[WikiEN-l] Re: Biographies of living persons - new draft guideline

Tue Dec 20 21:21:43 UTC 2005

David Gerard wrote:
> I've done a rewrite of the proposed guideline at
> 
>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons/temp
> 
> It's rewritten very much in the style of a quickly usable guideline -
> you should be able to get the whole idea from the intro, the rest is
> details.
> 
> I've also tried to greatly tighten the writing from the original, but
> it could do with more (e.g. the looong examples). Please hack away.
> 
> 
> - d.
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I left some comments on the initial version.

One thing I would found useful is that a dual document is produced. One 
to be adressed to the editor (the guidelines) and one to be adressed to 
the one editing his biography. Sarah initial version was confusing both 
public, while David's one is now totally oriented toward regular editors.

I think both documents are needed.

Now, one thing that is imho, strongly missing in David version is 
somehow the description of HOW a person might feel when she discovers 
very questionable statements about her all over the web... and has very 
little idea how Wikipedia works. She must really feel like a stranger 
falling in a strange land.

I think that I can give this perspective, due to the number of times I 
had to answer one of these editors with a biography on OTRS. Some pretty 
cool, some totally abashed, some absolutely furious.

While it is important to explain editors which guidelines to follow, it 
is also important to explain to them the dismay of those with 
biographies they perceive wrong (and which are sometimes wrong actually).

And it is also important for the newbies to understand what is gonna 
happen to them, when they just feel like correcting what they think is 
wrong.

Both sides are important to consider, not just one. Each time there is a 
dispute, there are two sides. Not one person guilty of fixing his 
biography and one side being in his full rights to "save" the 
encyclopedia from the bad censor.

There are always too sides in a dispute and in this, I believe very very 
much in Sarah empathic approach. And again, I say this from the 
perspective of one who has precisely to deal with some enraged people on 
OTRS, mishandled by an editor.

It is important to remember these guys are most of the time acting in 
all good faith.

Aside from this, I believe the paragraph about legal threats is 
problematic. I wish that it is reworked.
As a reminder, the FOundation may hold a responsability as a sort of 
publisher, when informed, it does not make an effort to fix a lie or a 
libel. But ultimately, the editor himself is liable. The editor is 
responsible of what he writes.
Additionnaly, please remove phone numbers. Remove info-de, you are the 
english wikipedia, NOT the german speaking wikipedia. Remove personal 
email addresses as well, especially when they lead to Wikia (Wikia is 
not the Foundation). And if we are talking about neutrality, also see 
the one complaining side : the very expression "legal threat" is biaised :-)

Thanks a lot in any cases for all those working on these guidelines. 
Legal issues over biographies, most of you know this, are currently a 
huge issue for the board, we really appreciate your help here to deal 
with this. The Foundation will suffer of any legal action, whether if 
right or wrong.

ant