"WP:OP-ED" redirects here. For the guideline on not editorializing in article content, see MOS:OP-ED. For the policy on op-eds and original research, see WP:NOROPED. For the guideline on citing op-eds as sources, see WP:NEWSOPED.
Please propose Signpost stories you want to write (or have already begun writing). Submitted stories are published subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, JPxG. We value the involvement of Wikipedians, and appreciate your submissions. If you have ideas or questions that don't fit neatly into this framework, don't hesitate to address us on our user talk pages, by email, or as a last resort, on the general Signpost talk page.
The Signpost's content guidelines may be useful to aspiring writers. We encourage you to contact us early in the process of developing a story. Different writers have varying levels of interest in editorial input, and we pride ourselves on finding the right balance with each writer; but in most cases, a brief discussion early on can help all parties shape our expectations, and can help produce a strong finished piece. We aim to support Wikimedians wishing to share news with their peers, and look forward to working with you.
We say Wikipedia isn't a battleground. So why does it feel like one?
Submission: The Wikimedia Foundation has published its audit report covering the period from July 2024 - June 2025. Highlights include investments in product and technology, funding advocacy and awareness for Wikimedia projects, limited internal expense growth, and improved revenue diversification. Reporting on Wikimedia Enterprise is included in the report. More information is available on Diff.
Discussion: Andreas - I wanted to pitch this here in case it's of interest. I've suggested a simple bullet for News and Notes, so I added proposed text to the submission field above rather than linking to a separate page. Happy to discuss! --ELappen (WMF) (talk) 21:53, 26 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: JPxG and Smallbones - hoping to add this (or some version of it) as a bullet to N&N for the upcoming issue, so that people who are interested have enough time to plan. Would this work?
Discussion: This article would be a 1 year review of my goal to add short descriptions to all articles lacking one. The article was published February 27, 2025 so ideally this article would come out around that time this year. I wanted to put forth the article submission early to ensure it can come out in this time frame.
Time for a health check: the Vital Signs 2026 campaign
Discussion: This piece is about the WP:WikiProject Medicine/Vital Signs 2026, which seeks to bring all top-importance articles within the WikiProject up to B-class or above. I'm also touching on why it's important to edit these vital articles for the health of the community, as they can bring in readers and potential editors by the droves, but only if they pass Google's SEO test and are up-to-date. —Femke 🐦 (talk) 21:27, 8 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: Madhav Gadgil was a proponent of Wikimedia movement in India. He was among the very few Indian public intellectuals of his stature to engage directly with the Wikimedia movement, participating in its outreach and other activities. This piece is about him as he recently passed away. Pavan Santhosh (OKI) (talk) 11:33, 14 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Bluerasberry Thank you very much, and apologies for not being able to review this earlier. I’ve now added a blurb and a lead based on my understanding—please take a look and let me know if this works. I’m happy to add more details if needed.
About Madhav Gadgil: yes, I cherish my collaboration with him, even though it was a limited one. I was able to invite him to speak with Telugu-language Wikimedians, and we later shaped an idea he shared into a full-scale project. Pavan Santhosh (OKI) (talk) 01:11, 18 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion:AI slop is flooding the internet, and it is harder and harder to find reliable information. The digital divide of the future will be between people who can afford to pay for high quality, fact-checked content, and people who only have access to cheap, AI-generated texts full of hallucinations, promotional content and scams. In this world, the Wikipedia must remain a reliable and trustworthy source that is free to all users. To stay reliable, the Wikipedia has to keep relying on human editing, because LLMs are not reliable and they are not accountable for the words they generate. Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2026-01-15/Special report argues that using LLMs will help Wikipedia serve the Global South better. I disagree - to use LLMs means we will lower quality to the extent that the Wikipedia will lose its role as a reliable encyclopedia accessible to anyone. I'm both a Wikipedia editor and a professor doing research on LLMs and their cultural effect so would like to write something about this if it seems suitable for the Signpost. Lijil (talk) 20:33, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: We'd like to share OKA's story — how we went from a small experiment in 2022 to coordinating translation work across 80+ editors who published 13k+ articles, what we've learned (sometimes the hard way) from community feedback, and what our recent empirical study revealed about which LLM models actually work well for translation versus which ones just make things worse. Recent ANI discussions surfaced real concerns about our quality control processes, and we want to walk through how we're addressing those issues, including our upcoming peer review system. 