[WikiEN-l] Notability in Wikipedia

[Ray Saintonge]

doc wrote:
> Thomas Dalton wrote:
>   
>> 2009/4/28 doc:
>>     
>>> I disagree that the burden of proof is on the contributing author. The
>>> burden is on those wishing to delete something to achieve a consensus to
>>> delete. What level of "evidence" or "proof" will convince a consensus of
>>> wikipedians is up to the wikipedians participating. I suspect many
>>> people will be satisfied by different things.
>>>       
>> The burden of proof has to be on the author. The person wishing to
>> delete it would have to prove a negative, which is borderline
>> impossible (in this case, anyway). How great the burden is is another
>> question and, as you say, that depends on who is taking part in the
>> discussion, but there is no choice about who the burden is on.
>>     
> If that is true, the burden would be on those wishing to retain, rather 
> than the "author" (which is a concept best left out of wikipedia).
>
> But, as long as a consensus, with good reason, wish to retain, any 
> burden is discharged.
While it makes sense that a contributor should have a prima facie burden 
of showing that his ideas were not pulled out of thin air, this is of 
necessity a limited burden.  If someone wants to dispute that the 
contributor's source is not reliable, a blanket statement about that 
without evidence is an assumption of the contributor's bad faith.


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