On 8/16/06, Jimmy Wales jwales@wikia.com wrote:
The one that is absolutely imperative for all editors is to recognize that "If this claim would be libellous if false, it is absolutely not acceptable to simply put a 'citation needed' tag and hope for the best."
*THAT* is the sentence that needs to be at the top of WP:LIVING, not:
-- Articles about living persons require a degree of sensitivity and must adhere strictly to Wikipedia's content policies. Be very firm about high-quality references, particularly about details of personal lives. Unsourced or poorly sourced negative material about living persons should be removed immediately from both the article and the talk page. Responsibility for justifying controversial claims rests firmly on the shoulders of the person making the claim. --
That sentence up there is actionable, workable and simple enough for all editors to understand. We can even simplify it further:
Any claim about a living person that would be libellous if proven false must be referenced with a high quality source or removed *immediately*.
Can we do something to elevate this above the normal "everything should be verified" and "be sensitive with living people" yada yada?
Steve