A consensus to "liberally" allow fair use
would mean nothing. Most
things are subject to consensus, but the Foundation's been pretty clear
on the matter, that fair use should be minimal if allowed at all. While
that's open to some interpretation, "use liberally and wherever we
legally can" is clearly in conflict with that resolution, so consensus
or not it can't be done. An essential part of minimal use is that the
fair-use content is irreplaceable, and also that it serve to
substantially enhance the educational value of the article it's used in.
Several people have noted on en.wikipedia that consensus on this
policy can not override Foundation resolution.
However, we have had several MASSIVE debates about how to interpret
the words "minimal" and "significantly". Nobody agrees on the
connotation
of these words as it applies to our use of non-free media.
This is precisely one of the reasons I am asking for greater clarification.
-Durin