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This is an essay on the Neutral point of view policy.
It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
There are no shortcuts to neutrality. One cannot rely on attribution, false balance, or the existence of articles covering the same subject with an opposing bias to cover content in a neutral and encyclopedic manner. Often editors will seek an easy (orcheap) option when seeking consensus in the handling of controversial matters. This often results in an imperfect solution that merely postpones the proper resolution of the underlying dispute without actually improving the neutrality of the article. We must take care not to fall in love with the pursuit of easy consensus—by taking what seems like a shortcut we may miss the target entirely.
