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::I disagree that it was a battleground reaction. I just made one revert, and i have not reverted Carol again leaving it for other editors to do so if they wish to. There seems to a pattern in your editing behavior: of mixing up content disputes with conduct disputes. Only a short while back you have requested an Admin to place a ban on {{u|Zigzig20s}} after you had a content dispute with Zigzig on this very page we are disputing. You and Carol are welcome to take me to ANI if you wish to, but do watch out for the boomerang. As far as my talk page message to Carol is concerned, it was just a polite way (the opposite of battleground behavior) of telling CaroleHenson that i did not wish to interact with her on my talk page on this dispute after she made this edit on my talk page: https://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=User_talk:Soham321&diff=745744878&oldid=745743728 ; and i did take a break from the article after telling her i would do so. ] (]) 12:54, 23 October 2016 (UTC) ::I disagree that it was a battleground reaction. I just made one revert, and i have not reverted Carol again leaving it for other editors to do so if they wish to. There seems to a pattern in your editing behavior: of mixing up content disputes with conduct disputes. Only a short while back you have requested an Admin to place a ban on {{u|Zigzig20s}} after you had a content dispute with Zigzig on this very page we are disputing. You and Carol are welcome to take me to ANI if you wish to, but do watch out for the boomerang. As far as my talk page message to Carol is concerned, it was just a polite way (the opposite of battleground behavior) of telling CaroleHenson that i did not wish to interact with her on my talk page on this dispute after she made this edit on my talk page: https://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=User_talk:Soham321&diff=745744878&oldid=745743728 ; and i did take a break from the article after telling her i would do so. ] (]) 12:54, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
:::Again you're incorrect. I sought a discretionary temp block against that user because they were being disruptive, not because of any content disagreement. And I got strong support from two other experienced editors, one by email. Of course you would fail to recognize disruption, it's your m.o. as well. &#8213;]&nbsp;] 12:59, 23 October 2016 (UTC) :::Again you're incorrect. I sought a discretionary temp block against that user because they were being disruptive, not because of any content disagreement. And I got strong support from two other experienced editors, one by email. Of course you would fail to recognize disruption, it's your m.o. as well. &#8213;]&nbsp;] 12:59, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
:::Not sure why I am constantly getting pinged here. I only wanted to add referenced content about the lawsuits to protect the Wikimedia Foundation. I don't have time to read endless Wikidrama. Several editors agree with me that this content should be included, so please understand that this content is not about me--if anybody is finding themselves thinking about me, please forget me, I am a nobody. Just focus on the content as per weight of reliable third-party sources. Thanks.] (]) 13:03, 23 October 2016 (UTC) ::::Not sure why I am constantly getting pinged here. I only wanted to add referenced content about the lawsuits to protect the Wikimedia Foundation. I don't have time to read endless Wikidrama. Several editors agree with me that this content should be included, so please understand that this content is not about me--if anybody is finding themselves thinking about me, please forget me, I am a nobody. Just focus on the content as per weight of reliable third-party sources. Thanks.] (]) 13:03, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
:Is there anything that I've said here that would make you think that I didn't understand and support this review? How many people do you know who self-report in a situation like this, specifically ask people not to come to their defense, and leave themselves open that way? You're offended because I closed that question out? I just didn't want anyone else to be pulled into any more drama than necessary. :Is there anything that I've said here that would make you think that I didn't understand and support this review? How many people do you know who self-report in a situation like this, specifically ask people not to come to their defense, and leave themselves open that way? You're offended because I closed that question out? I just didn't want anyone else to be pulled into any more drama than necessary.



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    Hamas

    The lead for the Hamas article currently includes this material: "Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated by Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union, Jordan, and Japan as a terrorist organization. Others regard this classification as problematic, simplistic or reductive." However the "others" being referred to are cherry-picked academics found in Google Books. Given that the entirety of the paragraph (minus this exception) is focused on international positions, the inclusion of this remark misleadingly makes it seem as if these "others" were other countries, and this random "counterpoint" is non-neutral. There can be a separate section for academic views of Hamas. Drsmoo (talk) 16:06, 10 October 2016 (UTC)

    Agreed, the way it is phrased implies the critical points are other nations but if they are just random academics (even if authorities in the area), this is the wrong way to introduce them. Either that should be removed, or a statement that summarizes the general academic take on how the classification is taken (including those that support it) should be used, but even here, this then might be undue weight in the lede. --MASEM (t) 17:48, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    Everything one objects to here is said to be sourced by 'cherrypicking', which, as often, here means, a careful survey of the relevant sources written by academic analysts of the Middle East who survey the available data. The whole section by the way is an abuse of WP:LEDE, since it is repetitively stuffed with a statement that could be synthesized in 2 sentences.

    Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan. Hamas has been outlawed in Jordan Others regard this designation as problematic or simplistic. Israel outlawed Hamas in 1989, followed by the United States in 1996 and Canada in 2002. The European Union defined Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades as a terrorist organization in 2001, and put Hamas in its list of terrorist organizations in 2003, but such designation was successfully challenged by Hamas in the courts in 2014 on technical grounds. The judgment was appealed. In 2016 an EU legal advisor recommended that Hamas be removed from the list due to procedural errors. The final decision is not thought likely to effect individual government lists. An Egyptian court ruled Hamas was a terrorist organization in 2015. Japan froze Hamas assets according to its legislation on terrorist entities in 2006. Australia and the United Kingdom have designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist organization. The organization is also banned in Jordan. It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil.

    (Discussion continues below after the list of references.)

