The Signpost (formerly The Wikipedia Signpost) is the Wikimedia movement's online newspaper. Managed by the volunteer community, it is published online with contributions from Wikimedia editors. The newspaper's scope includes the Wikimedia community and events related to Wikipedia, including Arbitration Committee rulings, Wikimedia Foundation issues, and other Wikipedia-related projects. It was founded in January 2005 by Wikipedian Michael Snow, who continued as a contributor until his February 2008 appointment to the Wikimedia Foundation's Board of Trustees.
Former editor-in-chief The ed17 noted that during his tenure, from 2012 to 2015, the publication expanded its scope to report on the wider Wikimedia movement in addition to Wikipedia and its community.[2] After it reported on the changes to European freedom of panorama law in June 2015, a number of publications referred to The Signpost for further information.
The Signpost has been the subject of academic analysis in several journals, and was consulted by researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Dartmouth College. It has been covered by several publications, including the 2008 book Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, which called it essential for ambitious new Wikipedia editors.
The online newspaper, first published in January 2005 as The Wikipedia Signpost, was later renamed The Signpost.[3][5] It was founded by the lawyer Michael Snow, a Wikipedian who later chaired the Wikimedia Foundation's Board of Trustees.[3][4] Similar efforts had been made with Wikipedia:Announcements by Larry Sanger on November 20, 2001,[6][7] Wikimedia News on Meta-Wiki November 14, 2002,[8] and Wikipedia-Kurier in the German Wikipedia on December 10, 2003.[9]
Snow wrote in its first issue: "I hope this will be a worthwhile source of news for people interested in what is happening around the Wikipedia community",[10] and said that The Signpost's name was suggested by the Wikipedia practice of editors digitally signing talk-page posts.[10] He stepped down as editor of The Signpost in August 2005, continuing to write for the newspaper until his February 2008 appointment to the board of trustees.[11] User Ral315 succeeded Snow as editor, writing in his first post: "I'd like to personally thank Michael for his work on the Signpost; it was a great idea that really helped Wikipedians learn more about the happenings on Wikipedia."[12] He conducted a survey for The Signpost in September 2007, estimating a weekly readership of approximately 2,800 Wikipedia users based on survey results.[13]
In July 2008, Ral315 wrote about transparency for The Signpost, acknowledging that at the request of the Wikimedia Foundation, the newspaper had decided not to publish an article about a pending legal case against the foundation.[14] According to the editor, "I feel this was an unfortunate, but necessary move"; because of the newspaper's affiliation with the Wikimedia Foundation, an article about the lawsuit "might have had a severe effect on the case."[14] Ral315 expressed concern about the future impact of the decision: "I'm still rather troubled by the very nature of this situation because it was the first time that I've felt pressured by the Wikimedia Foundation not to write or publish a story. This also leaves us with a dangerous precedent that I'm hoping only to keep in the most serious cases."[14]