 | This is anessay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Don't consider a statement neutral just because you agree with it |
In Wikipedia, one of the key tenets is to keep aneutral point of view. However, sometimes it is tempting to use words thatimply a point of view when the statement is essentially true. Just because no one will argue with your statement, does not mean it has a neutral point of view.Editor consensus therefore should not override policy guidelines.
If an editor knows that a POV statement would be true, they should instead use neutral statements backed up by reliable citation and let the reader make the conclusion. For example, an editor does notneed to say thatAdolf Hitler was agenocidal maniac hell-bent on killing all the Jews. If they provide enough cited statements about hisbooks, speeches, andconcentration camps, then the reader would likely draw that conclusion. And one last tip,be careful about wandering into thegray zone between making statements which are neutral and factual.