Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-03-05/Discussion report

This week saw a major change in focus from conduct (last edition) to policies. Discussions have been started through various avenues on Wikipedia about a number of policies such as WP:NOTCENSORED and WP:COI.

When should Wikipedia be considered "not censored"?

 * In a nutshell: "Wikipedia is not censored" (often condensed to "NOTCENSORED") is a section within the "What Wikipedia is not" policy that is a widely accepted standard that all editors should normally follow. NOTCENSORED is an extension of the content disclaimer about how images and text that are relevant to the subject may seem inappropriate or objectionable to some readers. NOTCENSORED only applies in situations where text or images are factually relevant to the subject in the article; a nude picture in an article about bananas is not, of course, covered.


 * The problem: A discussion started on February 26 by Adjwilley at the village pump centered around alleged abuse of NOTCENSORED. The initiator proposed that the policy be made more specific on when it is applicable by expanding upon the context as currently written and citing examples of when the policy can be used. The context of when the policy is applicable appears to be the main focus of discussion. Participating editors also noted the relevance of the debate to another policy that is aligned with NOTCENSORED, called WP:GRATUITOUS.

Interest in conflict re:"Conflict of interest"

 * In a nutshell: "Conflict of interest" (often abbreviated to "COI") is a generally accepted behavioral guideline, intended to maintain Wikipedia as a neutral, reliably sourced encyclopaedia. Conflicts of interest are described as comprising the following: inclusion of autobiographical material, editing for financial gain, significant involvement with the subject of a Wikipedia article, promoting oneself or advocating on behalf of one's client.

A discussion was opened by ASCIIn2Bme at the urging of the Arbitration Committee for the following reason:

"Many issues concerning paid editing, anonymous editing, outing and harassment, are unresolved. Our policies and guidelines are complicated and sometimes contradictory. Investigating, sanctioning and/or exonerating editors on the basis of who they are or what they do in real life is not only controversial but often impossible. Furthermore, extreme cases apart, there is no consensus about the extent that editors may edit articles on topics with which they are personally involved. Hence, of necessity, review must focus primarily on the editing patterns of those editors about whom problems are claimed."

This discussion has commenced in light of the recently closed TimidGuy ban appeal arbitration case. Some suggestions under debate include deleting the guideline outright, tagging it as historical, upgrading it to a policy, and requiring editors to openly declare conflicts of interest on their user pages.

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