Wikipedia:Let the facts speak for themselves

This is an essay. 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.

Shortcut WP:MORALIZE

This page in a nutshell: Let the facts speak for themselves and let the reader decide.

Let the facts speak for themselves

Between 11 August 2003 and 6 August 2009 the following quote (and later the added editorial comment) were part of the

Karada offered the following advice in the context of the Saddam Hussein article:

You won't even need to say he was evil. That is why the article on

cite your sources

.

Resist the temptation to apply labels or moralize—readers will probably not take kindly to being told what to think. Let the facts speak for themselves and let the reader decide.

• NPOV
  called "A simple formulation" said, "Assert facts, including facts about opinions—but don't assert opinions themselves."
• WP:LTRD
  , Don't consider a statement neutral just because you agree with it
• WP:FAPO
  , content accepted by Wikipedians to be factual takes precedence over content that is contended to be opinionated
• Res ipsa loquitur (Latin for "the thing speaks for itself")