Panto season is here, and so is WikiNews, an editable news resource based on the principles behind Wikipedia. So we can look forward to back and forth arguments between stage and audience about what's behind us, stale jokes and hackneyed opinions, and actors from Neighbours as Puss in Boots.
As you can tell from the preceding paragraph, I'm sceptical. If I interact with a dictionary or encyclopedia, I know what I want to know. If I interact with a newspaper, I expect to be told what's important for me to know. If you look at the project's home page today, the latest news section is a hotchpotch of different stories in different stages of completion. Compare it with the front page of your local newspaper, and the difference is obvious.
I think the fundamental truth is that if Wikinews isn't going to be a current-affairs encyclopedia, it has to have some editorial control. The best citizen journalists in the world need editors - just look at the blogosphere.
9:42:56 PM 
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