[WikiEN-l] Encyclopedia or Gossip Rag

[Fred Bauder]

As you evidence, the matter is notable to a significant portion of the
population.

As to how someone else can consider the matter not notable, perhaps
speciation is occurring...

Fred

> How is the very likely possibility of infidelity "relative trivia"? I
> consider it fairly relevant to a section named "Personal life". Also,
> your analogy with historical biographies is flawed, because the inclusion
> of this allegation barely makes the article increase in size at all.
>
> --
> ~~yutsi
> Sent from my iPhone.
>
> On Oct 7, 2012, at 10:48 AM, Thomas Morton <morton.thomas at googlemail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 7 October 2012 14:56, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Oct 7, 2012 2:44 PM, "Marc Riddell" <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I came across this today in the English Wikipedia:
>>>>
>>>> "In 2011, it has been reported that [the subject] has been caught
>>> cheating
>>>> on his wife with a 30 year old intern turned reporter."
>>>>
>>>> Is this worthy of a credible Encyclopedia or, if it needs reported at
>>> all,
>>>> in a gossip tabloid rag?
>>>
>>> I'd prefer it if we didn't make that kind of decision ourselves. Has
>>> it
>>> been reported in mainstream (non-gossip) media? (We have to make a
>>> judgement about whether a particular source is respectable or not, but
>>> that's better than making judgements on individual facts.)
>>> ______
>>>
>>
>> We do it all the time.
>>
>> I write historical biographies (amongst other things) and if I recorded
>> all
>> of the detail discussed in the numerous reliable sources (i.e. books)
>> used
>> for each then I would still be writing the first one (and just about
>> got to
>> the length of a medium novel!).
>>
>> Editorial judgement is a key skill for any competent WP editor, and we
>> should focus less on rigid rules (which encourage the inclusion of
>> trivia)
>> and more on good editorial judgement.
>>
>> In this case, good editorial judgement suggests that this is relative
>> trivia. It is not really related to his reason for notability and is
>> distinctly about his private life. It also seems to be something along
>> the
>> lines of an allegation mostly covered in tabloid gossip.
>>
>> I'd suggest that with good editorial judgement this is something we
>> would
>> pause for some time before covering, if at all, whilst BLP applies.
>>
>> Tom
>> _______________________________________________
>> WikiEN-l mailing list
>> WikiEN-l at lists.wikimedia.org
>> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit:
>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
> _______________________________________________
> WikiEN-l mailing list
> WikiEN-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit:
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
>