Wikinews:Requests for permissions

Nominating myself as sysop who is frequently available to assist with editing pages in MediaWiki namespace if needed. See https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T378519 I can help with maintaining software and I also wanted to write a guided tour for new users. Thanks Gryllida (talk) 17:36, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Links for Gryllida: Gryllida (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

Thank you for your request for additional privileges. I appreciate the effort you're putting into improving Wikinews.

That said, I’ve noticed there are currently 48 pages marked for speedy deletion, 35 protected edit requests, and over 20 published articles awaiting archiving—tasks that require admin attention but seem to be falling behind.

I have three questions:

•   Question As an existing admin, how do you see your role in balancing these routine maintenance tasks, which are crucial to keeping the project running smoothly, with the development of new tools or features? Do you think prioritizing one over the other better serves the current needs of the community?

•   Question Has anyone volunteered to use your IRC bot that provides a similar, guided function?

•   Question You mentioned helping with technical issues. We currently utilize Flagged Revisions to control/protect published articles. However, Flagged Revisions is no longer supported (as mentioned here). Do you have any ideas for moving us away from Flagged Versions?

Thank you, —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 15:47, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1. Should be brought up at AAA. Someone else did these things before, and I was not involved. For example, I did not archive anarticle before. I am traveling so if a request was made within last 6 days I would not be aware. I will be at computer in about three days. If nobody asks at AAA then I do not have an awareness of what needs to be done.

2. A few people used it. Only once. It is pretty big barrier for a contributor to join IRC. Then once joined it does not save progress in the case the user has bad internet. Besides, almost nobody knows the IRC bot exists. If there is interest, we can make a page with a list of software that requires beta testing. Then the page could be advertised in sitenotice.

3. The linked discussion is too long, please give me a more specific link about flaggedrevs specifically.

3a. As far as I know enwp and ruwp used it before to prevent vandalism as it is more efficient than edit protecting pages in some cases. Gryllida (talk) 19:00, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1. Update: Speedy deletion mostly cleared; 'stale' is not a valid speedy deletion reason, whereas 'abandoned article with two days warning is' (as far as I know). Remaining inquiries: remaining speedy deletion requests, protected edit requests, and articles archival. Gryllida (talk) 01:37, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1. update: cleared speedy deletion category Gryllida (talk) 07:07, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•   Support * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 01:46, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
•   Support I have not seen your coding skills in practice but I fully trust that you will not disrupt anything and that if it turns out that there is a task that you can't complete then you will either ask for help or let someone else fix it. So I do not see a problem with you having the right. --MGA73 (talk) 07:01, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
•   Support Who should close this request and how are privileges assigned? It's been open for six weeks without any opposition. —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 01:08, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I now see that as a bureaucrat you can assign this right to yourself. I would like to update my support to state that I support the granting of privileges only if they are assigned temporarily and be removed on a stated date. This is based on the significant risk involved with InterfaceAdmin privileges and is not a judgement of your character or trustworthiness. In fact, the mere fact that you brought it here for a vote speaks well of both. —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 19:05, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

usually pep expire after 2 years of unuse of a privilege is this not sufficient here? Gryllida (talk) 19:08, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

we recently had requests: licence update on script, edut css for dark mode comparibility. i had optional: guided tours. seems like ongoing need, not a one off task. Gryllida (talk) 19:10, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•   Support -- We need an experienced interface admin to manage numerous pending tasks efficiently. They are active and capable. Asked42 (talk) 08:53, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nominating sysop who is frequently available to assist with editing pages in MediaWiki namespace if needed. See https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T378519 Thanks Gryllida (talk) 17:36, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

n.b. user is not a sysop currently which i thought they were Gryllida (talk) 18:53, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Links for George Ho: George Ho (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

