View source for Wikipedia:How the Current events page works

The '''[[Portal:Current events|Current events portal]]''' and associated pages contains news listed on a daily basis with a link to background articles. Of primary importance are ''events''. In addition, ''trends'' and ''developments'' are also listworthy.

==Summary of edit instructions==
This section contains the brief summary of edit instructions that is automatically shown when editing the [[Portal:Current events|Current events portal]], and is found at [[Portal:Current events/Edit instructions]]: {{:Portal:Current events/Edit instructions}}

==How the current events portal helps Wikipedia==
This portal attracts visitors seeking information about topics that are big at the moment, resulting in an increased readership and improvement of Wikipedia articles related to such topics.

==Scope and relation to Wikinews==
Unless otherwise specified, this content deals with [[Portal:Current events/Inclusion|Current events day by day]]. For more information about '''[[Template:In the news|the concise template]]''' which is visible on the [[Main Page]] of Wikipedia, see [[Wikipedia:In the news]].

The [[Portal:Current events]] page also contains [[Portal:Current events/Sidebar|Boxes in right sidebar]].

===Wikipedia is ''not'' a news service===
In contrast to [[n:Main Page|Wikinews]], the purpose of Wikipedia does not include writing about breaking news stories. Rather, Wikipedia has its own notability criteria ([[Wikipedia:Notability]]). One very significant danger is that news articles must be kept ''current'' in order to remain accurate. Wikipedians might begin a news article and then simply lose interest in the topic, whereupon the article becomes inaccurate. In short, we aren't set up to be an amateur news organization, and we shouldn't try to compete with professional news organizations.

Moreover, [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia is not a collection of primary source material]].  Direct first-hand reporting of current events is [[primary source]] material. Wikinews accepts primary source material, however, and is a repository of such primary source material that is there for Wikipedia to cite. 

Wikinews can also be cited in its capacity as an [[wikt:amalgam|amalgam]] of primary sources.  Citing a news summary article on Wikinews, which in its turn cites the multitude of news sources that it is summarizing, can save Wikipedia the trouble of citing the long list of news sources directly itself.

===Short entries===
Entries on ''Current events'' are brief summaries of the topic at hand, preferably no more than 30 - 40 words. For more information, links are given to one or more Wikipedia articles, as well as one or more external news articles.

===Wikipedia is a news backgrounder===
Many news topics are notable enough to fulfill [[Wikipedia:Notability|the notability criteria]] for becoming Wikipedia articles, while some only have specific articles in for example [[Wikinews]]. In any case, Wikipedia contains articles on the background of related topics. For example, Wikipedia does not only include an article on the [[Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif]], but also to the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]] and [[Mazar-i-Sharif]].

Wikipedia and Wikinews complement each other in this respect.  Just as Wikinews can provide or collate primary source material on current events for Wikipedia, saving Wikipedia trouble, Wikipedia can provide in-depth background articles to Wikinews about people, places, and things in the news, saving Wikinews the trouble of writing, and maintaining, backgrounders. In contrast, professional news organizations have no encyclopaedia as a sibling project to call upon.

==Notability==
Significance of a subject follows the same rules as for "[[Template:In the news|In the news]]" on the [[Main_Page|main page of Wikipedia]] (although [[Portal:Current events]] is slightly more [[Meta:Inclusionism|inclusionist]]). See: [[Wikipedia:In the news#Significance]].

On the other hand, the existence of a Wikipedia article specifically about the topic is not necessary for making a [[Portal:Current events]] entry, but there should be a link to a more or less related Wikipedia article. Even if an event does not merit a separate Wikipedia article, it can often be included in broadly scoped articles such as [[List of terrorist incidents in {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}]] or [[{{CURRENTYEAR}} Atlantic hurricane season]].

Inclusion of an event does not mean that every similar type of event is notable. For example, after a major earthquake, even an aftershock thereof needs its own consideration of its impact before inclusion.

