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The short-lived UnNews TV channel ran afoul of broadcasting standards.

UnNews is a parody of WikiNews. It's kind of like "The Onion" or "The Babylon Bee" or "Duffel Blog" or a hundred other satirical news sites, except YOU can write stories for it. The content is up to you, but below you will find some suggestions about formatting and other helpful tips when writing UnNews stories.

Write a Headline

Make it short and sweet, and funny. Or at least, two out of three. If possible, your headline should fit in a single line within {{RecentUnNews}}. You could write one right now.

Add a picture

Too small, or just right? You decide!

At least one picture should be in your article. Experiment with the size, pictures which are too big or too small are no fun.

You either have to find a picture on here that someone has uploaded already, or upload one by clicking on "Upload File" on the side bar (or clicking here if you're a lazy fuck: Special:Upload).

Once in the story, the default template looks like this.

[[File:Name of your image.jpg|thumb|left|Type a '''funny''' caption here.]]

Things you can do:

• To change the picture size, put the number of pixels you want, followed by px, followed by a pipe (the | character). So, 200px| if you want to make the picture 200px.

[[File:Name of your image.jpg|thumb|200px|Type a '''funny''' caption here.]]

• Align the picture however you want using right,left,center, etc.

[[File:Name of your image.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Type a '''funny''' caption here.]]

• Delete |thumb if you want it to function just like a picture. This will mean, however, that the text of your article does not wrap properly. It also means you cannot have a caption.

[[File:Name of your image.jpg|Type a '''funny''' caption here.]]

Make sure to double check your syntax! MediaWiki is a cruel and unforgiving maiden.

Or a video

Videos from Youtube can be jammed into stories. Some editors don't like it, because it looks a bit ugly, but hey, some people probably don't like you because you're a bit ugly.

Anyway, the code is simple. <youtube>PASTE_LAST_BIT_OF_ADDRESS_HERE</youtube>

So, if the address is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-1-62TcN70 copy the part of the address that comes after v=

Like so: <youtube>R-1-62TcN70</youtube>

This displays the video like this. Note that it's pretty big, nothing can go alongside it, and no caption is possible.

Thumbnail formatting

One of Britain's most important hospital dramas.

Another possibility is using this long-ass code, which has the advantage of putting the video in a thumbnail on the right of the page.

<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner"><youtube>PASTE_LAST_BIT_OF_ADDRESS_HERE</youtube>
<div class="thumbcaption">PUT_YOUR_FUNNY_CAPTION_HERE</div>
</div>
</div>

So here, using that same address, and with width and height specified in the tag as shown, the code would be:

<div class="thumb tright">
<div class="thumbinner"><youtube width="416" height="234">R-1-62TcN70</youtube>
<div class="thumbcaption">One of Britain's most important hospital dramas.</div>
</div>
</div>

This displays the video as you see it on the right. Mind your formatting! Errant brackets and quotation marks will literally kill you! You will die!

Finishing touches

Cite sources

Sources are a great way to link readers to the story or topic you are satirizing. Bear in mind, some readers will have no idea what you are talking about if you don't include one. The {{source}} template is included in all UnNews stories generated with the inputbox near the top of the page.

For example, this code:

*{{source
|url = https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/how-donald-trump-can-make-history-win-3-nobel-peace-prizes
|title = How Donald Trump can make history and win 3 Nobel Peace Prizes
|author = Robert J. Goldston 
|pub = Fox News
|date=January 3, 2025
}}

Will generate this:

• Robert J. Goldston "How Donald Trump can make history and win 3 Nobel Peace Prizes" Fox News, January 3, 2025

You can also use {{Cite web}} if you're feeling very special today.

Add categories

It is also nice to add categories at the end, to link your new page with other pages. You could, for example, use a category to indicate what nation is the setting, such as [[Category:United States]]. Categories can also indicate the general field of interest, such as [[Category:Politics]]. You can see a complete list of categories in Category:Categories.

Get stories in that sexy "In the News" section on the first page

Edit {{RecentUnNews}} to add your newly minted stories to the front page. Admins can edit {{Lead_articles_2}} to add a blurb of your story to the UnNews main page.

Control the stars

Edit the sneak preview here, and the full page here. Do not confuse the order of the star signs. We have a hell of a lot of intense, obsessive whoroscopers here.

Using UnNews Audio

Here is the updated method to include an audio embed of your UnNews story:

• Upload a supported audio file (.mp3 is recommended) using Special:Upload, like you would any other file.
• Embed the {{UnNews Audio}} template onto your article, like so:

{{UnNews Audio|file=UnNews.mp3|title=Your title here}}

• For example, if you wanted to use File:UnNews--Study- The more you hit a child with a hammer the less it cares.mp3, you would copy the title of the file WITHOUT the File: part, and make it the file parameter for the template. The title is optional. So if you did things right, this:

{{UnNews Audio|file=UnNews--Study- The more you hit a child with a hammer the less it cares.mp3|title=Who would've known? The more you hit a child with a hammer, the less it cares!}}

• Would show up like this:

Who would've known? The more you hit a child with a hammer, the less it cares!

The older method, listed below, will still work. Probably. Still, the newer method is recommended, as Flash has become deprecated, and the current version of the {{UnNews Audio}} template does not use it.

Using UnNews Audio (Old Method)

How to listen

You will find the mp3s embedded in the stories in Flash players. You simply have to enable Flash to work on the site. They look something like this:

BBC DJ's warned over possible Savile Pranksters

If you want to pore over links to recent audio recordings you can find an archive at this lovely place here. As well as the archive, you can find new stories at the UnNews Audio bit at the bottom right hand corner of the UnNews mainpage. If you're more of a doer than a listener, read on for a guide on how to upload your own audio!

How to author

• Create an mp3 file on your computer machine.
• Upload your recording as you would any other file, under Upload file.
• When you have updated your file, you should see a screen like this. Click on the link under the white square (here, UnNews--South.mp3).

• A second screen, like this, will appear. Copy the URL.

How to add the audio to your story

• Edit your story and add the following template as the first line.

{{UnNews Audio|file=PASTE_YOUR_URL_HERE|title=TYPE_WHAT_YOU_WANT_THE_PLAYER_TO_DISPLAY}}

• Edit the areas in bold. Paste your URL, do NOT include http://
• Write what you like for the message. Whatever is in your heart.

Example

Let's continue with the UnNews--South.mp3 from the screen shot above. Here is what we want to add:

• URL: images.uncyclomedia.co/uncyclopedia/en/1/14/UnNews--South.mp3
• Message: Interview with Marios Charalambous

The code to display it, therefore, looks like this:

{{UnNews Audio|file=images.uncyclomedia.co/uncyclopedia/en/1/14/UnNews--South.mp3|title=Interview with Marios Charalambous}}

That's it. Good luck and God bless.

Who can I talk to?

On any newspage, click history and you will find out the author! You then have a 30-70 chance of having a pleasant conversation! Alternatively, push your eyes a little further down to see a list of recent contributors to UnNews.

Leverage

Kip the Dip

Banzaikitten

PF4Eva

Dexter

Kakun