[WikiEN-l] {{spoiler}} vs. writing a goddamn encyclopedia

[geni]

On 5/15/07, Philip Sandifer <snowspinner at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is a massive problem. It was one thing when we allowed the use
> of "spoiler" warnings as a perceived favor to readers. But this is
> unacceptable - the focus on not revealing spoilers is being used as a
> pretext to write bad articles. It is clear that the policy of taking
> care with spoilers and the policy of writing an encyclopedia are, in
> numerous cases, alien to one another.
>
> Bold proposal: Nuke the spoiler template. Nuke all "spoiler"
> policies. People may well get burnt on one or two articles they read
> before they will come to a simple and obvious realization -
> encyclopedia articles on a topic reveal information about that topic.
> If you have a desire to not know things about a topic, you probably
> shouldn't go look it up in an encyclopedia.
>
> This should be obvious. Our mission is to provide information, not
> hide it.
>
> -Phil

The problem is only partly due to the spoiler template. Most easy to
get at reviews and plot summaries will also tend to protect spoilers.
The upshot of this is that for less famous examples it can be quite
hard to find a decent citeable sources that discuss the media in the
context of the spoiler.


-- 
geni