Thanks, but I'm unsure whether I'm fully qualified for the work intended by the role. --George Ho (talk) 19:21, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• @Gryllida: why can't you do it? Leaderboard (talk) 16:29, 30 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  i can, i also applied. for fancy reason administrators used to be able to do it but then the system changed and it is a separate user right Gryllida (talk) 21:24, 30 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Would it not make more sense for George Ho to be an admin first? I have no doubt that he can be trusted but I have never seen someone be an InterfaceAdmin without being an admin. And given the comment "Thanks, but I'm unsure whether I'm fully qualified for the work intended by the role." I think it would make more sense to ask if George would help out being an admin instead. --MGA73 (talk) 07:08, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Gryllida, did you mean to nominate George Ho for just the permission "InterfaceAdmin" or for full admin? When I first saw the request, I assumed they were already admin but now I see they aren't. So like MGA73, I'm confused by the request. Can the limited privilege be assigned to a non-admin? Is there a specific problem you are hoping to address by giving these privileges when they weren't requested or seemingly desired by George Ho? —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 14:53, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I was also confused seeing the reply above. For clarification now I have inquired at George's talk page. Gryllida (talk) 23:31, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  (I was surprised to see they're not sysop yet. In my nomination I wrote that they are. My mistake. I didn't check beforehand.) Gryllida (talk) 23:32, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If I accept this nomination, shall the role be permanent or temporary? On the safer side, I prefer temporary, like three months, six months, one year, or... —George Ho (talk) 04:58, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It stays on until WN:PeP. You may request another expiry if you prefer. Gryllida (talk) 10:58, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

How do I request another expiry then? George Ho (talk) 18:18, 11 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Leave a note here in this comments page, and I am happy to apply the expiry as you requested. Gryllida (talk) 01:09, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

To clarify, are we voting to grant the InterfaceAdmin privilege temporarily and solely to address this Phabricator ticket? The request mentions "if needed," which raises some concerns. While this is not a reflection on George Ho's character or trustworthiness, it is worth noting that they have not been vetted by the community for any other elevated privileges. Given the significant power associated with InterfaceAdmin, I feel it is important to approach this decision cautiously.

Voters should understand exactly what InterfaceAdmin privileges include:

Interface administrators can edit CSS/JS pages that they do not own (that is, any page ending with .css or .js that is either in the MediaWiki: namespace or is another user's user subpage [emphasis added]).

additionally;

Editing CSS/JS that gets executed in other users' browsers is very powerful and potentially dangerous in the hands of a malicious user.

For this reason, it is crucial that the request clearly outlines the specific purpose and necessity of granting these privileges. Alternatively, Gryllida, who is already a trusted Bureaucrat, could temporarily assign the InterfaceAdmin role to herself to address the Phabricator ticket, which seems like a more straightforward and secure solution to achieve the desired outcome (assuming this is strictly to address the existing Phabricator ticket). —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 18:47, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not only for that ticket - for maintainance - as I cannot be the only one with access to edit essential site JavaScript. Gryllida (talk) 18:52, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•   Support * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 01:47, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  i'd support this one if candidate agrees Gryllida (talk) 08:06, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•   Support Pitille02 (talk) 04:00, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  This one is banned, please notice. Lemonaka (talk) 11:43, 2 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I don't understand what you are saying here. Who or what is banned? —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 18:48, 13 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I am nominating myself for adminship on English Wikinews to assist with maintenance tasks such as combating vandalism, managing page deletions, and ensuring smooth project operations. I am committed to upholding community policies, support collaboration, and addressing technical issues requiring administrative tools. Through my contributions to the Wikinews project, I aim to help maintain a reliable and well-organized platform. I appreciate your consideration and am happy to answer any questions. -- ꠢꠣꠍꠘ ꠞꠣꠎꠣ (talk) 22:37, 2 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Links for ꠢꠣꠍꠘ ꠞꠣꠎꠣ: ꠢꠣꠍꠘ ꠞꠣꠎꠣ (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

• Elect, yes vote, please help wikinews, thanks. BigKrow (talk) 22:39, 2 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Looks fine to me, but your username and userpage is unreadable on my laptop. Would you consider changing your username or providing instructions on which font to download so that your username is readable and not a bunch of squares? To be clear, this is optional. Leaderboard (talk) 15:20, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm nominating myself as a sysop on Wikinews, I've a sysop on English Wikiquote for a years and find there's lot of vandals here recently without being blocked on time. I'd like to help this project by becoming a sysop. I'm currently familiar with sysop tools and knowing the project's policy -- Lemonaka (talk) 02:27, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Links for Lemonaka: Lemonaka (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

