[WikiEN-l] BLP, and admin role in overriding community review

[doc]

Ron Ritzman wrote:
> On 5/23/07, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> The point is that isn't particularly fame. The incident is famous, the
>> person's pretty much only famous in association with the incident.
> 
> Could some argue that based on this [[Monica Lewinsky]] should be deleted?
> 
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This is based on a real case (names changed to protect the innocent)

The point for me is that an article on [[Jane H. Smith]] should indicate 
a little about the life of John Smith. It's a biography. An article on 
Jane that only includes information about her being a baby that was 
switched at birth isn't a biography - it is a news report or an article 
on an incident - and no more.

Whilst the 'switched at birth' story may have reached the newspapers, it 
is unfair to have a biography on her. Newspapers are forgot 16 years 
later - only careful research with retrieve the story. On the other 
hand, a Wikipedia article will google and any potential employer, 
boyfriend, student in the school she is teaching at 24 years later - 
will have that information shoved in their face if they check her out.

The differences between Smith and Lewinsky are this. 1) Lewinsky has no 
privacy for us to protect - anyone checking her out can get all the 
details anywhere. 2) And this is important - although Smith and Lewinsky 
are only notable for one thing - the fact that Lewinsky's life has been 
so public means we can write a full balanced biography for her. He bio 
want say "she sucked Clinton's cock" it will say something about her 
background, career, life after the incident - in short we get the whole 
person. One incident yes - but that's given us enough sources to write 
the biography. We have no sources to write a biography on Smith (and if 
we find out any more it is likely to be OR) - only to record an 
incident. That's not a biography.

So, with Smith, if the incident is notable - then we write the incident 
up, (in this case I doubt it is in any sense notable) - but we don't 
have a biography, because WE CANNOT WRITE A BIOGRAPHY, and certainly not 
one compliant with our policies.

Doc