Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ryan Spiegel


 * 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. – Juliancolton  &#124; Talk 14:13, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Ryan Spiegel

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Non-notable local politician. Press coverage in national papers due only to the fact that Gaithersburg, Maryland is a suburb of Washington, D.C.. WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 15:14, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

City of Gaithersburg may be close to Washington, DC, and is covered in the Washington Post as part of the region, that doesn't change the fact that coverage of the subject is significant. Requirement is not 'coverage in multiple papers that are covering the subject frequently and thoroughly, but not from papers that are covering the subject due to his city's geographic proximity to the major paper.' Standard is simply "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject of the article." This is absolutely the case. Subject meets necessary criteria for notability, by virtue of receiving significant press coverage during past two years on the Council. The fact alone that subject is often covered in The Washington Post (with millions of readers), The Gazette, and The Washington Examiner (regardless of the fact that the newspapers may be located in a city that is close to the subject's city) means he meets the primary standard for significant coverage. Benmoskowitz (talk) 15:28, 17 August 2009 (UTC)Benmoskowitz

Additional articles as proof of significant coverage have been added to the article, and more can be found here. More time is needed to add them all to the article, but they should serve as notice of significant coverage: http://www.gazette.net/stories/08052009/nortnew214956_32535.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/08052009/nortnew215000_32540.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/04152009/gaitnew211401_32477.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/03252009/gaitnew212841_32480.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/03182009/gaitnew204757_32479.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/03182009/montcol175215_32472.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/11052008/montnew212946_32482.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/10082008/montnew210355_32482.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/10082008/gaitnew210354_32479.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/09192008/businew201923_32479.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/073008/gaitnew200313_32357.shtml, http://www.gazette.net/stories/061808/montnew211646_32365.shtml, and many more can be provided. Benmoskowitz (talk) 15:39, 17 August 2009 (UTC)Benmoskowitz


 * I don't think you're understanding the meaning of "significant coverage". Merely quoting a public official in the course of a completely unrelated story does not lend that official "significance".  Significant coverage amounts to more than just passing mention, and none of these articles reaches that criterion.  WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 15:53, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

So are you looking for a full profile of the specific elected official? Benmoskowitz (talk) 16:15, 17 August 2009 (UTC)Benmoskowitz
 * Delete. I don't believe city council members have automatic notability. What this would need is significant discussion of the subject in reliable sources; I have not seen such discussion. Drmies (talk) 18:28, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

That hardly seems fair. State Legislators are given automatic passes. In New Hampshire, there are about 1.3 million people and roughly 400 state representatives. That's one representative for every 3300 people. Why would a state legislator who represents 3300 people be given automatic notability, whereas a prominent City Councilman that was elected by a district (city) of 58,000+ people, not qualify? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.231.44.169 (talk) 18:50, 17 August 2009 (UTC)
 * I don't believe that is the correct reading of the WP:BIO section. The criteria are "holders of international, national, or first level sub-national office, including members of a legislature and judges".  For the US, that would be state governors, and Members of Congress.  I don't believe it means to imply that members of state legislatures are inherently notable (although they would probably meet the "significant coverage" criteria).  Remember also that the guidelines of WP:BIO are just that, guidelines, not poicies.  The real issue is that of significant coverage, and the coverage Mr. Spiegel has received has not been significant.  WikiDan61 ChatMe!ReadMe!! 19:10, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

I understand what you're saying about guidelines, but I believe we have a fundamental disagreement about the meaning of significant. Your claim seems to be that there must be multiple articles written entirely about the subject to merit the label of significant coverage. This seems bizarre to me. Most definitions of the word specify 'importance' and 'the extent to which something matters' as the main aspects of significance, as in important or noteworthy coverage. I think we just come down on different sides as to what meets that qualification; you may disagree, and that's fine, but my position is that dozens of articles in multiple major newspapers with combined millions in readership written with references to and quotations from Mr. Spiegel, as a direct result of his service on the Gaithersburg City Council, qualify as significant. Benmoskowitz (talk) 15:11, 18 August 2009 (UTC)Benmoskowitz
 * Delete. Localized coverage of pedestrian govt. functions doesn't convince me of notability, regardless of what paper it is. Niteshift36 (talk) 02:55, 23 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Delete. The sources given don't establish notability for a city council member. Although he has been mentioned in the Washington Post, the reference given is not one of broad significance. — Gavia immer (talk) 16:13, 23 August 2009 (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.