Matthew Brown wrote:
On 6/16/07, Todd Allen toddmallen@gmail.com wrote:
I wouldn't go so far as to say it would kill off the project, but I believe it would be bad for it. We're not attempting to create "Who's Who in Academia", we're attempting to create an encyclopedia. By covering subjects which are barely of note, very little information exists for, and will be forgotten completely ten years from now, we are giving them undue weight simply by inclusion. That violates NPOV, which -is- a core principle.
That's a rather novel interpretation of NPOV.
-Matthew
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Nah, I really don't think it is. (Actually, I'm quite sure I've heard it at least a few times, though I couldn't tell you where.) Why do you think so many non-notable or marginally-notable bands fight to have their article kept? Mainly, because by putting an article in something purported to be an encyclopedia, we are asserting that, in some real way, that topic is one of importance to human knowledge through the ages.
That may apply to the president of a major university. It most certainly does -not- apply to all its faculty, especially when all that we can reliably source is "X was a professor of Y at Z University." That can very easily be mentioned on one line in the university article, or a list ("Faculty of Z University from year A to year B") if it must be split out. Of course, in many cases, it may not be terribly important -who- it was at all.
I'm really not sure how "undue weight" is a novel interpretation of NPOV, that's been in it as long as I can remember. By putting a subject in a separate article, we're giving it a certain amount of weight. By putting it in a list or main article, we're giving it a different amount. How much weight is appropriate should be a careful case-by-case consideration, not just "Ah, let's have separate-page articles on every (professor/album/minor pro sports player/5-person "census designated location"/train station/...)". In many cases, the appropriate amount of weight is a list entry, not a full article. In others, it's not to mention at all.