7804j (talk) 20:42, 27 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@7804j: Please develop your submission at User:7804j/OKA: grants for translators assisted by LLMs. If it is not burdensome, then submit as much content as you would like, perhaps 500-2000 words. If you want interim feedback, then at least make a few section headings and put a few sentences under each, even if it does not tell a full story. I think you know your way around wiki and have a good sense of how to talk with the Wikimedia community, but this story does hit multiple hot topics including paid editing, inclusion of people in lower middle countries, AI, and putting a process on the table to address decades-old cross-wiki translation backlogs. I am grateful for your submission. Also I want to connect you with feedback before publication, to get some confirmation that you will not be misunderstood. Bluerasberry (talk)18:43, 11 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: An essay which reflects on my past and present tryst with thank-button clicks, and briefly outlines part of my purpose on the English Wikipedia. MSincccc (talk) 17:31, 28 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@MSincccc: Would you like to submit this as an article for publication in The Signpost, or would you like for Signpost to report and link to this piece as a Wikipedia user essay? This piece works as either format, but not both at once. If you want this to be for Signpost, then either grab a template from one of the article formats at Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom and put your submission into that standard. Please add illustration from Commons; all Signpost pieces need images. I can help with the formatting, just ask if it takes you longer than 5 minutes because it should not take longer than that to figure out. Thanks for submitting. Bluerasberry (talk)18:33, 11 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Bluerasberry I would like the essay to be featured in the Signpost.
@MSincccc: I have you queued for publication in second week of March. Please continue to develop your submission at Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Next issue/Essay. When you are done, mark "yes" on "ready to copyedit" in the template at the top of your submission. Ping me if you need anything. Before publication, other reviewers will check it also, and they may make a suggestion to you. Thanks for submitting. Also, good button image. Bluerasberry (talk)15:15, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: I wanted to have something about the annual plan. I think the community would prefer an independent reporting to a straight up republication of what the WMF wants to say. This is my take on something like a News from the WMF but independently made. It is a start as I expect the conversation to evolve more before publication.Czarking0 (talk) 21:20, 31 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I tried a couple things with the template. I am not sure how to format the piccy thing but I have the image I want there. My interviews are still awaiting some responses. Czarking0 (talk) 19:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Ok I am more or less happy with the article. If I get additional interview responses, I may need to update that section. What should I take as a next step. Do you think it is ready for copy-edit? Czarking0 (talk) 19:22, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, you've asked to answer a couple of questions about the annual plan. You wrote about some meta-commentary and I wondered whether you could also cover the thread I started there called "The problem that underlies most issues and challenges noted here and elsewhere" which includes ideas how to get more community wishes implemented and some analysis of WMF work on the Community Wishlists (I intend to work on the statistics / chart further later). On the other hand, I suggested the subject of concerns about too little technical development or potential ways to increase software development / wish implementations to be covered separately. Nevertheless, at least if you do mention meta things, I think it may be good to at least mention this or this aspect of technical development being required for tackling most community concerns and goals, there being too little of it, and this analysis+set of ideas regarding this underlying problem there. Thanks for your consideration, Prototyperspective (talk) 01:29, 14 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Czarking0: I apologize for picking this up but not carrying it through. I staged it for publication in the next issue. I know this is a time sensitive issue, but the call for comments is open till May and there are specialized options for giving comment till June.
This is not an excuse, but this submission page is backlogged and I am trying to clear it out. I missed your comments. You are doing everyone a favor by making a submission, and I know it is not ideal to ask favors of people who are already giving favors, but if you choose to submit again, then please do the favor of pinging Signpost editors if we are not responsive. Yes we want your submissions.
Also, I apologize for my own error in not staging your submission immediately to be visible and reviewed by others. The fields in the template, "ready for copyedit" and such, are not actually seen by other editors until you or I or anyone else moves the draft into any of the categories in Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Newsroom. I just moved your submission to Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Next issue/Community view.
