On Sun, Feb 24, 2008 at 2:08 PM, <WJhonson(a)aol.com> wrote:
In a message dated 2/24/2008 2:23:17 A.M. Pacific
Standard Time,
toddmallen(a)gmail.com writes:
Wikipedia is not censored>>
---------------------
Based on a discussion we had a bit ago on the Village Pump (I think) or
maybe Policy and Guidelines... at any rate someone brought up that it is in
fact censored. That is, we censor fringe-talk and crazy-talk and vandalism...
AFAIK, fringe-talk and crazy-talk is not censored as much as it is
dismissed as trolling.
Vandalism cannot be "censored" because censoring something requires
that it contain information. Most vandalism is either deletion (which
is in fact censorship) or random "OMGROFL TIMMY IS GAY" (which
contains no coherent information of use to anybody).
The wording you are looking for is the first sentence under
[[WP:NOT#CENSORED]]: "Wikipedia may contain content that some readers
consider objectionable or offensive." That is, content is not
censored because some people don't like it, but it can be *removed* if
it does not belong on Wikipedia in the first place.
Counter-argument: I can set up a telephone directory on Wikipedia and
cry "censorship!" when it's deleted, but it wasn't censorship -- it
was the removal of information inappropriate in an encyclopedia.
--
Chris Howie
http://www.chrishowie.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Crazycomputers