On 5/20/06, Sarah slimvirgin@gmail.com wrote:
Even if Harold Shipman was Jewish and there's a good source for it, there's no reason it should be in the intro. His ethnicity/religion wasn't in any way relevant to his notabilty.
I'm probably straying into dangerous territory here, but I do notice that ethnic origin is very frequently cited in the intro for people with, shall we say, more positive contributions to humanity. "Jim Smith was a Jewish scientist of Polish origin best known for his studies of geraniums" seems like something you would come across fairly often.
There's really no policy or guideline at all for what shouldn't go in the lead section. There are vague guidelines for what *should* go in it, but whether or not to mention a religion or ethnic origin is largely a question of taste and common sense.
Steve