John Lee wrote:
I am not sure if the circumstances are quite congruent
concerning
the Essjay
issue. I understand his youthful indiscretion, being a youth myself
and
having made many youthful mistakes. I certainly would not want this
being
held against him in the future. But at the same time, I can find no
basis
for deciding the article on the [[Essjay controversy]] should be
deleted
that does not lie in some subjective valuation of morals.
I don't have a strong opinion on whether or not the [[Essjay
controversy]] article should be deleted. I suspect that ten years
from now it will be seen as a minor blip in Wikipedia's history, and
by then the argument for deleting it will be stronger than it is now.
At present, however, I think there are practical reasons *not* to
delete the article. The Essjay controversy is still only a few months
old and fresh enough in memory that deleting it carries an aroma of
Wikipedia trying to whitewash itself. Deleting it under these
conditions is therefore likely to simply produce revived controversy,
attention and edit-warring, which serves neither Essjay nor Wikipedia.
On balance, therefore, I think it is better to refrain from deleting
it for the time being, but consider the issue again in a year or so,
by which time passions will have cooled and it will be easier to
consider the article dispassionately on its merits, rather than on
the basis of personal sympathy for Essjay (or hostility toward
Wikipedia/Jimbo/whatever).
--------------------------------
| Sheldon Rampton
| Research director, Center for Media & Democracy (
www.prwatch.org)
| Author of books including:
| Friends In Deed: The Story of US-Nicaragua Sister Cities
| Toxic Sludge Is Good For You
| Mad Cow USA
| Trust Us, We're Experts
| Weapons of Mass Deception
| Banana Republicans
| The Best War Ever
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