Always link to a reliable source #
All Newsline posts must have a link to a reliable source. These sources include, but are not limited to:
- Newspaper websites
- TV news reports
- YouTube videos
- Biographies
- Blog, Twitter and Facebook posts from the subjects themselves
Please note that sites like Wikipedia, Biography.com, imdb.com are not a suitable sources for Newslines posts. If you are using Wikipedia as a research tool please check the References section at the bottom of the page.
Newsworthiness, not truth #
Newslines is not as concerned as Wikipedia about the reliability of the source. While Wikipeida is concerned about the truth of an event, newslines is only interested in what has been reported about the event, even if it is not true.
Newslines is not only for the reporting of facts, but also claims. Claims must still have been reported in reliable sources. However each source must be judged on its merits: Reliable sources like CBS make mistakes (Rathergate), and unreliable sources like The National Enquirer can break important stories (John Edwards affair).
We can generally trust that if a story is repeated by multiple major newspapers it actually happened. However we should be wary of fringe blogs and people trying to promote a particular viewpoint that has not been highlighted by a mainstream source,
No original research #
Original research is where a writer uses Newslines to express their own theory of what happened. They can do this in several ways:
- Writing their own version of events into the post, unsupported by any source. Unsourced material will not be approved.
- Writing their own version of events, supported by their own blog (blog spam). Poorly sourced material will not be approved.
- Writing a version of events that comes from a fringe blog. This will depend on the story. Claims should be marked as Claim:
Claim: Diana driver took drugs before crash
Claim: Third gunman shot at Kennedy
No fake or parody news #
We will not approve fake or parody news, unless it is newsworthy in its own right. For example, if a celebrity makes a parody video. You risk being banned form the site if you deliberately post fake news.
Always link on the verb #
Place the link on the VERB. In these examples the linked word is bolded:
Cobain’s body is found in his home
Clooney announces his engagement
The reason for this is that Newslines will automatically link people’s names, so it is best to avoid making a link on the name
