. 10 minutes at most) protected the page to stop the reverts from going any further, which it seems to have achieved. As I've said countless times before, I wish people would find more controversial topics to argue about than this. - Mark 04:07, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

text: Ta bu - regardless of whether or not it was appropriate of Mark to protect, I don't think it would be/was appropriate of you to unprotect, as you have been involved in the dispute.  Just my 2¢. BLANKFAZE | (что??) 04:45, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  In the news temporarily protected 

message: I've made a number of changes to the Ukraine story, but I'm a bit concerned by the way that story has been represented on ITN. It was far too long, for a start. It was also seriously inaccurate - Viktor Yanukovych is/was the Prime Minister of Ukraine, not the "incumbent president" - and there were too many typos. This really doesn't make Wikipedia look good. Could contributors please try to be more concise, to make sure the facts are right and that the stories are correctly spelled? -- ChrisO 20:54, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The inaccuracy was one specific instance (as you state), and was added by one specific contributor (and one other did not pick up the problem). I have been adding to the story, and would have fixed that immediately had I still been online at the time. As regards length - well, the current version is shorter - but not entirely accurate (the "consequences" threat was only from the EU - Colin Powell stated that the US could not accept the legitimacy of the result). My problem was that I did not want to represent only the US or EU viewpoint, and also I did not want to omit both statements from the ITN summary. I should point out also, that on Internet Explorer, with the image floating correctly, the ITN section was sufficiently short. The only problem is that the accompanying image creates blank space below in Firefox (thus requiring a much shorter piece if we have to accommodate that awkward formatting). zoney ♣ talk 22:35, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Accuracy and conciseness

message: I revised the Rwanda story for accuracy. This is the original text: The Rwandan army invades eastern Congo, attacking and burning villages. The last invasion started the Congo Civil War, which resulted in the deaths of 3–4 million people.
Congolese officials maintain they are being invaded on a daily basis, however UN observers from MONUC said, "A group of 100 men suspected of being Rwandan soldiers was seen by a MONUC patrol in Rutshuru this morning."  . A few sources like the BBC seem to be exaggerating calling this an invasion, disregarding the MONUC statement that they may have spotted Rwandan troops. --Dejitarob 17:34, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The MONUC chief, M'Hand Djalouzi, has said "Infiltration is nothing new but this is something else, it has the appearance of an invasion." And I don't see why the BBC would be exaggerating. - Xed 18:11, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: I was just in the process of adding that it is most likely Rwanda is invading DR Congo since its happened before and most recently Rwandan president has been citing Congo is sheltering Hutu rebels. Additionally, the UN SC pleaded a few days ago for Rwanda to not use military force. But my point is we need to refrain from conclusions until further evidence surfaces.--Dejitarob 18:26, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

text: I agree with Dejitarob that the wording was incorrect. At most just one side is saying that. Yet Xed's wording states it as fact. This is clear violation of our NPOV policy. But that is moot anyway, since the entry does not follow the guidelines for putting things on this page. Specifically, no article was updated with the new info, nor was any article highlighted. Thus that item was removed. --mav 19:59, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The BBC and the UN say there's an invasion. Do we have to wait till three million are dead to report it? Also, Congo Civil War has been updated to reflect news. - Xed 20:03, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: The BBC is reporting what the Congolese and the UN are saying. Your wording indicated as fact what the Congolese are saying. I fixed that. --mav 20:10, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: "Diplomats, Congolese authorities, humanitarian and religious sources have reported that Rwandan soldiers had actually crossed into the DRC." -  Are you waiting till you see them with your own eyes? - Xed 20:32, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

text: What are thousands fleeing from? Is it all a mirage?  - Xed 20:36, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

text: Article (Congo Civil War) was updated between reversions. - Xed 20:38, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rwanda post inaccurate 

message: By inserting, and then re-inserting the Rwanda story 4 times (1, 2, 3, 4), User:Xed is in violation of the Wikipedia:Three revert rule and is eligible to be blocked for up to 24 hours. -- Netoholic @ 20:33, 2004 Dec 1 (UTC)
:Article (Congo Civil War) was updated between reversions. - Xed 20:38, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Xed's reverts 

message: Serbia's interior minister says the "assassination attempt" on Serbia's president Boris Tadic was a case of road rage against his motor convoy in Belgrade traffic.  Just wanted to give a heads up so when the page becomes unprotected it can be changed to reflect this update.--Dejitarob 00:22, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Serbian president "assassination attempt" scare 

message: (See BBC) This is *enormously big* news in Latin America. Any chance of its being included?
:It's not obvious how to edit the In The News section. I have added it.--Gbleem 05:48, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: [[Lori Berenson]]

