Proposed baseline NPOV standard

Discussion on a proposed baseline Neutral Point of View (NPOV) Standard

This is the landing page for the public discussion on a proposed baseline Neutral Point of View (NPOV) standard, developed by members of the NPOV working group. The proposed baseline is meant for the Wikipedias which do not yet have an NPOV policy, for their communities to adopt, use, and build upon. This page outlines the proposed text, enforcement ideas and questions for discussion. We are holding a discussion on this standard and enforcement approach from June 17 – July 15, 2026.

Context

“Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view.” This is one of the pillars of many Wikipedias, a core concept ensuring the reliability of the free online encyclopedia.

This policy states that their [project] missions are best served not by advancing or detracting from particular points of view on any given subject, but by trying to present a fair, neutral description of the facts – including that various interpretations and points of view exist.

Neutral Point of View meta page

In 2025, research on NPOV policies across Wikipedias showed that many language projects do not have clear guidance on neutrality and neutral point of view. Not having a clear policy may reduce communities’ ability to enforce NPOV on their projects, while also not providing clear guidance on neutrality to project contributors. In many cases NPOV policy is a good reference point in content moderation (e.g., edit summaries, talk page discussions) and informing newer contributors about expectations and best practices.

Key research findings About 45% (153 Wikipedias out of 342) do not have clear and easily accessible neutrality guidance. Only about 37% of Wikipedias have detailed guidance on the NPOV policy. (NPOV policy currently exists in 128 Wikipedias out of 342 projects) About 78% of Wikipedias do not have the main neutrality related content policies (i.e. neutrality pillar, neutral point of view, verifiability, no original research, citing sources, reliable sources, biographies of living people). Many smaller languages (especially indigenous languages) either do not have the NPOV policy or have a stub policy.

This gap can be bridged with a baseline NPOV standard that can be introduced to projects that currently do not have one. This idea has been discussed on wiki, at Wikimania 2025, other conversations at in-person conferences and virtual meetings in different regions (e.g., CEE, North America, African Admins).

Proposed baseline NPOV standard

The NPOV working group recommended that a baseline standard be created for Wikipedias that don’t have their own policies yet, and members of that working group created the below draft text.

Based on the community conversations regarding the concept of neutral point of view and the research about the NPOV policy, the baseline standard needs to:

1. be clear and concise – to convey the essential aspects of neutrality on Wikipedia in the shortest possible form,
2. be translatable – using language that is easily understood and translatable across languages,
3. build on what works - rooting the standard in the guidance of the existing NPOV policies.

Proposed baseline standard text Wikipedia articles are written from a neutral point of view. Articles are expected to be impartial and objective. Their content is expected to reflect the range of knowledge available in reliable published sources. Wikipedia articles are a summary of the information and points of view found in reliable sources. This standard is not negotiable. Neither editor consensus nor other policies and guidelines can supersede the principle of neutral point of view.

All Wikipedia projects are expected to adhere to the core principle of neutrality. Individual projects are encouraged to include this principle in its documentation on creating content by doing one or more of the following:

• having a written policy
• providing editing guidelines
• referring to this standard as part of their editing principles

Enforcement guidance

How will communities enforce the baseline NPOV standard?

Based on feedback so far, the suggested approach is to follow the same path most of the projects have already used to adopt the NPOV policies, but with some added support for the communities to understand why this policy matters and how to implement it successfully. Ultimately, that is communities doing enforcement on their own wikis, and maintaining decision-making power over content and sources.

Best practices from Wikimedia projects with active NPOV guidance have shown that enforcement does not need to have a global process or a dedicated committee; instead, it involves administrators and experienced users having a standard they can refer contributors back to.

The Foundation will work with Wikipedia communities to adapt the global baseline to their project, and Wikimedia projects will be responsible for enforcement based on their context.

Share your thoughts!

• The collection of the feedback, ideas, and suggestions of improvement regarding the enforcement of a baseline NPOV standard will be open for 4 weeks from June 17 to July 15, 2026.
• You can share your thoughts directly on the talk page! Feedback can be shared in any language.
• A report will be created and the baseline NPOV standard will be shared at Wikimania 2026 in Paris in July.

Discussion questions relevant to the proposed baseline NPOV standard Is this text clear? Does it include the key aspects of NPOV? Is there anything essential missing? How would this baseline help promote and improve neutrality on Wikipedia? What enforcement approaches work on your wiki that you think are adaptable and adoptable on other wikis? Will the proposed approach be effective for your wiki? Why or why not?