 | This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump. |
This page is now superseded by the new Main Page. See Wikipedia:Editing the main page.
The Selected Articles section on the Main Page has several purposes, all of which (we hope) support the central purpose of Wikipedia--making a great encyclopedia. The section links to entries of timely interest that are (and this is crucial) nonetheless encyclopedia articles, not news articles.
Wikipedia is not an online newspaper; but many Wikipedians are motivated to create and edit entries of timely interest, and because Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, it does a much better job with entries of timely interest (or recent events of historical importance) than a "dead tree" encyclopedia.
(A historical note: the section began with the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack entries put up within minutes of the attacks. The entries led to a massive infusion of interest in the project.)