    References

    1. Davis, Richard (2016-02-05). Hamas, Popular Support and War in the Middle East: Insurgency in the Holy Land. Routledge. ISBN 9781317402589. In 1999, King Abdullah of Jordan outlawed Hamas after accusing it of breaking a deal to restrict its activities to politics.
    2. Glenn E.Robinson,'Hamas as Social Movement,' in Quintan Wiktorowicz (ed.) Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach, Indiana University Press 2004 pp112-141 p.112.
    3. Krista E. Wiegand, Bombs and Ballots: Governance by Islamist Terrorist and Guerrilla Groups. (2010) Routledge, 2016 p.124.
    4. Tristan Dunning, pp.28-30.
    5. Kirsten E. Schulze,The Arab-Israeli Conflict, Pearson Education, 2008 p.87.
    6. Luke Peterson ,Palestine-Israel in the Print News Media: Contending Discourses, Routledge 2014 p.99.
    7. "EU advised to drop Hamas and Tamil Tigers from terror list". BBC News. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
    8. 'Hamas Should Be Taken Off Terror List, EU Legal Adviser Says ,' Haaretz 22 September 2016.


    The sensible way per WP:LEDE and WP:NPOV to state this briefly is:

    Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the EU, Japan, Egypt and Canada. It is banned in Jordan.It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Many analysts view the designation as problematic, and Hamas successfully challenged in a court of law the EU classification in 2014.

    All of the details should be in the main body of the text. The bias given to the big actors in Western societies, their judgements count is obvious. Nishidani (talk) 17:52, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    You're not responding to the points that were made. The addition of cherry-picked analysts who support your opinion as a "counterweight" to international positions about Hamas (which is what the paragraph is about) is Undue. The paragraph is detailing international positions. If we want to talk about academic positions, it should be in it's own section which details the academic consensus. Drsmoo (talk) 18:09, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    Goodness grief. That is trivial. Nowhere is it stated in policy that a lead or the text it summarizes should privilege the political decisions made by governments (it's just politics) over what sober analysts of international affairs say. We even have in the sources above, a study that the EU decision was based on no formal government documentation, but on a presentation snipped from the internet. Governments act out of interest, or to pressure, or whatever. This section is a farce because in violation of NPOV, editors are persistently trying to pin the blame, and we don't do that. Nishidani (talk) 18:30, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    Again you're not responding to the points that were brought up. I'll quote Masem, who I fully agree with "Either that should be removed, or a statement that summarizes the general academic take on how the classification is taken (including those that support it) should be used, but even here, this then might be undue weight in the lede." In other words, what you did was the definition of cherry-picking. Instead of reflecting the academic consensus, you added a bunch of cherry-picked opinions as a counterweight to the international decisions, in a paragraph that was solely about opinions of countries. You also phrased it in a way that made it seems as if these objections were from countries (the term you used was "others"). Not that it would be appropriate to explicitly cherry-pick academics as a counterpoint to international decisions in the lead either Drsmoo (talk) 21:57, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    To add to what Drsmoo has pointed out, the reason that countries' stances on Hamas is importance is that that creates official policy around how those countries deal with those groups, whereas the opinions of respected academics is simply opinions. I will agree that Nishidani's point that countries that have proactively stated they do not consider Hamas as a terrorist organization should be include to balance against those that do (particularly as this includes big players like Russia and China, per above sources); that's also a NPOV. But to that end, then for the lede, I would expect that academic analysis will be similarly split on whether it is a fair assessment or not. So the lede should include the country list that do classify them group this way and those that have stated they do not, and should omit the academic opinions on this decision (which is a point for expansion in the body). --MASEM (t) 22:13, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
    Well, point taken, but since we are dealing with an article on an organization, one should take care to see that political positions by great powers do not exhaust the lead description of its nature. Drsmoo's argument is that one should state the political angle and remove the analytic angle. Definitions in this kind of area tend to highlight the political, except when that is embarrassing. Al Nusra was deemed a terrorist organization, as was al Qaeda, by the US, but it still furnished arms to the former while its regional ally, Israel, has put neither on its designated terrorist lists, and actively helps the Islamic army groups, for a simple reason: they oppose Syria's Assad, and the fall of that dictatorship is in Israel's interests. Since the concept of 'terror organization' is supposed to use some form of objective criteria (as both the EU court and the Advocate General to the EU said the Hamas classification lacked, being based on a dossier of internet citations without institutional review), and nations are inconsistent, one has to be very careful in articles that aspire to NPOV not to give political spin the weight it has here while cancelling out a simple note that even Department of Defense Analysis /Rand Corporation experts like Glenn E. Robinson question its empirical value. Nearly all government policy comes from forward papers done by a coalition of bureaucratic/academic area specialists, and the distinction academic (wanker) and government experts breaks down. Finally, leads summarize the body of the article. The second suggestion you make is that the area specialist view point should be down in the body of the article, but no allusion should be made to it in the lead. That is obviously, from a technical point of view, anomalous. I can hardly shift an extensive series of citations down, in a section on 'Terrorist designation', point out the controversy, and not allude to this in the lead?
    I should add that I have no interest in defending Hamas here. It engaged intensively in terrorist operations for a decade. I just think political judgements by interested powers, whoever they are, are not necessarily useful to understanding the nature of their designated enemies,(with notable exceptions, WW2 etc.)Nishidani (talk) 13:26, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    My read is that it was not neutral to compare the countries that have positively labeled Hamas as terrorists to academics that have expressed concern on that choice; it's apples to oranges. The lede needs to split the comparison up, something like "Hamas has been classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, (list...) , while other countries like Russia, China, (list...) have opted to not to categorize the group as such. The act of labeling Hamas as a terrorist organization is a point of debate in political and academic circles." It keeps the intent there, but it avoids what could be seen as a non-neutral comparison. --MASEM (t) 13:39, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    In short, the objection is to the placement of that passage in the lead. I think you are correct in your call. I think your mediation and the suggested compromise illuminating. I'm fine with your suggestion. Thanks.Nishidani (talk) 13:50, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    Profiting from this advice, would this meet your criteria?

    Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel (1989), the United States (1996), Canada (2002), the European Union (2001/2003), Japan (2006) Egypt (2015), and was outlawed in Jordan (1999). It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Hamas appealed the EU blacklisting in 2008, and the European court found the earlier determination flawed. (2014). The European Council appealed the decision, and in 2016 its Advocate General advised that due to procedural errors, it should be dropped from the terror blacklist, unless proper and sufficient legal evidence to warrant its inclusion were forthcoming. Analysts have disputed the designation.

    Note that I have removed the links to the countries that designated Hamas as terrorist. Two reasons. The countries that did not designate it thus had their links removed apparently, creating dissonance. I have regularized this also because it is overlinking to direct readers to countries which are recognized by all. Alternatively all countries could be linked.
    I have also added 'unless proper and sufficient legal evidence to warrant its inclusion is provided' which only the EU press release contains, most other newspapers merely saying she advised it be dropped from the list, which is partial and ignores a key point. I.e. that her advice was conditional. Nishidani (talk) 16:43, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    The discussion above demonstrates that some editors are engaged in advocating for Hamas despite their denial. It would be helpful to cite sources explaining why Hamas is considered "terrorist" like for instance in this BBC source "due to its long record of attacks and its refusal to renounce violence. Under the group's charter, Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel." or that point in NPR debate: "Hamas' central charter calls for the violent overthrow of Israel. Hamas continues to kill innocent civilians". Hamas supporters position also should be mentioned, something along lines "But to its supporters Hamas is seen as a legitimate resistance movement." I personally believe that Hamas is anti semitic organization, there are plenty sources about it, so supporting it seems strange. 2.53.39.50 (talk) 19:35, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    No, because the claim that "analysts have disputed the designation" is both incorrect and undue. I also agree with Masem that, as was said before, using analysts as a counterpoint to designations by countries would be apples to oranges and Undue. Drsmoo (talk) 19:46, 11 October 2016 (UTC)

    Hold on, Masem's suggestion in this comment here states that there is, in fact, a way of presenting academic debate on Hamas' designation without confusing academic and governmental designations. Nishidani's proposal above is consistent with Masem's suggestion, though I believe the text could be shortened.

    Drsmoo, with no offense intended, your statement about apples and oranges appears confused and confusing. There is no universe in which published academic viewpoints are irrelevant to a[REDACTED] article: they are the bread and butter of reliable and neutral content. -Darouet (talk) 20:39, 11 October 2016 (UTC)

    Nope, the statement about Apples and Oranges is Masem's term (which you linked to), not mine. If you're going to start veering into personal statements calling someone "confused" you should take the time to read the actual statements. There also isn't an academic debate about Hamas being terrorists. Multiple sources state they are widely viewed as a terrorist group. What Nishidani did was cherry pick academics as an Undue counterweight for the policies of nations. No one has said academic viewpoints are irrelevant. In fact, both of us have said they should be in their own section. They're Undue when presented as a counterpoint to international policies. Drsmoo (talk) 21:20, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    I'll let Masem elaborate if they like, but their proposal keeps some reference to academic opinion: "...The act of labeling Hamas as a terrorist organization is a point of debate in political and academic circles." Do you or do you not reject that proposal? -Darouet (talk) 21:41, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    He/she can elaborate, but the original statement was very straightforward. "My read is that it was not neutral to compare the countries that have positively labeled Hamas as terrorists to academics that have expressed concern on that choice; it's apples to oranges." You then, for some reason, personally attacked me over it, which was weird. Multiple sources state that Hamas are widely viewed as a terrorist organization. The political debate is already expressed in the paragraph. Contrarian academic views should be expressed, but not in relation to foreign policies. Drsmoo (talk) 22:02, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
    I'm sorry about writing that your statement was confused and confusing. I was happy to see Nishidani and Masem appear to arrive at an agreement on how to improve the text, and surprised that you still rejected the idea of placing academic views in the lead. Part of that rejection involved / involves rejecting the text both Nishidani and Masem proposed (depending on your current view). I support the text Nishidani and Masem proposed. -Darouet (talk) 01:52, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    It's ok. Nishidani said that he agreed, but then ignored the call to split the comparison up, which was the whole point. I rejected Nishidani's proposal. It compares foreign policies to academic views and does so in a misleading way. The claim that "analysts have disputed", when Hamas is widely viewed as a terrorist organization would also be incorrect and undue. Drsmoo (talk) 07:18, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    I'm having trouble understanding this hold.out. We disagreed. I took it to a neutral arbiter, a compromise along the lines he suggested was drafted. It contains all points, I believe, indicated, with the countries detached from the 'academic' viewpoint. WP:LEDE says you summarize the article, and in the body of the article, the 5 references I brought in will be cited to throw light on the question of the terrorist classification, and therefore it must be alluded to in the lead in a few words, along the lines I drafted, to respect policy. So, have we a compromise? Nishidani (talk) 12:39, 12 October 2016 (UTC)

    UTC)

