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

Mon Dec 19 18:43:37 UTC 2005

On 12/19/05, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> That was it. Initiatives like this seem to think NPOV is optional
> rather than, say,  the Number One Policy On The Site.
>
I haven't looked at the proposal for a few hours so I don't know what
it currently says, but when I wrote it, I was aiming for "empathetic
point of view," not sympathetic. But I take your point about NPOV,
David. I tried to make it clear that NPOV applies to biographies as
much as to any other type of article.

But I'd like to add that it may be misleading to say that NPOV is the
number one policy on the site. And please don't everyone throw up your
hands in horror. The NPOV and NOR policies work together, but if one
of them has to be prioritized, I would argue that it's NOR. For
example, supposing a well-known nun and aid worker dies. All she had
ever done was help people in developing countries and we have
countless newspaper articles about that. Let's suppose we can't find a
single word of criticism about her, and let's further suppose she
worked independently and not for any of the usual aid agencies that
are often criticized.

Because lots of editors focus on the centrality of NPOV, they feel
they have to include a criticism from somewhere, anywhere, and you end
up with an article that reads like this: "Jane Doe (born 1938) was a
Roman Catholic nun and aid worker, described by the New York Times as
'the embodiment of Christ on earth.' The Roman Catholic church has
been heavily criticized for the willingness of its followers to
interfere in the affairs of the developing world, according to
Militant Magazine."

It may be a form of NPOV, but it's poor writing and a violation of
NOR, because it's putting together a synthesis of published material
in a novel way in order to build a case.

Based on examples like this, I argue that, although NPOV and NOR are
inseparable, when push comes to shove, NOR is actually prioritized. Or
perhaps more accurately, NPOV is interpreted in a way that prioritizes
NOR. We publish only what other reputable/credible publications have
published (NOR) and we try to reflect the same mix of positive and
negative published material (NPOV), but in so doing, we must be
careful to stick closely to the parameters of the subject matter (NOR)
and not attempt to build a case of our own (NOR).

Sarah