[WikiEN-l] [Fwd: Re: The hard work of NPOV]

[Ray Saintonge]

joshua.zelinsky at yale.edu wrote:
> Even if we gave little weight to such claims that isn't our fault. 
> Giving extra
> weight due to or own suspicions or looking at the facts on the ground would
> almost certainly constitute [[WP:OR|original research]]. Not our job.
Though Fred's and my political views may often be seriously divergent, I 
can give him credit when he makes thoughtful comments.

I would also be inclined to say that in the general case NPOV trumps 
NOR.  Holding a view that is patently wrong, and which we know is wrong 
simply because we have only original research to support of the contrary 
view strikes me as somewhere between unethical and wilfully stupid.  To 
give a religious analogy, it's a bit like Pontius Pilate washing his 
hands of the whole shameful business, . . . so that he could spend more 
time developing his exercise scheme.

On the one hand we need to assume good faith on the part of those who 
believed the received wisdom that Iraq had WMD.  We cannot ignore that a 
significant part of the population had contrary views.  In addition, 
those with contrary views were left with the unenviable task of proving 
a negative.

"Not our job," strikes me as an excuse for avoiding responsibility.

Ec