message: Regarding the back-and-forth about Hussein and Galloway, I've linked to Galloway's picture so perhaps that solves that. Ruy Lopez 15:35, 3 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Galloway and Hussein 

message: As far as I can tell, only Republicans are seriously questioning Kofi Annan's character.  The choice of words here is all wrong anyway, and shows strong bias; "under fire" and "admitting"?  It isn't sensible to use "admit" unless you're talking about guilt, and virtually nobody seems to believe he is guilty of anything.
: The first thing that happened after Norm Coleman got his headlines was that the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Permanent Investigations Subcommittee, Carl Levin of Michigan, split from his chairman to say there was no justification for calling on Annan to resign mid-investigation. 
Even Tony Blair, the United States' current closest ally supports Annan.  He is also backed by Jacques Chirac and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; in fact, he has unanimous support from the UN Security Council:
: "There was certainly a unanimous view that this was the right thing to do," Baali said.
: "Nobody in the room called for Kofi Annan's resignation. On the contrary, we all expressed our confidence in the secretary-general," said German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger. 
It is ridiculous to say Annan is under fire when there is only one group that views things in such polar terms.
: Chirac told a news conference he questioned the "hidden motives" of some of those who had spoken out against Annan.
: He added: "We in Europe hold Kofi Annan in high esteem and recognise his unstinting efforts in the cause of peace and democracy."
Unlike in the United States, European leaders generally do not cling to foolish beliefs.  --ᓛᖁ[ ᑐ] 18:43, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Despite your unnecessary and inflammatory final sentence, it appears that you are correct as regards criticism of Annan. There is, in fact, a single political leader - Repulican senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota - calling for his resignation. I have edited the item accordingly. Rdsmith4— Dan | Talk 19:48, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: That event (Coleman calling for Annan's resignation), as I recall happened several days ago. Are there any newer events happening in the world? or is it common for this template to have such old stories on it? -KS 23:02, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Kofi Annan "under fire" 

message: Enough already with the Scott Peterson story. We do not need the minutia of a single murder case in the whole world, added here simply because the US media focussed on it.
If it becomes an issue over international criticism of the US executing criminals, then it is of some relevance to the rest of tht world. At the moment, there is no reason why Wikipedians from any other country shouldn't add their country's murder trial.
zoney ♣ talk 10:27, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: A local murder trial, that happens to be on the front page of the BBC news word edition right now.  Oh, and the top stories page at CTV.ca, the World Latest page at the Guardian, the news page at CBC, the World News page at the Australian, and El Diario's front page. Gentgeen 12:37, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: It's top news in the US, that I do not deny. It is not on the BBC News front page (world edition) right now, and is in fact, only a side story even on the "Americas" section. This is entirely the weight I would suggest that should be accorded to it by any truly international news reporting. And certainly, with Wikipedia only having at most five stories, I do not agree that this should be one of them! zoney ♣ talk 12:50, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Local News 

message: The "cannibal" murderer story in Korea is sensationalist journalism at best. This is not "front page" news by any stretch of the imagination, even if the gruesome case is indeed newsworthy.
zoney ♣ talk 10:27, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: This one's on the International News page of the Irish Independant Online. Gentgeen 12:37, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Whoop-de-do, it's top of our parochial little newspaper. That's possibly somewhat unfair to the Indo (actually my preferred broadsheet), but the point I am making is that it is not necessarily the standard for what counts as one of the 3-5 most important international news stories. zoney ♣ talk 12:52, 14 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Sensationalism

message: I think these should be avoided as it sends out a bad message to new Wikipedians that copyright images can be used. Fair use images should always be a last resort. ed g2s • talk 20:35, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Coyright images on the front page

message: OK, the FBI internal memos recently obtained by the ACLU (see links below) are enormously important news. I wanted to put them up in the box — but I can't find any updated article (per the requirements) to link to. Can it really be possible that the revelations haven't reached the wikipedia yet; or am I just looking in the wrong place? Doops 06:17, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  FBI memos 

message: The David Blunkett article as far less certain in the fall from power section than this article suggests.--Jirate 00:15, 2004 Dec 23 (UTC)
:I know. I'm trying to improve it with a new David Blunkett scandal page, but it needs working up - and I haven't had time to add the Budd report details, or say anything about the biography. jguk 00:17, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Blunkett 

message: Whether eventually true or not, the fact that Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia made this statement is in itself newsworthy.  See http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/12/31/nation/9784484&sec=nation , or go to Google News and google the ambassador's name ( Rusdihardjo ). -- Curps 22:14, 31 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Indonesian ambassador's claim of eventual 400,000 dead in Indonesia