Talk:Kevin Byrne (mayor)

Unwarranted Edits - 23/4/2012
Starting on or about 23.4.2012, a user identified as 'GodSaveCairns', having no previous history on Wikipedia, proceeded to delete legitimate, referenced contributions to this BLP and 'whitewash' the content - 'positive spin' for political purposes? Note this occured prior to local elections in Cairns.

The user has been warned, deletions reverted and this article flagged as 'autobiography'. This article has previously been flagged for deletion, notability. Deletion was contentious and cancelled. Suggest revisit? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.18.248.122 (talk) 22:45, 24 April 2012 (UTC)

Removal of 'Reads Like a Resume' and 'Autobiography' Flags
Since December 2011, various contributors have added references and quantifiable facts to the previous wiki, which had been largely a cut-and-paste from subject's CV and website.

In the process, the contributors have added over 17 references to the wiki article, and flagged dubious / unreferenced items as such, whilst removing non-NPOV language (eg administered 'giant' oil spill) and unverified contentious statements.

Given the significant work completed, this author believes it's now warranted to remove the 'autobiography' and 'reads like a resume' flags as the content is now largely balanced, with NPOV.

Contention re Academic Quals Use of {Dubious} Template
Dubious flag added, inline, to draw reader to information uncovered during the research phase of this rewrite. Facts further fleshed out below the disputed qualification. May be moved to 'controversy' section in future.

Original Synthesis 27/08/12
Paragraph starting with "The award may be dubious" is a claim synthesised from correct information about the award, and correct information about the provider. There is no article reference explicitly linking the 'bogus degrees' controversy with Kevin Byrne. I removed the passage on the 23rd. It was reverted on the 25th by anonymous (27.123.161.9). Instead of removing again, I have added a SYN template as a good faith measure. If any editor has an article to reference explicitly linking the 'bogus degrees' controversy with Kevin Byrne, please post. Otherwise this paragraph can be deleted.

Original Synthesis 27/08/12
SYN tag removed. There is no synthesis here. The subject freely admits he is an alumnus of 'Kensington University, California' in his own published CV. The article simply references other peer reviewed reviews of this particular academic institution. This is not original research, articles are not synthesised. Washington Post and CBS are considered reliable sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.123.160.181 (talk) 10:45, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

User Frickeg - whitewashing
On the 26th of January, 2014, a user called 'Frickeg' who appears to have a strong interest in the political right, deleted a whole section dedicated to the subjects qualifications and referenced his changes with the words "First attempt at removing the 'guff'". It seems clear the information, being well referenced, is not false (aka 'guff') - so suspect removal was possibly personally motivated. This whitewashing was rectified and the factual information regarding subjects qualifications reinstated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.245.98.2 (talk) 01:24, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
 * I do so enjoy it when removing WP:BLP violations leads to accusations of political bias, especially when they're so wildly incorrect as this one. Actually the removal was a precursor to possible deletion, since I don't think the guy is necessarily notable. The page was (and, even with this change, remains) a total mess anyway. Frickeg (talk) 00:58, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

No worries I can see how it may have looked like 'guff' at the time that you made your changes as many of the references included had been removed. Your reference to this information as 'guff' in the edits was what I found irritating, as it was deeply referenced at the time of writng but I noted the CV and website of the subject had been removed subsequently - after I realised that fact I didn't argue the removal - even though much of the 'guff' remained in caches of those websites, and still does. Wikipedia is all about factual, well referenced, information. Subsequently, the POI has reinstated some of the information originally referenced, so I've reinstated a portion of relevant, factual, well referenced information with regards to his qualifications. There would be no objection from this party for removal - agreed re notability. Re mess, I suggest you look at where it stood 3 years ago.. it appeared to me as a 'reads like a CV' and I'm glad that I (and others) added some complexion to that. Wiki is not here to be a promotional tool.

Removing Higher Education Section
Link checking of the 'higher education' section showed that the subject's personal website (pacificasiasolutions.com)has now been removed, and his linkedIn profile has been modified to remove the spurious MBA and BBA qualifications from kensington university, an unaccredited university. This had the effect of making the previous references to these qualifications difficult, though not impossible, to find - These references are still available if using the wayback machine, or other internet archives, however, on balance, it's apparent that the subject is no longer claiming these spurious qualifications publicly. Therefore, at risk of some loss of 'balance' in the article, v/v 'character' of the subject, Frickeg's edits have been reinstated, and the references to his spurious qualifications modified to reflect uncertainty regarding their currency. Suggest this section be revisited periodically to ascertain whether subject recommences citation of these spurious acadamic qualifications, and reinstate if necessary. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.245.98.2 (talk) 00:14, 2 March 2014 (UTC)