Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Don Hickman (newscaster)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete. The sense of the discussion was that the brief span of coverage after his death was not enough to show notability. Xymmax So let it be written   So let it be done  17:30, 10 December 2011 (UTC)

Don Hickman (newscaster)

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non notable local TV journalist and failed mayoral candidate, fails WP:GNG. Alternate article was deleted following this discussion Jezhotwells (talk) 01:34, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Delete Non-notable local newscaster. Recently created article, probably as a memorial page (he died this month). About the only references available are obituaries. Granted, those obits do describe him as "one of the most recognizable people in Springfield", "the Walter Cronkite of central Illinois", etc. But that's eulogizing. IMO there should have been more coverage during his lifetime if he was truly notable. The only in-depth coverage of him I found, aside from obituaries, was this article about the five candidates for mayor in 2003. (He came in fourth.) --MelanieN (talk) 01:42, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Television-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 02:17, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Illinois-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 02:18, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Politicians-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 02:18, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Authors-related deletion discussions.  • Gene93k (talk) 02:18, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Keep Although he does not have the "clout" as a national newscaster, he still reported on various life-changing events. There are many things that he did cover over his entire broadcasting career. Some of which I did point out in the article. There are many accounts of his life which I did not put on to Wikipedia, see this memoir. I do not have the time to write a multi-page document/article about the subject matter either. Since Wikipedia is able to be edited by anyone, others should be able to pickup where others have left off.  Also, I do find Wikipedia's policies on "noteworthy" articles rather bias towards people that are well known in the news or items that impact a vast majority of people. -- Mr Xaero (talk) 03:28, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Keep: Per Mr. Xaero. Also, Don Hickman was considered the "Walter Cronkite of Central Illinois" by many who watched, worked at and grew up with WICS.  Plenty can be added to this article as Mr. Hickman was apparently very active in the Central Illinois communities with various charitable works and such. -  Neutralhomer  •  Talk  • 04:57, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Delete: No indication that this local celebrity meets Notability (people) in the context of a worldwide encyclopedia. Saying that a 30-year newscaster reported a lot of significant events is not a sign of notability; any competent person, whose main career was news, has the same claim.  Local celebrities are often called the somebody-of-somewhere; that the person's fame is explained as the somebody-else-of-somewhere, and that Walter Cronkite was not called "the Don Hickman of America", should put the comparison in perspective.  The essay Geographic imbalance explains why subjects of regional notability often do not meet Wikipedia notability guidelines.  (Yes, Wikipedia has a "bias towards people that are well known in the news or items that impact a vast majority of people", as Mr Xaero put it.  That's how it's intended to work.)  Wikipedia is not a memorial and inclusion or deletion is not a contest about whether someone personally deserves to be remembered. --Closeapple (talk) 20:52, 4 December 2011 (UTC)
 * This page was not intended to be a memorial for Don Hickman as everyone is describing it as being. I have attempted to uncover or find other notable on the subject matter, but it appears that his life was kept private. -- Mr Xaero (talk) 02:58, 5 December 2011 (UTC)
 * And thus the article fails WP:GNG. Jezhotwells (talk) 03:04, 5 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Delete. I am considered the Walter Cronkite of my lunchbox. Local puffy obituaries do not "significant coverage in reliable sources" make. --Mkativerata (talk) 10:32, 9 December 2011 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.