Powerbase:Help Contents

What is a Wiki?

A Wiki is a collection of interlinked web pages. (More...)

Getting involved

SpinProfiles welcomes volunteers to help expand the database of material on spin and propaganda. See Getting involved for more information.

Do I have to register to edit pages?

Yes.

Do I have to use my real name?

Yes.

What if someone tries to vandalize or insert disinformation into SpinProfiles?

Currently all people who want editorial access to SpinProfiles must register. This is our first level of security. The SpinProfiles software also includes a number of features that make it possible to detect and manage vandalism.

• As editors to the site are registered, it is easy to track the editing activities of registered user.
• In the case of someone still managing to write malicious material, the software keeps an archive of all past versions of each article, making it easy to undo by reverting to a previous version.
• In addition we have a set of editorial policies (see below) that aim to help people contribute useful and accurate information and will intervene if they repeatedly add inappropriate material.

Further information is available on vandalism.

Editorial policy

SpinProfiles is a collection of data on spin, propaganda, Think Tanks, Front Groups, PR Consultancies, 'Fake Persuaders', Industry Friendly Experts and corporate lobby groups. We want to report the spin not be accused of spinning ourselves. Therefore entries should try and give enough information on a person or group so that a person who knows nothing about them can come away informed. Try to write a profile clearly and logically, including background information, funding, current activities and information on key personnel, if it is an organization. Break the article down into sub-headings that are not sensationalist but try and summarise some of the issues in that section.

See Editorial Policy for full details of SpinProfiles policy on editing.

Tone

When contributing to SpinProfiles it is important to be as factual as possible.

Do not use abusive language or language that is in any way racist, sexist or obscene or could be construed as such. Do not use swear words unless in quotations. Keep any rhetoric or personal comment to a minimum and avoid speculation, innuendo or libel. If comment is provided please be fair. Being fair does not mean not being critical or adding some kind of analysis, though. Just try and strike the correct balance. You want the article to basically contain factual information about the person you are writing about, not your views on the person you are writing about. There is a difference between a profile entry and a blog entry or an opinion piece. Avoid generalizations and unsubstantiated sweeping statements.

If you are making accusations against a person or organization try and support it by as much primary material as possible. Just because someone else has said it is true, it does not mean it is true. Make sure your sources are up to date and relate to present day situation or indicate that they are historical.

See full details of SpinProfiles policy and guidelines on Tone.

Referencing

Our purpose is to expose manipulation of information and therefore we need to be extra careful in what information we use, how we use it and where we get it from. It is extremely important to provide references that are as authoritative as possible. Try and use primary materials where possible – original sources as opposed to secondary reports – and information that is up to date as possible. If the issue is very contentious, try and reference from more than once source.

See full details on SpinProfiles policy and guidelines for referencing.

Libel

Avoid accusations that are libelous. Just because something that is defamatory has been published elsewhere, it does not mean that you are immune from legal action. It just makes it less likely. As above, always try and use primary materials from authoratitive sources. Also make sure that any material you post, including photos does not violate copyright laws.

Everyone who contributes to SpinProfiles is required to read and understand SpinProfiles Libel Policy If you have not already done so - Read it now!

Complaints and legal threats relating to any content on SpinProfiles should be dealt with as soon as possible.

What is a reputable source?

The evaluation of reputable sources is not always easy. We think that the accuracy of information in published sources is not governed by how 'reputable' the source is or is regarded as. This is in part because many of the sources regarded as reputable in the mainstream are, in fact, often a key part of the problem of spin and propaganda, which this database has been set up to expose. So we have a policy which foregrounds accuracy over reputation of sources.

For full details see SpinProfiles policy and guidelines on Sources.

Copyrights

Never use materials that infringe the copyrights of others.

If you contribute material to SpinProfiles, you thereby license it to the public under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)

See full details of SpinProfiles policy and guidelines on Copyrights

Inaccuracies and complaints

It is the intention of this site to provide factually correct information that is referenced to a high standard. Whilst we undertake our own fact checking and encourage all our users to do so, it is not possible to check all the original references used on this site.

If anyone believes that information on Spinprofiles is not factually correct or contains significant errors, we will try and correct them as soon as possible. Please email with as much detail and supporting material to management AT spinprofiles.org

For more information see SpinProfiles policy and guidelines on Inaccuracies and Complaints.

Editorial structure of Spinprofiles

Managing Editor = Claire Robinson with responsibility for day to day overviews of the site and for gardening and maintaining the structure as well as libel and associated issues. Email: claire.robinson AT spinprofiles.org, management AT spinprofiles.org

Sysop = David Miller with ultimate editorial responsibility for content and for banning users and freezing pages. Email: sysop AT spinwatch.org

Webmaster = Bill Stevens with responsibility for technical issues

Portal/Category editors = responsible for upkeep of their main portal page and the categorisation and structure of the categories associated with the portal. Portal editors will also be the first port of call for queries about their portal and will deal with disputes, etc. as a first line of editorial control. If the problem is not resolved at this stage, then the managing editor and finally the sysop can be consulted.

• Alcohol = Claire Harkins
• Lobbying = Tamasin Cave
• Propaganda = David Miller
• Water = Tommy Kane and Kyle Mitchell
• Terror Experts = Tom Mills
• Spooks = Tom Griffin
• Northern Ireland = Tom Griffin
• Neocons = Tom Griffin
• Israel Lobby = Idrees Ahmad
• Transnational corporations = ?
• Foodspin = ?
• Pharma = Marisa de Andrade
• Climate = Andy Rowell
• Nuclear = Andy Rowell
• Think Tanks = ?
• Front Groups = ?
• Scotland = Will Dinan
• GM = Claire Robinson
• LM network = ?

Technical Questions

How do I edit a page?

It's quite simple. Once you've registered and logged in, simply click "Edit" on the top of the page/article and type away.

See how to edit a page for further details and guidelines, including:

• Wiki markup - character formation etc.
• How to create sections, paragraphs etc.
• how to create links.
• How to insert images

...and a whole host of other useful information for editing a page/article.

There is also a quick guide to getting started and a quick guide to editing and a page providing details on article guidelines.

How do I reference?

For details on referencing please see A guide to referencing.

useful information is also available on Sourcing. Also, don't forget to familiarise yourself with SpinProfiles policy and guidelines in relation to libel,

How do I start a new page?

See How to start a page for details.

Don't forget to familiarise yourself with SpinProfiles naming conventions when starting a new page.

How do I rename a page?

Registered users can move a page. This moves the page content and edit history to a new title and creates a redirecting page at the old title. This method is better than just copying the content by hand, as it preserves the article's history.

See guidelines on How to rename a page for further details.

There is also a page providing guidelines on How to redirect a page.

How to use Images

See SpinProfiles image use policy for important information on the use of images.

Details on how to include images in an article can be found in the how to edit a page guidelines.

How do I search for an article in SpinProfiles?

See SpinProfiles guide to using the search function for details.

Conventions, etiquette and dispute resolution

For SpinProfiles policy and guidelines in relation to conventions, etiquette and dispute resolution see...

• Etiquette
• Manual of style
• Naming conventions
• Guide to the use of tone
• Dispute resolution
• Legal threats