http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Reliable_sources#Top-to-bottom_r...
WP:RS is an essay, not a guideline. I can say that because the incumbents are now blindly edit-warring to their preferred version, even against corrections of grammatical errors. That's the sign of a process that has become way too introverted and really, really needs to be brought back in touch with the real world.
- d.