• Given this wiki's lack of active admins, I do not see a problem with an anti-vandalism-only sysop, but I don't recall you tagging articles for deletions so not sure if I'm missing something. Leaderboard (talk) 04:46, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Hi Lemonaka, thank you for offering your help. I don't visit Wikiquote so I am not familiar with you. Could you please describe what you do at Wikiquote? Gryllida (talk) 05:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I did some maintenance works, some deletions, protections and blocking. I helped introduce admin mailing list to English Wikiquote on https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wikiquote:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Archive/039#Admins_mailing_list and related Phab ticket. I helped to do some CU request on meta. Lemonaka (talk) 06:31, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Would you like to also be more involved in news writing or editing? Gryllida (talk) 05:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Yes, this shall be responsibility, but I'd prefer to clean the mess currently. Lemonaka (talk) 06:32, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  What outstanding issues do you see? Gryllida (talk) 08:09, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Pardon? Lemonaka (talk) 02:00, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Please describe your techncial experience i.e. with edit filters, javascript, programming, advanced wiki markup. Gryllida (talk) 05:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I've learned to use edit filters, but I'm not so familiar with regex and still learning. I introduced a script called WD to English Wikiquote to report and give warning more conveniently. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/User:Lemonaka/WD.js Lemonaka (talk) 06:34, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Please describe your availability. Are you constantly available online every day? Gryllida (talk) 05:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I nearly online constantly, at least login once a day. You can check my global contribution for that. But I will be more active on about 8 a.m till 2 p.m.(UTC) Lemonaka (talk) 06:37, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Are you available only on-wiki, or also on some off-wiki means such as IRC or some social media? Thank you. Gryllida (talk) 05:36, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I checked email daily, and I seldom used social media. If has something emergency, I will get a notice on email. Lemonaka (talk) 06:38, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  If I was right, I didn't tag articles for VFD but I have tagged some Speedy. Lemonaka (talk) 06:24, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• That's all, thanks. Lemonaka (talk) 06:38, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• I have reservations granting admin access to a user with only 65 edits on en.WN. I do see anti-vandalism work (thank you) but no article work. Lemonaka has participated in a vote as well. To just accumulate 65 edits over two years and then request admin privileges might be a bit pre-mature and may not provide us enough of a history with which to make a decision.

  Question As an admin, how would you go about archiving published articles? What are the decision points to be made and what steps need to be taken? —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 13:54, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry for replying late, the process for archiving is on Wikinews:Archive_conventions, Any article which is published and dated no less than seven days from the current date should be archived per the process described below.

1. Remove outdated tags such as {{expand}} and {{breaking}}. Once protected an article cannot be expanded and thus this is confusing.
2. The { {{Archived}} tag should be added at the end of the article, preferably by putting {{Publish}}, {{Archived}} on individual lines, followed by the categories. Interwiki links to non-English Wikinews sites go last.
3. Articles should be given a final check for format, small style errors, proper categorisation, spelling, and similar minor points. Since all changes are reviewed, there should be no major problems outstanding at this time.

As for the decision points,
When, during times of slow output, the number of articles shown on the main page has dropped to just ten, archiving is usually suspended until additional articles are published. Lemonaka (talk) 12:58, 12 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

•   Oppose at this time. The thing is that I haven't really seen them around except in the last month or so, and hence I'm not seeing enough potential value right now. And for routine antivandalism alone, the global sysops tend to be really helpful in removing spam and vandalism so that makes their primary purpose kind of redundant. If their plan is to contribute by writing news articles and such, one doesn't need adminship for that. Leaderboard (talk) 14:40, 10 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I was encouraged to reapply for sysop by @Gryllida: on my talk page. I only intend to use the rights for routine antivandalism purposes (such as deleting pages - I've tagged hundreds of pages over the years, and have a fairly good understanding on what is and what isn't content plausibly suitable for Wikinews), and can help in technical stuff or abuse filters. I do not intend to create news articles or contribute on that front, however, though I may still make the odd copyedit or two.