==Page creation==
The bot account [[User:Cyberbot I|Cyberbot I]] creates a 'blank' current events page for the following day at 03:30 UTC, so wiki users will never have to create the page themselves. The 'blank' page is created with the following code:
<pre>
{{Current events|year=2018|month=06|day=10|content=

<!-- All news items below this line -->
*
<!-- All news items above this line -->}}
</pre>
Which looks like this:
{{Current events|year=2018|month=06|day=10|content=

<!-- All news items below this line -->
*
<!-- All news items above this line -->}}

{{Collapse top|title=Instructions for initialising page if the bot has failed to|left=yes|bg=#eaecf0}}
The instructions below this only apply ''if the bot has been disabled''.

If you reached this page via the current date box's "edit" link, check whether the portal box has already been initiated, and already contains the following (parsed) wiki code (use copy/paste from the code below, if necessary, to correct any syntax errors):

<pre>
{{Current events|year={{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}|month={{subst:CURRENTMONTH}}|day={{subst:CURRENTDAY}}|content=
<!-- All news items below this line -->
*
<!-- All news items above this line -->}}
</pre>

Then save the page, before adding any news items. This will help insure the new day displays according to the current events portal design.

<small>''Note that the above items:'' '''CURRENTYEAR''', '''CURRENTMONTH''', and '''CURRENTDAY''', ''all will display as '''positive [[integers]]''' once the page is saved.<br>For example, the code to generate '''March 27, 2009 (Friday)''' in the box should appear as'' {{code|<nowiki>{{Current events|year=2009|month=3|day=27|content=...</nowiki>}}</small>
{{Collapse bottom}}

==Categories==
News items should always be added with categories. The categories are as follows:
{{flatlist|<b>
* Arts and culture
* Armed conflicts and attacks
* Business and economy
* Disasters and accidents
* Health and environment
* International relations
* Law and crime
* Politics and elections
* Science and technology
* Sports
</b>}}
News items which do not fit into any of the above categories shouldn't be added.

==Setting the context==
It is customary, if possible, to indicate the context for a story at the start of the line. A good (hypothetical) example would be:
* [[SCO v. IBM Linux lawsuit]]
** SCO Group files subpoenas for [[Richard Stallman]] and [[Linus Torvalds]]. (1)

The ''context'' string, ''SCO v. IBM Linux lawsuit'', links to a story on the relevant topic. This is ideal but not always possible.

Here is another good example:
* [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
** A hard-hitting [[United Nations]] report says that [[Israel]] will effectively annex large areas of [[State of Palestine|Palestinian territory]] as a result of the permits it intends to issue to Palestinians near the controversial "security wall" currently being erected in the West Bank. (''The Baz Post'')

===The context is ''not'' the geographical location===
For example, this is incorrect:
* [[Saskatchewan]]
** The NDP government of Lorne Calvert is returned to power with a majority government in the general election. (2)

However, this is correct:
* [[Saskatchewan general election, 2003]]
** The NDP government of Lorne Calvert is returned to power with a majority government. (2)

as is this:
* [[Politics of the Netherlands]]
** The [[first Balkenende cabinet]] resigns. Because of the constant internal fighting in the new party [[Lijst Pim Fortuyn|LPF]], the other two governing parties, [[Christen Democratisch Appèl|CDA]] and [[VVD]], decided that continuing the [[coalition government|coalition]] was impossible. It seems almost certain that there will be new elections, possibly as early as December. (3)

This is incorrect:
* [[Solar System]]
** The [[Sun]] surprises astronomers by launching another [[solar flare]], this time the largest ever recorded. (4)
The ''Solar System'' is the location, not the context. This is better:
* The [[Sun]] surprises astronomers by launching another [[solar flare]], this time the largest ever recorded. (4)

===The context is ''not'' the subject===
This is incorrect context:
* [[Jessica Lynch]]
** A new book claiming to reveal details of her capture and captivity. She was supposedly treated brutally, as the author claims was evinced by her physical condition, and, according to medical records, he says, was anally raped. The book says some Iraqi doctors said Lynch was virtually dead. However, Lynch has since stated that she does not recall any sexual assault and was "adamantly opposed to including the rape claim in the book", but that Bragg wore her down and told her that "people need to know that this was what can happen to women soldiers." (5)

