Talk:Pennsylvania Railroad 1361

Request for discussion: FMW Solutions video as a reliable source? edit

Wikipedia's policy at WP:RSPYT regarding Youtube states: "Most videos on YouTube are anonymous, self-published, and unverifiable, and should not be used at all. Content uploaded from a verified official account, such as that of a news organization, may be treated as originating from the uploader and therefore inheriting their level of reliability..." (my emphasis).

When adding an update on the K4 1361 boiler work I used this video published by FMW solutions. I argue that it is a reliable source for these reasons: 1) the account is the official corporate account of FMW Solutions, the engineering company overseeing the K4 work 2) those interviewed include the CEO and chief engineering officer for FMW 3) they are subject matter experts who are personally employed in supervising the manufacture the new boiler. Thus the video meets the requirements of inheriting the reliability of the engineering company, FMW solutions.

I've had an editor revert my edit with the comment, "I told you Youtube is not a reliable source". Yet Wikipedia policy asks us to consider the uploader, not the platform. Here we have professional engineers in almost daily interaction with the K4. It's hard to find a more reliable source. Blue Riband► 06:01, 11 January 2024 (UTC)Reply

I'd just like to add that I recognize that the FMW Solutions video can rightly be called a self-published source and not independent. However per WP:SELFPUB: "Self-published expert sources may be considered reliable when produced by an established subject-matter expert, whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable, independent publications." Blue Riband► 15:02, 13 January 2024 (UTC)Reply
Going forward, can we agree that videos uploaded by FMW Solutions are reliable sources? If they are not, then 1) the engineering company directing the whole operation is unreliable or, 2) they have forfeited their reliability by using Youtube as a media platform. Blue Riband► 04:03, 19 January 2024 (UTC)Reply
Already, I'm sorry if I took YouTube as an "unreliable source of information" way too seriously... XP 611fan2001 (talk) 16:45, 19 January 2024 (UTC)Reply
I'm glad to hear that we are in agreement because FMW Solutions is also working on the T1 5550 project. It would be a real injustice to invalidate their credibility solely because they chose to post their restoration/building updates on the Youtube platform. Blue Riband► 04:40, 22 January 2024 (UTC)Reply