[WikiEN-l] Criticism sections on bios of living people

[Philip Welch]

On May 7, 2006, at 1:14 AM, Steve Bennett wrote:

> On 5/7/06, Anthony DiPierro <wikilegal at inbox.org> wrote:
>> Criticism should certainly be part of an article, but I've always
>> found it poor writing style to put it in its own section.
>
> I think it depends on the subject of the article. When talking about
> borderline dictators, for example, I find it works quite well in its
> own section. You describe the person's life, achievements, invasions
> etc, building a fairly positive image of the person. Then the
> criticism section might go "However, Bloggs has frequently been
> criticised, especially in the United States, where he is seen as a
> dictator...." As a reader, I find this style much more palatable -
> you're not caught up with the "yes he is, no he's not" all the way
> through, where every sentence has been hacked together by supporters
> and detractors.
>
> On the other hand, a genuinely controversial character like Michael
> Moore, doesn't need this treatment. His controversy is his career.
> Pretty much everything he has done had an immediate critical response,
> which he was aware of and probably responded to, so it makes more
> sense to put those criticisms in the body of the article.
>
> Do I have any supporters on this? :)

Indeed. Very insightful analysis.

-- 
Philip L. Welch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Philwelch