Why? Because ''Jessica Lynch'' is the entry's subject, not its context. It would be better to rewrite it with a context like this:
* A new book claims to reveal details of [[Jessica Lynch]]'s capture and captivity. She was supposedly treated brutally, as the author claims was evinced by her physical condition, and, according to medical records, he says, was anally raped. The book says some Iraqi doctors said Lynch was virtually dead. [1] However, Lynch has since stated that she does not recall any sexual assault and was "adamantly opposed to including the rape claim in the book", but that Bragg wore her down and told her that "people need to know that this was what can happen to women soldiers." (5)

Yet another problematic emphasis of subject over context:
* [[Outer space|Space]]
** After 26 years, and at a distance from Earth of over 8 billion miles, ''[[Voyager 1]]'' exits the Solar System. It is expected to keep on transmitting into the 2020s. (6)

To restore emphasis to the context, try something like this:
* [[Voyager program]]
** After 26 years, and at a distance from [[Earth]] of over 8 billion miles, ''[[Voyager 1]]'' exits the [[Solar System]]. It is expected to keep on transmitting into the 2020s. (6)

==Timezones==
* List, if possible and appropriate, local time and [[UTC]] for events. For example, if an earthquake takes place, it is useful to have both a common reference (i.e. UTC) and the local time, so as to be able to place it in context (rush hour, lunchtime, etc.). Otherwise prefer local time, but both may be used. Events are always put under the date in the local time zone.

For example, if an earthquake hits New Zealand February 22 at 12:51 local time (February 21 23:51 by UTC), the item should be added to February 22:
* [[2011 Canterbury earthquake]]
** An magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes the region of [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]], [[New Zealand]], at 12:51 local time on February 22 (23:51 UTC today) killing 65 people and injuring hundreds more. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10707996 (''New Zealand Herald'')]

==Other guidelines==
* Avoid editorials and opinion pieces laden with '''[[Wikipedia:POV|point-of-view]]'''.
* Avoid '''[[sensationalism]]''' wherever it makes the entry less accurate, clear or concise (such as addition of "...for the first time in history"). Every listed event can practically be described as a first for a specific location and/or situation.
* Similarly, generally avoid comparison to any '''previous event''', such as ''"Largest in in the region since [year]"''. Previous events is generally out of scope of the page, and confers a [[publication bias]] favoring regions with a low frequency of similar events. 
* Log news events as '''complete sentences''', in the present tense. Generally use the [[Article (grammar)|indefinite article]] ''an'' or ''a'' for events rather than ''the'' (which is used by sensationalist news to imply that readers should already know about the event).
* Each entry must have at least one working link to a '''[[Wikipedia:Reliable sources|reliable source]]'''.  Avoid deprecated sources or sources marked as generally unreliable; see [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources#Sources]] for a list.
* If a news item is part of a larger event, list it under a '''subheader''' consisting of a link to the larger event. Don't create subheaders linking to general topics or lists.
* Stories added to the main portal page should be of '''international interest'''. Stories of only regional or topical interest belong in their appropriate sub-pages, if any.
* Avoid '''non-events''' (i.e. a news story that something did '''not''' happen, rather than a story about something that did happen) and speculation without a very good reason.  Regions preparing for hurricane landfall or major, credible reports on the future (from the IPCC, say) are probably fine.  A person not being charged with a crime, rumors of an event being canceled or postponed, or speculation about the future effects of a law, probably not.
* Do not list '''ordinary deaths''' of prominent persons here. That's what [[recent deaths]] is for. Exceptions to this rule are made for prominent persons who [[died in office]] (such as [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[Omar Bongo]]) or other instances where the death in itself has a major impact.
* Wikipedia policies concerning [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|'''biographies''' of living persons]] (BLP) should be followed, including [[WP:BLPNAME]] and [[WP:BLPCRIME]].
* '''English language''' news stories are preferred, though foreign language sources can be used if English-language coverage is unavailable.
* For each item, please update the most relevant linked '''Wikipedia article''' if appropriate.
* Please avoid links to '''subscription-only''' sites such as [[AOL]] or [[The Wall Street Journal|WSJ]] (except in the unlikely event that a story is covered substantially better there than anywhere else).

==See also==
* [[Template:In the news]], mainly a more concise list, visible on the [[Main]] page. Its guidelines are located at [[Wikipedia:In the news]]

[[Category:Main Page help|Current Events]]
[[Category:Current events portal]]