[WikiEN-l] Biography of Living persons

[WJhonson at aol.com]

<<In a message dated 12/28/2008 7:52:44 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
scream at datascreamer.com writes:

Is it  really, *our duty* to report it?  And at what cost to a  living
person?  I think that for those marginally notable, an opt out  is not an
"extreme step", not as extreme as my first  suggestion.

I'll agree, that it is their life, and their choice to make  it public. 
But must we be the agents of their perpetual  embarrassment?  Most
especially, if their articles are frequent  targets of hatcheting and
libel.  Most especially, if the notability  is 'marginal'.>>
 
First, are you saying that all journalists are unethical and immoral?
Secondly, I agree that an opt-out for the "marginally notable" is not as  
extreme as an opt-out for everybody.
Third, it's not an issue that we *must* be that agent "of their perpetual  
embarrassment", but only that we *can*.  Once you allow can, you allow *an*  
editor, but not necessarily *all* editors, to be so.  I would submit,  however, 
that deliberately ignoring or whitewashing a bio, because we don't want  to 
"embarrass" a subject, seems fairly opposed to our supposed  purpose.  Which is, 
to write a biography, not a hagiography.
 
Fourthly, whether an article is a frequent target of libel is not material,  
to how we write it.
 
Will Johnson
 
 
 
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