[WikiEN-l] Brandt unblocked by Jimbo - community support?

[Ray Saintonge]

Jimmy Wales wrote:

>Brandt and I are talking by email about his status in Wikipedia, both as 
>editor and as biographical subject, and I am attempting to address his 
>various concerns in a way that is both consistent with our policies 
>(NPOV in particular) and respectful of him as a human being.
>
>He seems to be discussing in good faith, and I know that I am discussing 
>in good faith.  Whatever disagreements he and I, or he and others, may 
>have, it seems fairly clear to me that he wants only to edit the talk 
>page of his own biography (he has said so), so that he can complain 
>there about various problems he perceives (such is his right).
>
>He would still like the article about him to be completely deleted, but 
>I think he also understands that complete deletion is not likely to 
>happen.  So now I am talking to him about specific steps we might take 
>(he and I but also all of us) to make the article better.
>
I have already mentioned a few times that we would benefit from people 
being able to express themselves about themselves on an article about 
them.  Plainly put there would be an article written in the normally 
accepted way, and there would be a section where it is clear that it's 
that person's own opinion about himself.  I don't see it as a violation 
of NPOV because that judgement should apply to the article as a whole.  
If a person's self-assessment is outrageous, it can't be made clearer 
than in a person's own words.  I'm not suggesting a completely free hand 
without any rules at all; libellous comments about third persons would 
most certainly be frowned upon.  Having the opportunity to defen 
themselves in public is likely to significantly reduce the complaints 
that someone might have about the article on him.

Ec