Verifiability and Neutral point of view (Transcript, fr)

Vous avez probablement déjà entendu parlé de Wikipédia. C'est une encyclopédie libre en ligne, construite par des gens comme vous et moi partout dans le monde. You might wonder how thousands of people build an encyclopedia together…

Bien, premièrement, Wikipédia est un wiki, un site Internet que tout le monde peut modifier. Donc, sur Wikipédia l'édition ou la création d'un article se fait d'un click sur un boutton. But for these contributions to remain in Wikipedia, they have to follow two basic rules.

La première est la vérificabilité. Avec d'autant de contributeurs, les articles de Wikipédia articles doivent être liés à des informations provenant de sources publiées tel que les livres ou les journeaux – resources known for fact-checking.

La citations des ressources dans les articles et les citations fait en sorte que les articles de Wikipédia articles sont factuel et de hautes qualités. S'il n'y a pas moyen de vérifier, cela ne peut pas être dans Wikipédia. For example, you can write that the US unemployment rate in 1935 was 20.1%, but you must also cite its source for it to remain in Wikipedia. In this case, numerous history books could be verifiable resources.

The second rule requires a neutral point of view. All Wikipedia material must be presented fairly and without bias, just like any other encyclopedia. This means Wikipedia is not a place for contributors to share their own opinions.

Let’s say you’re an advocate for vaccinations and you write “every parent should get their children vaccinated.” Unfortunately, this is biased and certain to cause disagreement. It can’t be in Wikipedia. However, published opinions of experts can be included. And if these opinions differ, the article should present all the major opinions without endorsing one over the other.

For example, writing that: “Vaccinating all U.S. children saves an estimated 33,000 lives.” and citing a reputable source is a statement of fact that can be verified.

And if there is an opposing view, it should also be included. For example, a quote from a reputable source like “critics claim that vaccinations have never benefited public health” helps to balance the article and keep it neutral.

By following these two rules, contributors can respect one another and help create a free encyclopedia, the largest encyclopedia in human history. Learn more at wikipedia.org.