    I'm not sure why you're using the term holdout? I don't see the arbiter agreeing with you. You ignored what Masem proposed, which was the entire crux of the issue. You didn't detach the "academic view" from the policy views of countries. What you added was "Analysts have disputed the designation", so what is "the designation"? It's what was in the preceding sentence, ie, they aren't detached. In addition, what you included directly misrepresents the "academic viewpoint". Hamas is "widely viewed" (and that's a quote) as a terrorist organization. One can cherry pick fringe theories to support any view, but to write it as "analysts have disputed" is incorrect and misleading. It's also incorrect to use the view of any analysts, let alone cherry-picked ones, as a counterweight to the foreign policies of countries. Regarding your new statement, the Lede summarizes the Body. The idea of throwing cherry picked and misleading sources into the Lede and then later claiming that as justification for using those same cherry picked sources in the Body is ridiculous. Drsmoo (talk) 13:58, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Drsmoo: your statements on this topic remain "confused and confusing," as I noted previously. I repeatedly linked Masem's proposal, which Nishidani basically paraphrased, but you ignore Masem's proposal and instead site their initial and more ambiguous statement because you can interpret it as supporting your POV. This looks like classic WP:IDHT and it's a waste of everyone's time.
    Nishidani, whatever Drsmoo's issue, I think your proposal is fine, but I think you should shorten it. Perhaps Masem can help you with that. My own suggestion would be to consider removing the dates. While they are informative, they may be too much for the lead. Furthermore, "Hamas appealed... were forthcoming" might also be shortened. -Darouet (talk) 18:53, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    You may be confused, but that has no bearing on policy. Nor on the fact that Nishidani's proposal is both factually incorrect (analysts do not dispute the Hamas characterization, Hamas is widely viewed as a terrorist organization) as well as ignoring Masem's proposal by directly using analyst theories as a rebuttal to the policies of nations Drsmoo (talk) 19:05, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    Instead of a careful survey of relevant sources, you need one good source that whose author has conducted a careful survey of relevant authors and expressed and opinion on the degree of acceptance of that designation in reliable sources. Generally reliable sources would not refer to them as a terrorist organization, and use the term for groups whose sole or major activity is terrorism, like the Abu Nidal group or the Weather Underground. TFD (talk) 19:03, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    We have that. Multiple sources state that Hamas is "widely viewed as a terrorist organization." "Two years before Sheikh Madhi's sermon, the PA—for purposes of conducting Intifada 2—made a de facto alliance with Hamas, widely viewed even in the Palestinian community as a terrorist organization." "Gaza itself remains under the control of a group that has been widely viewed as a terrorist organization." "Overwhelmingly, however, Hamas is best known as a terrorist organization." There are literally thousands of reliable sources that refer to Hamas as a terrorist organization. Which is why the cherry-picking is all the more ridiculous. Drsmoo (talk) 19:15, 12 October 2016 (UTC)

    References

    1. Zelnick, Robert (2013-09-01). Israel's Unilateralism: Beyond Gaza. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817947736.
    2. QC, Kenneth Watkin OMM, CD (2016-05-03). Fighting at the Legal Boundaries: Controlling the Use of Force in Contemporary Conflict. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190457983.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    3. Korany, Bahgat (2011-10-01). The Changing Middle East: A New Look at Regional Dynamics. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9781617973864.
    I was thinking more in terms of books about terrorism referring to the opinions of terrorism experts. Your first source for example is talking about public perception. Your second source cites a book by Matthew Levitt and CFR. In his book, Levitt "debunks" the theory that because Hamas also carries out non-terrorist activity, it should not be called a terrorist group. Levit is a fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The institute's board of advisers are Washington hawks: Henry Kissinger, Joe Lieberman, Richard Perle, Condoleezza Rice, James Woolsey and others. The CFR merely says, "The United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization." I cannot read the full paragraph in your third source to understand the context, but note the author is not an expert on terrorism but on politics. TFD (talk) 13:29, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    You are referencing something that is already in the text and acknowledged by everyone, ignoring any helpful input on what I offered as a compromise. Darouet - I've pared the paragraph in the article as we have it from 206 down to 118 words, which is almost 50%. I could clip it even more, but taking out the dates elides important information, with minimal gain: Hamas or its military wing was defined by distinct countries at different times, by Israel during the First Intifada, by Canada and the EU with the outbreak of the Second Intifada just after 9/11 (as sources say) and Japan, under US pressure, didn't ban it: it froze Hamas accounts in that country just after the 2006 elections were democratically won by Hamas, (as the US and Israel worked to overthrow it in a coup d'état, if we can believe the Vanity Fair article). Since 2006, incidents of terrorism have been rare, given its past record, and in the following decade, the designation has been increasingly questioned by analysts. In any case, if you or anyone else thinks the diminished text still needs shortening, I'll try that again on request. Nishidani (talk) 20:48, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    By the way Drsmoo. Your Watkin source states earlier:

    It has been noted that “(o)ne problem Israel has in common with other democracies is that it focuses narrowly on its foes’ use of terrorism and ignores the wider strategies. While most groups Israel faces, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, have carried out terrorist acts against civilians, they are also broader social and governing organizations. As a result, it is suggested Israel needs to take lessons from counterinsurgency “which addresses not only the military (or “kinetic” in American soldier parlance) dimensions but also the political, economic, and social ones as well.’ P.112

    Treating Hamas only as a party that has engaged in terrorism has been counterproductive for Israel, since that designation occludes any other options, such as easing the economic stranglehold on Gaza, and adopting measures that would have a social and political impact on Palestinian consensus, to undermine Hamas. Nishidani (talk) 20:52, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    The current wording is fine when when presented in this context. "Hamas is widely viewed as a terrorist organization, though some analysts regard this designation as problematic or simplistic." The issue is that in addition to not fully separating the ideas, the previous edit ignored the majority view. Hamas being widely viewed as a terrorist group is "acknowledged by everyone", in your words, and I agree. Drsmoo (talk) 22:00, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    It's true you can get refs for 'widely viewed' meaning a number of Western countries, . It's also 'widely not viewed as a terrorist organization' by the majority of countries, including impeccable democracies. That is why I phrased it as I have. Your formulation is not NPOV, because you are making heavy water out of 'widely viewed' (in the real world) an implicit contrast to 'but this is disputed by a handful of eggheads'. You haven't budged, I have. Nishidani (talk) 22:34, 13 October 2016 (UTC)

    (Discussion continues below after the list of references.)