May I still publish your submission? Can you work a bit more with me on it, before the next issue comes out in March? Now that it is staged, other editors will review it too. If you can edit a bit more, can you consider clarifying the following:
You mention some WMF people. Can you put their WMF titles in the article, to help contexualize what these people have to do with the matter
Can you clarify when and where people can comment
The Signpost emphasizes community views and opinions, in contrast to WMF views. Are you able to highlight your own or anyone else's community perspectives, especially to show any differences between WMF views and strong community views?
In the interview section you said, "Three discussion participants interviewed by the Signpost..." can you link to that? I am not aware of these 3 people. Can you summarize what they discussed?
Finally, the lead image is a blue rectangle from the art of the annual plan. Can you somehow find a more relevant image that fits the space?
Thanks, I also am willing to edit more, and you can kick any of this back to me also. Again, I am sorry, I both missed your updates and failed to process your submission properly. I appreciate that you submit and want this to be a positive experience for you. Bluerasberry (talk)14:48, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: I don't have a page to show for this yet, since it's mostly an idea that I'd like feedback on before starting to write (apologies if this is in the wrong place): I had an idea of writing a short report on how NYT Games (like the crosswords, Wordle, and Connections) drive Wikipedia article views. For example, when myrrh was the Wordle answer on 19 December 2025, the pageviews report shows a massive spike due to a decent amount of people being unfamiliar with the word. I like looking at statistics and I play NYT Games a lot, so I'd enjoy writing it, but I don't know if people would enjoy reading it, so I'd like feedback before committing to writing. (It's possible it could focus on other platforms as well as NYT Games, to avoid seeming promotional, but I'm not familiar with others and NYT Games is the most popular by far afaik.) Suntooooth, it/he (talk | contribs) 20:30, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Suntooooth: Sure, we can find a way to publish that. This is a secret so do not tell anyone, but Signpost editor Bri has a new Signpost crossword game in development at User:Bri/Signpost. If you can get a draft of something going, then your story and the presentation of this new Signpost crossword could coincide. Also, if you have any interest in being a contributing editor for Signpost crossword Wikipedia clues, then I think there is an opening for a crossword fan.
@Suntooooth: You are still welcome to make a submission on this topic. There is no rush, and this is a standing offer. We accept modest submissions of a few paragraphs and 1-2 pics from Commons. Your topic is interesting and fits, so please draft if you like. Bluerasberry (talk)15:18, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the reminder - I'd love to be working on it, but IRL factors mean it might take a while. I'm most likely to get it done for the issue after next, but we'll see - could be sooner, could be later. Suntooooth, it/he (talk | contribs) 17:21, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: This piece examines the recent problems in the community and makes a modest proposal: Spend 25% on the community. We show how currently WMF is spending about 15% of its budget on the community in terms of grants and awards. We outline what essentially doubling the funds for community could do in terms of solving the problems outlined recently, and look at where the funds could come from.
check in March 2026
I think it is a relevant and much needed piece to start a discussion about equality and investing in the community to the same extent that WMF invests in its staff.
@NabuKudurru: I helped with formatting at Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Next issue/Concept. Can you give a go at cleaning up the design and selecting appropriate images from Wikimedia Commons? Also I need you to respond to agree that you wanted me to copy/paste your text from the Google Doc into the Wikimedia platform, in the context of you being a Wikimedia user who understands this copyright issue. Bluerasberry (talk)18:10, 11 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
+1 thank you for that. I will try to go through the submission portal, but it is not clear for me how to add the pictures, should i add them to commons first? they are both from wikimedia, so i guess ccby. Best, Brett NabuKudurru (talk) 13:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Shushugah: Yes, please start drafting. The next issue is in about two weeks. You can choose one of the article formats at Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom. Perhaps "Special report", "Opinion", or "Concept" would work. If you want to try Signpost formatting, then submit at the newsroom, otherwise write it anywhere then ping me and I will help with formatting and move it to the newsroom. Thanks, what an exciting topic. Bluerasberry (talk)14:55, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]