P.S: I did apply for this back in 2019 or so with nearly the same rationale, but the community did not want an "anti-vandalism"-only sysop at that time. That's also why I didn't reapply for the right until now. Leaderboard (talk) 15:17, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Links for Leaderboard: Leaderboard (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

Thank you for volunteering. We desperately need more active admins. I have two questions:

•   Question Would you be willing to do more than just anti-vandalism work that is needed from admins? For example, we need admins to archive articles as part of routine maintenance.

•   Question You mentioned helping with technical work. We currently utilize Flagged Revisions to control/protect published articles. However, Flagged Revisions is no longer supported (as mentioned here). Do you have any ideas for moving us away from Flagged Versions? —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 15:18, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Michael.C.Wright

• That sounds like something that could/should be done by a bot flagged with admin rights, and indeed I think I should be able to code it up (for reference: I'm the author of a bot that runs on nearly 800 WMF wikis, namely the metawiki:Global reminder bot).
• I don't think Flagged Revisions is the main issue - it's actually something that's extensively used on my home wiki, namely English Wikibooks and as you can see on the Phabricator thread, there's been significant work done in reducing the convolutedness of that extension. As a result, my feeling is that it's here to stay. Something that's more important is this project's use of LiquidThreads (or LQT - mw:LiquidThreads) - that predates mw:Flow which itself is in the process of being removed. The community needs to get rid of it urgently, and the simplest way is to replace with regular talk pages - mw:DiscussionTools has made commenting on regular wiki pages considerably easier.

Leaderboard (talk) 15:29, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The archive template says that archival is done by a bot. Is this not the case? Gryllida (talk) 22:34, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Which archival template? Leaderboard (talk) 03:49, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the process: I randomly recalled seeing {{Archive-unreviewed}} on one of articles. I had another look and I see that this and many others were archived by hand. Can someone tell me the workflow for archival. What are the criteria? Is it supposed to occur 24 hours after publishing? Gryllida (talk) 04:23, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It's kind of a mess. I've seen the following:

• User:ArchiveBot_(usurped) automatically protecting pages - this was stopped at around 2008 or so.
• The article initially being semi-protected, and later fully-protected. This is how it works now, and it's completely manual. I think initially after publishing, it's semi-protected, and after a week or so, fully protected. That's the general approach.

Leaderboard (talk) 04:59, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Support BigKrow (talk) 17:41, 3 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Support We need more active and involved admins to support this project. The ability to code bots to do the tedious and mundane admin work is a force-multiplier. —Michael.C.Wright (^Talk/_Published) 16:07, 4 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Support It is a pleasure for me to work with Leaderboard. There are reasonable responses above including about flaggedrevs without jumping to assumptions or conclusions. Leaderboard is a technically competent user with clarity in communication including in challenging situations. There was a previous request for adminship which highlighted lack of involvement with other parts than spam, which was frowned upon; I consider the persistent involvement in this wiki as an indication of knowing the workflows and having an interest in improvement of constructive content here. Gryllida (talk) 22:41, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Support I have no doubt that Leaderboard can be trusted with admin rights. And I think it is clear that Wikinews can use more active users with admin rights. --MGA73 (talk) 06:47, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Pre-emptively requesting admin+bot so that I can start working on Wikinews:Requests for permissions/Administrator/Leaderboard 2 and Wikinews:Admin_action_alerts#Requesting_edits_to_protected_pages_and_deletion_of_outdated_files amongst others as soon as possible; in particular, I prefer doing bot-like tasks on Leaderbot (rather than my main account). No issues if the community decides waiting is better, though.

• Links for Leaderbot: Leaderbot (talk · contribs · deleted · count · logs · block log · review log · lu)

•   Support If Leaderboard is granted admin status so can the bot. It will ofcourse only be relevant if there is concensus that the suggested task should be made. Personally I think that it sounds like a good idea to have a bot that can archive articles. If it does not work in practice the bot can always be stopped and the admin rights be removed. --MGA73 (talk) 06:56, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  support for this request provided the botmaster is sysop at the time Gryllida (talk) 08:08, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

To add a nomination for CheckUser

To add a nomination for Oversight

• {{Remove}} means "support removal of permission".
• {{Keep}} means "keep permission".

Pathetic. Some people apparently need to get a hobby. This was not me. —-Bddpaux (talk) 03:24, 13 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]