MarydaleEd
My truth edit
My retirement comes after my awareness that there is an uneven application of decisions at Wikipedia dictated by the whims of hobbyists who watch news or magazine shows on television and try to write how they think professional writers do. I should have grasped this years ago, but my enjoyment in editing here blinded me to it until I got caught in its web and could no longer deny its existence.
It is not the fault of the editors, hobbyists, whom I do not blame. I blame the creators of Wikipedia who established a system to be run by hobbyists who know little about what they are doing. Of course hobbyists know little about what they are doing. They are hobbyists and they know exactly what they can be expected to know, and I am sure almost all are doing their best.
There should be professionals, even at the first level of decision making. There is a reason journalists have to have a college degree in journalism. Despite what many believe, not everyone is a writer. It is a craft, a skill one learns at the university level and perfects through years of experience.
Having spent more than 40 years as a professional journalist and editor, it is incredibly difficult being subjected to the decisions of people who know nothing about proper writing or English grammar. I cannot abide having my efforts inaccurately judged by people who are wrong in their decisions, yet do not know enough about writing to know they are wrong and understand why. It is like the old truism, "You don't know what you don't know." To be brutally honest, these are people who, in the real world, would not have even been allowed an interview with me for a job, but here they are, judging my work.
Now, I realize how that must sound to others, but it is not an ego trip, only a statement of fact that comes from decades spent in the industry. Had I not progressed to a certain level after all that time, I would have had no business calling myself a journalist and would have been fired long ago.
It is natural for me to feel this way and it is an indication that I have no business being a Wikipedia editor. I am sure this is why other professional editors do not volunteer here. I am the one out of place here, not the everyday editors. I volunteered here to give back to an industry that has given me so much and has taken me all over the world and allowed me to sit with people of greatness whom I otherwise would have never met.
Regretfully, it has taken me years to realize that this organization is not the proper place for me to volunteer. I encourage the hobbyists to keep at it and learn all they can about proper encyclopedia writing. I still believe in the idea of Wikipedia. I simply wish it had been executed better.
It is right for me to retire. I am the one who should walk away. Still, Wikipedia should not be surprised if I pop in with an edit here or there, but my time here is over.
I am grateful for the enjoyment Wikipedia has brought me. I have worked with some hobbyists of the highest caliber who sincerely thought a well-written, well-sourced article was more important than their egos, and who proved to me that there is always more to learn. To them, I am eternally grateful for the satisfaction that comes from a robust collaboration and a job well done.
As always and forever, God bless and happy editing.
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