User:HowardBGolden/Abuse of the General Notability Guideline in Deletion Discussions

The general notability guideline (WP:GNG) is sometimes cited as the basis for deleting an article in deletion discussions. This is an improper use of the guideline, since it is a guideline for presuming notability, not a guideline for presuming non-notability. Attempting to use the guideline to presume non-notability is a logical fallacy.

The guideline begins with the following text (as of 2010-10-17): "If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article" [Emphasis added].

It is a logical fallacy called "denying the antecedent" to read this as saying "If a topic has not received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to be non-notable." For this reason, a reference to WP:GNG deserves no weight in reaching consensus to delete an article.