[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia as moral tool?

[Marc Riddell]

on 6/5/07 2:16 PM, William Pietri at william at scissor.com wrote:

> Marc Riddell wrote:
>> on 6/5/07 9:19 AM, William Pietri at william at scissor.com wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> That's not to say that we shouldn't suppress facts for moral purposes.
>>> There are good arguments for it.
>>> 
>> 
>> This is where you lost me, William. What do you mean?
>> 
> 
> Sorry. I was trying to avoid pointing too directly at the incidents that
> triggered my thinking, as I didn't just want to dredge them up for yet
> another round. I was thinking of the BADSITES foofaraw and some recent
> BLP excitements, including Little Fatty and Bus Uncle. But I've seen it
> elsewhere. I wasn't thinking of things like home addresses; I think
> that's directory fodder, not encyclopedic material.
> 
> I'm not saying I agree with the people who are saying we should suppress
> published newsworthy facts, like the names of the Bus Uncle characters,
> or the bio we have on Daniel Brandt. I'm not saying I disagree, either,
> as they have some excellent points.
> 
> I'm just saying that making the moral choices on behalf of our readers
> rather than leaving it up to them makes me nervous, both because I'm not
> sure where it will end and because I fear it will be the source of
> unending disagreement.
> 
> Is that helpful?
> 
Yes it is, thank you, William. Actually, I was focused on the use of the
phrase "moral choices". I, personally, would use the phrase "ethical
choices"; I believe it carries with it a lot less incendiary baggage.

Marc