    References

    1. Zelnick, Robert (2013-09-01). Israel's Unilateralism: Beyond Gaza. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817947736.
    2. QC, Kenneth Watkin OMM, CD (2016-05-03). Fighting at the Legal Boundaries: Controlling the Use of Force in Contemporary Conflict. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190457983.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    3. Korany, Bahgat (2011-10-01). The Changing Middle East: A New Look at Regional Dynamics. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9781617973864.
    4. Glenn E.Robinson,'Hamas as Social Movement,' in Quintan Wiktorowicz (ed.) Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach, Indiana University Press 2004 pp112-141 p.112.
    5. Krista E. Wiegand, Bombs and Ballots: Governance by Islamist Terrorist and Guerrilla Groups. (2010) Routledge, 2016 p.124.
    6. Tristan Dunning, pp.28-30.
    7. Kirsten E. Schulze,The Arab-Israeli Conflict, Pearson Education, 2008 p.87.
    8. Luke Peterson ,Palestine-Israel in the Print News Media: Contending Discourses, Routledge 2014 p.99.
    Absolutely not. The sources say "Hamas is widely viewed" and "overwhelmingly viewed" and they're not referring to countries or "western countries". Your inferences are incorrect and not supported by the text. You completely ignored Masem's suggestion that we must include those who support the description of Hamas as terrorists. I've included refs for that, two from universities and one from a think tank. For every one academic who writes that Hamas aren't terrorists there are ten who write that they are. Drsmoo (talk) 22:46, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    • I want to reassert that for the purposes of the lede the complexity of how many people (not countries) view Hamas as a terrorist organization is far too difficult to cover, because exactly the splitting of hairs of which sources you pull from to support one majority or another. I think it is necessary to enumerate the major countries that have or have specifically not classified the group as a terrorist organization, but after that point, the debate in all other political and academic circles is so complex that its best say that it is a point of debate, and not try to quantify which is the prevailing view in the lede. The body has room to give more about things like how most western people in these circles would likely support this classification as such and most others would not. Keep in mind that this is the type of topic that can suffer from the Western /English-speaking language bias; it's very easy to pull in English sources which generally are Western and will lean towards supporting the classification. That's why at least in the lede, leave it as an open-ended point of debate, taking a middle-of-the-road stance. --MASEM (t) 23:50, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    I agree with that. Something simple like: "It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group." Drsmoo (talk) 03:12, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

    References

    1. Jackson, Richard; Smyth, Marie Breen; Gunning, Jeroen (2009-02-05). Critical Terrorism Studies: A New Research Agenda. Routledge. ISBN 9781134050512.
    Still not clear. Following Masem's clear indications, I reduced the contended point to 'Analysts have disputed the designation.'(There are a dozen sources on this by now, and per WP:LEDE the fact that there is a significant debate on it requires a note in the lead., summary style. I'll be in Germany for a few days, anyway. But will look in on Sunday if this can be wound up, or wound down. Nishidani (talk) 21:14, 14 October 2016 (UTC)
    I regard the summary sentences proposed by Masem, Drsmoo and Nishidani as all more or less equivalent. -Darouet (talk) 21:23, 14 October 2016 (UTC)
    There's nothing unclear about "It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group." As opposed to "Analysts have disputed the designation", which makes it seem as if all analysts are disagreeing with the designation of Hamas as a terrorist group.
    Just to clarify, there are two meanings of the word disputed. One is a synonym of argued, the other is "to oppose". When used as a transitive verb, which is how your phrasing is using it, the grammatically correct and common interpretation of the phrase "Analysts have disputed the designation" would be that analysts in general think the designation is incorrect, which would be false. I used the exact same terminology as Masem, so I don't see any controversy here. Drsmoo (talk) 21:46, 14 October 2016 (UTC)
    • Regardless of who originally wrote what, when, the above proposedNishidani's solution that includes It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Many analysts view the designation as problematic, and Hamas successfully challenged in a court of law the EU classification in 2014. is obviously superior to the current wording. Countries that officially disagree with the "terrorist" designation deserve to be mentioned as much as those that classify Hamas as terrorists. I do basically agree with the statement that "others", referring to individual analysts rather than states, is problematic, but I also think that referring to these analysts is not a violation of NPOV -- deliberately leaving any mention of them out would be a more significant violation of NPOV. It is of course entirely irrelevant to NPOV that the lead should not include information not found in the body, which is why I don't like unique citations to external sources being invoked in the lead in general. Discussion of the wording of the lead based on what external sources say and which "others" are states and which are "cherry-picked analysts" is not a discussion we need to have. It should be noted that at least one of the states cited as classifying Hamas as a terrorist group in the lead is actually included thus in the body, but the attached footnote makes this attribution seem dubious, and the body actually uses the wording "designated the military wing of Hamas as a terrorist organization", which directly contradicts the current wording of the lead "Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization". Hijiri 88 (やや) 02:33, 16 October 2016 (UTC) Edited 08:08, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    The current wording which is "obviously inferior" is Nishidani's version (and it includes countries that disagree with the terrorist designation).I'm glad you agree that the current version is not ideal, and that others referring to analysts rather than states is problematic, that's why I brought it to the noticeboard. I also agree that we should discuss analysts in the lede. Regarding the new proposal by Nishidani in this noticeboard, my disagreement is with the line "Analysts have disputed the designation", which is incorrect. Instead, it would be preferable to use the following:

    Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel (1989), the United States (1996), Canada (2002), the European Union (2001/2003), Japan (2006) Egypt (2015), and was outlawed in Jordan (1999). It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Hamas appealed the EU blacklisting in 2008, and the European court found the earlier determination flawed. (2014). The European Council appealed the decision, and in 2016 its Advocate General advised that due to procedural errors, it should be dropped from the terror blacklist, unless proper and sufficient legal evidence to warrant its inclusion were forthcoming. It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group."

