...Wikipedia RC seems to be zipping by quite fast lately. (Its already impossible to just scan RC as a way to catch up; Im actually using my watchlist for the first time...) But it seems that with the controversial set, its time for a rethinking of the protected page policy, and Ive written some basic stuff here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Protected_page/Draft]]

Basically, my idea calls for sort of dance steps to how to deal with contested articles. Essentially, allowing certain sysops to act according to formal roles with respect to each contested article, and to have those articles be protected in degrees, based on what the situation calls for. Protection is degree-less, but sysops can and should act responsibly to continue developing articles in accordance with the concerns of the partisans. Because any disputes about who can act in each role are an abstract issue from the article, they can be dealt with judiciously as a separate dispute by moderates not interested in getting mud thrown at them. With templates and categories, this can be more quickly done.

Of course, this would mean that sysopdom does have some responsibility and privelige for which they would be more accountable, but this is weighed against the need to have controversial articles not be such black holes on Wikipedia.

From out of nowhere's left field,

SV

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