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Latest comment: 13 years ago by Geofferybard in topic My edits on lede of bin Laden article
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I am attempting a Dispute resolution at [[Wikinews:Dispute resolution/Brian McNeil and Mattisse]] and I am soliciting your input as to the problem. I urge you to give feedback. Soliciting input is the next step in the Dispute resolution process. Please do! Regards, [[User:Mattisse|Mattisse]] ([[User talk:Mattisse|talk]]) 00:04, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
I am attempting a Dispute resolution at [[Wikinews:Dispute resolution/Brian McNeil and Mattisse]] and I am soliciting your input as to the problem. I urge you to give feedback. Soliciting input is the next step in the Dispute resolution process. Please do! Regards, [[User:Mattisse|Mattisse]] ([[User talk:Mattisse|talk]]) 00:04, 6 May 2011 (UTC)
:In all honesty, I thought that Brian basically runs the joint and that he probably created wikinews or inherited the keys to the kingdom from whoever set this website up. I scanned some of the dispute resolution page and IMO there is no winning. I have been chilling and seriously doubting that I will be able to put behind me what happened to my contribution, which was thrown in the trash after a huge row. I was particularly annoyed that my user page and my talk page were then blanked as if to cover up the fact that I basically scooped the other contributors to wikinews, my article was declined on very questionable grounds, and then the slightest tone of sarcasm in my reply to Brian was siezed upon as a basis to put a 72-hour block on my account which was so controversial that other wikinews admins cut it back. In the final analysis, those who had seniority here were utterly unwilling to admit that the system was imperfect, that it had failed to cultivate my contribution into "print", and that it needed to increase the number of reviewers and streamline getting articles published.
:In all honesty, I thought that Brian basically runs the joint and that he probably created wikinews or inherited the keys to the kingdom from whoever set this website up. I scanned some of the dispute resolution page and IMO there is no if the and a .


On the other hand, I found Brian to be motivated by a sincere desire to make Wikinews into a respected journalistic website and clearly intending to make his mark in journalistic history. Although he seems to be very impetuous and not particularly sensitive to building team spirit, especially for new people, he might develope or, on the other hand, find people who are willing to endure his blistering sarcasm and his condescending attitude. On the plus side, he seems to be honing genuinely useful knowledge skills and abilities which could in the final analysis be part of a successful formula.
I found Brian to be motivated by a sincere desire to make Wikinews into a respected journalistic website and clearly intending to make his mark in journalistic history. Although he seems to be very impetuous and not particularly sensitive to building team spirit, especially for new people, he might develope or, on the other hand, find people who are willing to endure his blistering sarcasm and his condescending attitude. On the plus side, he seems to be honing genuinely useful knowledge skills and abilities which could in the final analysis be part of a successful formula.


Basically my own decision to try, yet again, to make a meaningful contribution to this wiki despite the lousy experience I had with the start up is conditioned upon finding a particular news story that I want to put out so badly that I am willing to bite the bullet and take my chances with the wikinews process despite the likelihood of 'deja vu all over again'.


you , to , and . You, such as I suppose I myself at this point am doing, will be in a position to make your point by going on strike for a limited time period. Then, when you return, it would be a clean start.
I actually did attempt a second submission, a relatively minor piece about a developement in US internet law. Brian simply declined the story with his aphorism "you're not in Kansas anymore". I found that to be a telling remark, considering that New York is the home of the largest English language publishing industry in the world, including London, and the article was with respect to internet publishing law in the US Federal Circuit that pertains to New York City. And, as someone writing from the Los Angelos area, which is not exactly Wichita, I thought the fact that Brian dismissed my work with the remark from the Wizard of Oz says more about British sense of superiority than it says about my work. After all, the Wizard of Oz is a piece of American fiction. And the City of Angels may not be London, but NYC is not exactly a fishing village on the Thames, and if Brian wants to run the most interested people off his wiki by implying that they are childish, undeveloped and rural hicks beneath consideration as potential wikinews journalists, he may succeed in reducing wikinews contributor staff to a circle of bossy insiders and cowed submissive collaborators who are willing to take a lot of personal insults for the privilege of posting on wikinews.