    Drsmoo (talk) 05:23, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Drsmoo: I'm sorry, but the current version is identical to the one you quoted at the top of this thread, and Nishidani shortly thereafter appears to have suggested changing it to

    Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the EU, Japan, Egypt and Canada. It is banned in Jordan.It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Many analysts view the designation as problematic, and Hamas successfully challenged in a court of law the EU classification in 2014.

    Am I missing something? Hijiri 88 (やや) 06:09, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    Yes, the current version is Nishidani's edit. I quoted it to say that it needs to be changed. We've already moved past that suggestion you quoted. Drsmoo (talk) 06:37, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    Very well. I don't care who wrote what, when. The problem you appear to have with the current wording is not one I agree with. The above-suggested edit is superior to the current wording. Original comment edited accordingly. Hijiri 88 (やや) 08:08, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    If by the "above-suggested edit" you're referring to the one you initially quoted, it's no longer under consideration and both Nishidani and I have moved past it. Drsmoo (talk) 08:13, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    I don't care. All I said is that it's obviously superior to what's there now, and I stand by that statement. Hijiri 88 (やや) 08:42, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
    A point to several of the above statements: the lede should not be where complex arguments (supported by sources) should be laid out. Noting that Hamas is called or not called a terrorist organizations by several countries (which is factually true and a simple statement) is good. Trying to explain the EU delisting is getting a bit too much in the weeds (I would leave it out until it's officially removed), and trying to explain the arguements from the politics and academics side is far too complex beyond noting it is a point of contention. That keeps the balance and gives your body the amount of space needed to spell out specifics. --MASEM (t) 03:30, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    I don't see how that is compatible with WP:LEDE, summary style. There is no complexituy, surely, in simple words. WP:NPOV requires that we present this highly contentious issue with neutrality, meaning not just a list implying 'most civilized countries think Hamas' terrorist. What worries me most, however, is that I came here to work out a compromise. And Drsmoo hasn't budged. I appreciate Masem's suggestions, but they are, as I see it, all in Drsmoo's direction (the less about doubts on the terrorist clòassification the better). Nishidani (talk) 16:57, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    When you say "the less about doubts on the terrorist classification the better", that's showing a POV here. We have to recognize that whether or not Hamas is a terrorist organization is clearly a long-standing subject of debate, and which is the "majority" view near impossible to determine given the systematic bias of English-based (read mostly Western) sources. "Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by (list), while (second list) have stated the group is not a terrorist organization, and Hamas has recently disputed the EU's classification as such in 2014. Whether or not to designate Hamas as as a terrorist organization is a point of debate by many political and academic analysts." That's neutral and reflects the world view, keeping in mind the systematic bias, while allowing the body of the article to get into the more lengthy specifics. --MASEM (t) 17:29, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    I fully agree with Masem's suggestion. I also reject Nishidani's claim about me. There is nothing "unclear" about "It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group." Drsmoo (talk) 21:09, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    This has become pointless. We are all agreed on the new version, since I accept Masem's précis, Drsmoo's variation on my first proposal. In synthesis, to recap

    (A=Nihshidani)Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel (1989), the United States (1996), Canada (2002), the European Union (2001/2003), Japan (2006) Egypt (2015), and was outlawed in Jordan (1999). It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Hamas appealed the EU blacklisting in 2008, and the European court found the earlier determination flawed. (2014). The European Council appealed the decision, and in 2016 its Advocate General advised that due to procedural errors, it should be dropped from the terror blacklist, unless proper and sufficient legal evidence to warrant its inclusion were forthcoming. Analysts have disputed the designation.

    (B=Drsmoo) Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel (1989), the United States (1996), Canada (2002), the European Union (2001/2003), Japan (2006) Egypt (2015), and was outlawed in Jordan (1999). It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. Hamas appealed the EU blacklisting in 2008, and the European court found the earlier determination flawed. (2014). The European Council appealed the decision, and in 2016 its Advocate General advised that due to procedural errors, it should be dropped from the terror blacklist, unless proper and sufficient legal evidence to warrant its inclusion were forthcoming. It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group.

    (C= Masem's précis) Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by (list), while (second list) have stated the group is not a terrorist organization, and Hamas has recently disputed the EU's classification as such in 2014. Whether or not to designate Hamas as as a terrorist organization is a point of debate by many political and academic analysts.

