[WikiEN-l] good example of overuse of {{fact}}

[Ray Saintonge]

the wub wrote:

>On 10/15/06, Jimmy Wales <jwales at wikia.com> wrote:
>  
>
>>the wub wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Addressing the example - this IS a (possibly the most) widely propagated
>>>example of political correctness gone mad in the UK. Just google for
>>>"blackboard political correctness". However I can't for the life of me find
>>>      
>>>
>>>the original story that led to this (if there was one in the first place)
>>>
>>Precisely.  It has all the flavor of an urban legend.  I found many many
>>messageboard posts which claimed it as fact, but no one seems to have a
>>source.  Perhaps it is true, after all, but the initial evidence seems
>>to suggest otherwise.
>>    
>>
>An urban legend so prominent in fact that it is mentioned in a government
>report (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/mepess/10 - section
>6.64) :-)
>I honestly wouldn't be that surprised if it was true, but I agree that if no
>one can find evidence, it doesn't belong in Wikipedia.
>
Not so quick.  If a claim has developed the status of a widely believed 
urban legend we need to say something about it, if only to establish 
that it is indeed an urban legend.  Readers who have heard about this 
from a friend of a friend can then come to us to be assured that the 
idea has no basis in fact.

Ec