[WikiEN-l] Proposed policy on biographies: input sought

Mon Dec 19 03:47:54 UTC 2005

On 12/19/05, slimvirgin at gmail.com <slimvirgin at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [[User:WAS 4.250]] and I have been working on a proposed policy
> regarding Wikipedia biographies at [[Wikipedia:Biographies on living
> persons deserve a special sensitivity]]
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_on_living_persons_deserve_a_special_sensitivity
>
> It deals with the need to be respectful of subjects, which policies
> are particularly important, what they say, and what to do in the event
> of a legal threat. Any input would be appreciated, particularly from
> editors who are familiar with [[WP:NOR]] and [[WP:V]], who have worked
> a lot on biographies, who have legal backgrounds, members of the
> arbcom who have dealt with some of these issues recently in cases, and
> editors who themselves have Wikipedia entries and who know what it
> feels like to be the subject of a biography.
>
> Sarah
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Sarah,

Thank you for this work. It sums up my views perfectly.

Just one suggestion which I will make on the talk page is in relation to
impacts on third people and reliability of biographers such as Kitty Kelly
who make allegations in juicy salacious books that are not supported by more
respectable works.

Our articles should aim to inform not to titillate. Inclusion of material
that is meant for salacious value rather than encyclopedic value should be
strongly discouraged.

Regards

*Keith Old*

Keith Old
User:Capitalistroadster