At 09:54 AM 8/5/02 -0400, Ed Poor wrote:
Locking a page is only a temporary solution to an edit
war. It stops the
current battle, of course, but a better long-term solution is to
teach
contributors how to write from the NPOV. I'm not saying that this is an
EASY solution, obviously. I myself have struggled mightily to learn how to
write neutrally, and I still fail occasionally on subjects dear to me (such
as Global Warming, which Axel has reverted in flames a few times :-).
I've stepped in from time to time, as in the Eisenhower controversy,
trying to
show how information that veers away from the consensus can be
included: usually by summarizing, creating a new article, or demoting
content to an external link.
What do others think about the prospects for educating contributors to the
controversial pages, on how to write from the?
Prospects are dim in certain instances. Some folks have a lifetime
half-life on certain fixed ideas. A crank usually has a narrow focus so
even they can benefit from tips on technique. In instances where a
government in engaged in war or serious domestic conflict Wikipedia is just
a part of their psychological warfare operations, if they bother with us at
all.
But I continue to think a good [[controverial issue]] page would be helpful.
Fred Bauder