I thought the whole point of Citizen Kane was that the meaning of "Rosebud" has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. It could have been anything and the movie would have been exactly the same. But maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.
"It seems to me that we can write a perfectly good encyclopedia while still respecting the both the artist's intent and the experience of readers." Frankly, I disagree. If you want to experience a movie the way the author intended it to be experienced for the first time, *don't read an article on the story beforehand*. To write a "perfectly good encyclopedia" article about Citizen Kane, or even about the movie's impact on society, without first making sure the reader knows the ending, is ridiculous. The only spoiler warning I'd support when it comes to something like Citizen Kane is one at or near the top of the article which says something to the effect of "IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ SPOILERS ABOUT A MOVIE, DON'T READ WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES ABOUT THAT MOVIE".
Anthony