[WikiEN-l] BLP - a case study

[MacGyverMagic/Mgm]

No. Dead people should be treated with equal respect to living ones.

On 3/28/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> on 3/28/07 10:27 AM, Andrew Gray at shimgray at gmail.com wrote:
>
> > Basically, we have an issue with the biographies of living people
> > where - by the simple act of repeating published and verifiable
> > information - we can give a vastly misleading impression about them;
> > we report their drunk-driving conviction at 19 in the same tone and
> > length as we report their Nobel prize. Oh, it's verifiable and true...
> > but should we be publishing it? Editorial common sense says, perhaps,
> > no.
>
> My own thinking begins with why is the person being included in the
> encyclopedia in the first place? Was it because of their work in a
> particular field? - Contributions to the world at large? - Notorious acts
> of
> criminal behavior? What? Let the substance of the Article be guided by
> these
> criteria.
>
> And, if other publications wish to publish personal information, so be it;
> that is their purpose for being - let WP stay with it's own.
>
> Another thought: After this person dies would it then be fair game to add
> all of the personal stuff? And, would it now be OK to do so? And if so,
> why
> so?
>
> Marc Riddell
>
>
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