[WikiEN-l] Analysis of BLP issues (Jimmy Wales shouldreconsider)

[David Gerard]

On 22/04/07, Jeff Raymond <jeff.raymond at internationalhouseofbacon.com> wrote:
> James Farrar wrote:

> >> That would be another way to go. Unless there is a published biography
> >> on the individual, our default is deletion. Again there will be
> >> exceptions - but we could let afd sort that out. We just change the
> >> default - you need a consensus for inclusion if there is no other
> >> biography in publication.

> > That seems like a sensible criterion - and there might be potential to
> > extend that to classes of articles other than BLP.

> I've always seen this as a rather horrid criterion.  So what does this
> mean?  Most sportsmen, most television stars, most musicians, many
> politicians - gone.  And let's not even get started at the systematic
> bias issues inherent in this, especially in third world countries or
> nations with government-controlled media where the "biographies" we
> require simply wouldn't exist for reasons outside of our happy Western
> control.


Indeed. Our systemic bias is bad enough now without entrenching it in
this manner.


- d.