    So, the compromise is version B, which contains all Masem's points, satisfies Drsmoo, and is just an controversial tweaking of what I proposed. Okay? If Darout, Hijiri and TFD have no objections, of course. Nishidani (talk) 21:53, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    The issue with versions A and B is that literally 46% of version A and 40% of version B is comprised of details regarding the ongoing EU appeal. That is obviously undue. It's strange that you suddenly decided that "this has become pointless." Drsmoo (talk) 03:33, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
    You endorsed it with your tweak above. Drsmoo (talk) 05:23, 16 October 2016 (UTC). I accept that. Now you are raising another objection. Masem agrees with you, 4 other editors adopt nuanced comments that differ with that viewpoint. Is this attrition to get what you want 100% or are you willing, as before, to make a gentlemanly compromise? The EU appeal is critical for Hamas's own perspective: it succeeded in a court challenge to the 'Western consensus' and that court judgement will, if acted on, affect the designation of 28 countries. Hamas's legal POV cannot obviously be ignored: if it is, we are saying the US to China axis are relevant, the subject itself has no political relevance, unlike them. I believe I have a rough consensus that the version you and I agreed on is not objected to. I'm patient. I'll wait and see if objections from others involved here arise.Nishidani (talk) 20:02, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
    If we are going to list the EU's designation in the lead, we also need to note subsequent developments. I still believe those two sentences about the EU process could be shortened, but they definitely need to be there somehow. -Darouet (talk) 21:06, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
    I have no objection to the EU appeal being mentioned. I object to it being 46% of the paragraph. Something like "The EU decision is currently being appealed" with further detail given in the body paragraphs. Something like:

    Hamas, its military wing, together with several charities it runs, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel (1989), the United States (1996), Canada (2002), the European Union (2001/2003), Japan (2006) Egypt (2015), and was outlawed in Jordan (1999). The EU decision is currently under appeal. It is not regarded as a terrorist organization by Iran, Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, China, and Brazil. It is a point of debate in political and academic circles over whether or not to classify Hamas as a terrorist group. Drsmoo (talk) 21:36, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

    Nope. That is falsification of sources. The EU verdict is not currently under appeal. See why one has to give a minimum of attention to details of the kind you wish to erase, Drsmoo. After endless discussion you still haven't grasped the meaning of the passage you want eliminated, which says the EU challenged the court's 2014 verdict in favour of Hamas, and its legal advisor said in 2016, that the EU had to look to other options, since the court decision was correctly formulated.Nishidani (talk) 19:58, 20 October 2016 (UTC)
    Nope. That's the wording used by the EU court. I didn't say the verdict was under appeal, I said the decision was under appeal, and it is. The court has not yet issued its final ruling. Drsmoo (talk) 21:08, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and nonneutral caption of Satellite image of Russian MoD

    Some group of authors keep changing caption to the satellite image in the article presented by Russian MoD making it nonneutral and biased ignoring reliable sources. Before I posted a message here I conscientiously called those authors on the article talk page to follow WP:NPOV . Other conserned WP authors should pay attention to this in order to work out the overall consensus. Discussion is here: Talk:Malaysia Airlines Flight 17#Should this image be added to the article?--Александр Мотин (talk) 15:26, 12 October 2016 (UTC)

    "Neutral" means, if anything, that the text represents reliable sources. Which in this case it does. What Aleksandr is complaining about is that the sources don't say what he wants them to say. Inserting a caption which does not represent the sources is what is non-neutral, not the other way around.Volunteer Marek (talk) 15:42, 12 October 2016 (UTC)
    While you and Александр Мотин have contested the image caption, declaring the images are either real or faked, the situation is not so simple, as pointed out in this interview appearing in Der Spiegel, and in a statement published by the chief editor of Spiegel Online. I would at least attribute the term "faked" to the report, as newspapers do, or more properly refer to the images as contested. Jeffrey Lewis, once of the researchers involved in developing the software, states that there are multiple reasons the photographs may appear doctored, with intentional fabrication one of the reasons. Jens Kriese, in his interview with Der Spiegel, points out the obvious fact that any image making its way from a satellite to the public will undergo multiple rounds of processing. -Darouet (talk) 14:47, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
    This seems to be resolved because the image was removed. My very best wishes (talk) 01:27, 14 October 2016 (UTC)
    I think the image still exists. -Darouet (talk) 02:04, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

    POV fork: Malia Obama (celebrity)

    Randomly came across this article and I believe it's a POV fork of Malia Obama which currently redirects to Family_of_Barack_Obama#Malia_and_Sasha_Obama. K.e.coffman (talk) 17:48, 17 October 2016 (UTC)

    • Definitely should be deleted: a bunch of semi-literate BS including "In addition to a student, Obama is occupationally a babysitter... She was reported dancing and causing a storm because of exposing her buttocks. She was also reported to smoking marijuana, raising the question of favoritism according to editorials." She is a child and entitled to protections afforded others in the periphery of various famous people. -Darouet (talk) 17:59, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    Looking over their contributions it's almost impossible to tell if they are grossly incompetent or prank trolling Misplaced Pages. I am not usually involved in discussions regarding enforcement on those issues so I'll leave it to the judgement of others. -Darouet (talk) 19:01, 17 October 2016 (UTC)
    I took an extensive look at their history as well as the history of some other editors of the same topics. My vote is 'trolling undisclosed alt account'. BBBH has been aware of the issues surrounding this since 2008, its unlikely in 8 years they have neither matured or failed to grasp how[REDACTED] works. Only in death does duty end (talk) 09:48, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

    trying again: Tchaman vs Ébrié

    The question got archived without being answered; if nobody knows, or has an opinion, fine; I am just trying to assess whether there is any reason NOT to make the change I propose, since these are deep waters about which I know little. But I have come back to the article where this arises, and hope to finish it some day... (It's long and on a list for translation cleanup. But notable enough to chip away at the cleanup).

    The issue is this -- French[REDACTED] uses Ébrié. Just about the only thing that the stublet says for fr  is that these are the same people as the Ébrié, but the latter is a derogatory name that they are called by another ethnicity. Their own name for themselves is the Tchaman, which the english[REDACTED] redirects to Ebrié, which is a misspelling as well. If I don't hear otherwise I plan to remove the redirect, and possibly point it in the other direction, and I guess translate the part about derogatory. (Apparently it means unclean). However there are no sources provided for any of this and I am a little wary of taking French wikipedia's word unsupported on tribal/ethnic issues. Any thoughts?

