It seems like every time I ask this question I get vague answers
regarding "legal issues" "liability" "can't determine
content"
"community backlash" etc. Yet under
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use it looks like there is
more than enough room for the Foundation to propose and make it VERY
clear it supports things like:
a) Make Wikimedia mediation training a requirement for applying as
admin. And term limit admins (say, one year off for every two years on).
Make an informal quota of 25% plus women and continuously encourage
women to apply.
b) Change structure so 10-20 (as needed) mediators are hired and trained
to be professional. They'll also be given admin powers and will take on
harder cases volunteer admins and other dispute resolution processes
can't handle. (Structured processes for dealing with alleged abuses will
be implemented.) The Foundation will set a firm goal of at least 50%
women hirees.
c) Change structure so 4-6 arbitrators are hired but only used for most
intractable or original issues. (Structured processes for dealing with
alleged abuses will be implemented.) The Foundation will set a firm goal
of at least 50% women hirees.
d) Change structure so editors who step out of line too often will have
to phone verify who they are and register with a verified account.
Enforcing this will be another job for "arbitrators".
e) Foundation advertises new policies far and wide so that editors fed
up with the nonsense will come back in such numbers that losing the
50-100 chronic editor and admin abusers of the system will be no great
loss. (Wales has invited such people to quit, and said more users would
come back if they did, but still doesn't want to make necessary
Foundation policy changes to make this happen.)
Without these changes decent editors will continue to stay away or be
driven away in droves.
In the last week I've read at least 10 articles - biographies and
factual articles on countries and policies - that were severely
outdated, with 2012-13 seemingly the last time most were updated. I'd
hate to see what happened if I checked references for various
assertions. It's pretty sad...