[WikiEN-l] Deleting orphaned unfree images

[Delirium]

jkelly at fas.harvard.edu wrote:

>Quoting Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com>:
>
>  
>
>>Shouldn't the image be deleted if it's orphaned? A fair use rationale
>>is only for a particular use, as this image isn't being used, the
>>rationale is nonsense.
>>    
>>
>
>  I agree with this, of course.  But en: treats unfree content as deserving of
>many of the same protections from deletion as free content, and deleting a
>"fair use" image that we're not actually using will provoke people into
>accusations of ignoring process, abuse of admin tools, and may even wind up at
>Deletion Review.
>  
>
The point of giving the original uploader a few days to respond is to 
verify that it really is the case that it's a fair-use image no longer 
being used.  If we zap things instantly, we can't distinguish, for 
example, a case where it's a perfectly legitimate fair-use image but 
momentarily not being used because somebody vandalized the page it was 
used in.  I don't see what's wrong with proposing it for deletion, 
waiting a week or so, and deleting it if the allegation turns out to be 
correct.

-Mark