The bottom line is you probably need to take a deep breath, realize that Brian is not going to apology, publicly, and take some time off, write for some other entity, and at some later point decide whether you would be willing to come back and let by gones be by gones. Because the one thing that does not occur in these situations is that no one, not even Biran, ever really thinks they the administrative insiders here are absolutely correct in their handling of these conflicts, and later, even if they are not willing to publicly accept responsibility for their errors, or to apologize, it is probably implicit. In other words, if you withdraw for a few months, like I am doing, myself, and only after a distinct hiatus re-enter the fold, everyone is automatically on notice that you are willing to go on strike. And they know that if they clique up and run you ragged with snide remarks, blocks, unfair criticism, and so forth, that you are not going to waste energy with any further arguing. You have other things you can do with your time.

Later, you can return, continue to work, and every one will get the picture. You, such as I suppose I myself at this point am doing, will be in a position to make your point by going on strike for a limited time period. Then, when you return, it would be a clean start.


IMO, it's a power struggle within WMF that British admins and bureacrats are very stubborn and it reaches a point where there is no point banging your head against a wall. Learn Spanish or French or Chinese or Japanese and make friends on wikinews.wherever because the "British humour" is a nice way of saying "British stubborness" and there is no gainsaying it.
IMO, it's a power struggle within WMF that British admins and bureacrats are very stubborn and it reaches a point where there is no point banging your head against a wall. Learn Spanish or French or Chinese or Japanese and make friends on wikinews.wherever because the "British humour" is a nice way of saying "British stubborness" and there is no gainsaying it.

Revision as of 00:09, 7 May 2011

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I am soliciting your input please!

I am attempting a Dispute resolution at Wikinews:Dispute resolution/Brian McNeil and Mattisse and I am soliciting your input as to the problem. I urge you to give feedback. Soliciting input is the next step in the Dispute resolution process. Please do! Regards, Mattisse (talk) 00:04, 6 May 2011 (UTC)Reply

In all honesty, I thought that Brian basically runs the joint and that he probably created wikinews or inherited the keys to the kingdom from whoever set this website up. I scanned some of the dispute resolution page and IMO there is no resolution if the issue is personalized and made into a dualistic win/lose game.

I found Brian to be motivated by a sincere desire to make Wikinews into a respected journalistic website and clearly intending to make his mark in journalistic history. Although he seems to be very impetuous and not particularly sensitive to building team spirit, especially for new people, he might develope or, on the other hand, find people who are willing to endure his blistering sarcasm and his condescending attitude. On the plus side, he seems to be honing genuinely useful knowledge skills and abilities which could in the final analysis be part of a successful formula.


The bottom line is you probably need to take a deep breath, realize that Brian is not going to apologize, publicly, and take some time off, write for some other entity, and at some later point decide whether you would be willing to come back and let by gones be by gones. You, such as I suppose I myself at this point am doing, will be in a position to make your point by going on strike for a limited time period. Then, when you return, it would be a clean start.

IMO, it's a power struggle within WMF that British admins and bureacrats are very stubborn and it reaches a point where there is no point banging your head against a wall. Learn Spanish or French or Chinese or Japanese and make friends on wikinews.wherever because the "British humour" is a nice way of saying "British stubborness" and there is no gainsaying it.

So, you asked, that's my opinion. Geofferybard (talk) 20:41, 6 May 2011 (UTC)Reply

My edits on lede of bin Laden article

Please review my edits on that article before gettin' mad. Matisse asked, I gave my opinion, and that closes the issue as far as I am concerned. The bin Laden story IMO benefited from my dozen or so edits so I don't think we have to go back to infighting. Matisse has done a lot for this wiki and probably when things cool down he will continue to do so. Geofferybard (talk) 21:17, 6 May 2011 (UTC)Reply