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I often edit Wikipedia articles so they don't contain the phrase "announced that", or variations thereof. Edit summaries for those edits usually refer to this page.
This page explains the purpose of these edits and the project in general.
The problem edit
On Wikipedia, using the word "announced" in a sentence typically adds no value to the article. Most of the time, it is used in History sections of companies or other organizations. It is often used when citing a press release or news article where the subject makes a statement about an action or event to occur in the future, such as plans to expand or sell a division. Once the event has taken place, there is generally no reason to keep the "announced" wording. Instead, the sentence should state right out what it was that happened.
Why change edit
It simplifies articles and makes them easier to read. Also, Wikipedia is not a newspaper.
Acceptable uses of "announced" edit
There are a few instances when using "announced" may be appropriate:
- When the announcement, itself, is noteworthy, such as the intent to merge two large companies.
- When the future event has not yet occurred.
- When the future event did not occur and something else happened instead.
- When the announcement is not about a future event, but about the state of the subject, such as company profits.
How to reword edit
Often, a sentence can be easily reworded to remove the variation of "announced" without losing the main point. In general, the verb of the action being announced can replace the entire "announced" statement by changing the verb to past tense.
Examples edit
| Original | New |
|---|---|
| announced the termination of | terminated |
| announced the cancellation of | cancelled |
| announced an order for | ordered |
| announced furloughs | furloughed |
| announced that it would move | moved |
| announced an agreement | agreed |
| announced the appointment of | appointed |
| announced the addition of | added |
| announced the opening of | opened |
Dates edit
Most sentences that use "announced" include the date that the announcement was made. Once the event happens, the announcement date is generally not noteworthy information. The date of the event should be used instead.
How to handle references edit
Many sentences that use "announced" are referenced by an article referring to the announcement or by the announcement itself. This reference is generally not a valid reference for the event itself. Therefore, a new source should be found that references that the event has, in fact, taken place. If a new source can not be found, the original reference should be kept, with the addition of {{citation needed}}.
Removing an announcement sentence altogether edit
Sometimes neither the announcement nor the event are noteworthy. In such case the entire announcement sentence may be removed. To determine if the announcement and event are noteworthy enough to keep, I often use the ten-year test.
Progress edit
As of October 22, 2014, I have edited 47 articles and removed approximately 13,000 characters.
See also edit
This project is modeled after Giraffedata's "comprised of" project.