nostalgia.wikipedia.org/wiki/HomePage
1 correction found
anyone can edit any article
This is too broad: Wikipedia has protected pages that not everyone can edit. The page itself even says this homepage was locked against normal editing.
Full reasoning
The statement uses absolute language — "anyone" can edit "any article" — but Wikipedia and MediaWiki both allow pages to be protected from public editing.
Two pieces of evidence on this very page and in the platform's official documentation contradict the claim:
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The page itself says it was not editable by everyone. Near the bottom, the homepage states: "Unless you have the administrator password, you cannot currently edit this page." That is a direct exception to the claim that anyone can edit any article.
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Official MediaWiki documentation says protected pages block normal users from editing. MediaWiki's help page says: "A protected page is a page where normal users are prevented from editing ... Only a user with sysop permissions can edit or move a protected page." English Wikipedia's protection policy likewise says that sometimes it is necessary to limit editing of certain pages, and that full protection prevents the action by everyone except administrators.
Because protected pages exist, the universal claim "anyone can edit any article" is factually incorrect.
3 sources
- Wikipedia HomePage (nostalgia snapshot)
Note: Unless you have the administrator password, you cannot currently edit this page. While this is unfortunate, it has turned out to be necessary to prevent vandalism of this page...
- Help:Protected pages - MediaWiki
A protected page is a page where normal users are prevented from editing and/or moving at all. Only a user with sysop permissions can edit or move a protected page.
- Wikipedia:Protection policy - Wikipedia
sometimes it is necessary to limit editing of certain pages... Full protection prevents the action by everyone except administrators.