    Since this doesn't seem to be a burningly controversial issue I may see if there is an Ivory Coast portal or something where someone may know Elinruby (talk) 08:27, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

    For thoroughness' sake: Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view/Noticeboard/Archive 61#Ebrie people. Ibadibam (talk) 22:32, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
    The proper mechanism for this is WP:RM#CM. Request that Ebrié be moved to whichever term you prefer. In your submitted rationale, be sure to point out that WP:NCET#Self-identification indicates we should prefer autonyms over derogatory terms. Ibadibam (talk) 22:47, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
    Thank you Elinruby (talk) 09:42, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

    Number inflation of Serbs

    In the articles Serbs and Slavs, any total population figures lower than 12 million are removed. I warned and asked that the editors explain their edit according to WP:REVEXP, but the persistent edit war without edit summaries continue. I take that as silent crypto-nationalist WP:IDONTLIKEIT motivation and vandalism of sourced content, so to report it here. Judist (talk) 13:33, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

    Odd outdated/racist wording

    Both our Tipu Sultan and Christianity in India articles (and probably others) include the following:

    His skin had darkened to the swarthy complexion of negroes

    I'm almost certain his is a quotation from a contemporary (eighteenth century) source, but it is not marked as such. The entire section in which the text is embedded (in both articles) is poorly written and very questionable. More eyes (better eyes than mine) would be good. Hijiri 88 (やや) 22:35, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

    Our James Scurry article marks "complexion of negroes" as a quotation from the guy's memoirs, meaning that the other two articles that don't are probably engaged in OR based on very old, biased, dubious primary sources. Hijiri 88 (やや) 22:40, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

    Can I please have some help at Shooting of James Boyd?

    This case is also at the OR noticeboard, but no outside editors have commented yet and the other editor keeps editing in the OR. This is really becoming more a matter of behavior than lack of knowledge of WP policy, as I originally assumed. I have already spent way more time on this than I had and today I gotta be elsewhere today so I'll have to do the fleshing out and diffs later, and I guess I am supposed to close the other discussion (?) However I'll leave it up while I am gone, for reference, for now, as the two issues described there are among the of several problems faced by the article. The sort of very angry line-by-line refutation of the smallest details you see there is another. Almost every attempt to discuss has gone off into the weeds. A few of the current concerns, which may require attention today:

    • repeated reinsertion of, essentially, an OR refutation of the prosecutor's opening statement. These are studies the editor went out and found on his own.
    • possible outing of another editor, @Activist, and stark refusal to delete the material from his page, because, he says, he wants to prove how ignorant that editor is. **Needless to say we don't see that editor on the page any more very much at all.
    • he likes the word ignorant and uses it a lot
    • editor has said he knows he is right and primary sources are acceptable if used carefully. "Careful use of primary sources" in this case is, per that editor, a courtroom exhibit briefly seen on a YouTube video. I am inclined to believe the video is genuine and there is such an exhibit but the sources do not use terminology he wants in the article; his contention is that the accuracy of the terminology is obvious from the exhibit.
    • editor has said he doesn't care what I or any other editor say about this.
    • there was some sort of rant about BS yesterday, which, as best I can determine, refers to a prosecution witness' testimony.
    • editor has said he has "inside sources"
    • there are COI discussions open re the city of Albuquerque
    • editor makes wild and unfounded accusations
    • editor makes remarks about other editors. All the time, non-stop, and assumes bad faith.
    • editor, when asked directly if he has a contract with the city of albuquerque, editor replies that he is not a city employee Elinruby (talk) 17:03, 20 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Activist:@Elinruby:Elinruby wrote, This case is also at the OR noticeboard, but no outside editors have commented yet and the other editor keeps editing in the OR. This is really becoming more a matter of behavior than lack of knowledge of WP policy, as I originally assumed.
    I am the other editor involved in this situation. I disagree that I have a lack of knowledge of WP policy. This dispute is a mostly a result of a difference of opinion about how to properly use primary sources.
    Elinruby wrote, The sort of very angry line-by-line refutation of the smallest details you see there is another. Almost every attempt to discuss has gone off into the weeds.
    I agree. Most of our discussions have gone off into the weeds. But there is a good reason for this. Elinruby has a highly biased POV, and does not appear to be emotionally stable. Repeatedly I've been called a name. Nothing too bad, but when I point it out, Elinruby minimizes it, refusing to retract it or apologize for it. There have even been claims that I've done the same thing, called other editors names. This is simply not true. Elinruby claims that I've called her a liar, and such a claim is absurd. At worst I've 'awarded' Elinruby "Pinocchios," a polite way to say that someone is wrong, either factually, based on a false premise or emotion, or is simply being careless. If requested, I can demonstrate several instances of this.
    Elinruby wrote, A few of the current concerns, which may require attention today:
    repeated reinsertion of, essentially, an OR refutation of the prosecutor's opening statement. These are studies the editor went out and found on his own.
    My insertions on this are about as far from OR as one gets. I've cited a very well respected, very well researched issue of a newsletter, published by the Force Science Institute. I have no idea why Elinruby thinks that there's something inherently wrong about my finding this source on own. I've known about it and used it for many years.
    Elinruby wrote, possible outing of another editor, @Activist, and stark refusal to delete the material from his page, because, he says, he wants to prove how ignorant that editor is.
    The other editor wrote some replies to some of my questions on his own page. He said that when I and Elinruby had read it he planned to delete it. I read it and copied it to my Talk page, telling the editor that I wanted to preserve it in the event he tried to change his answer to any questions that I might ask at a later time. It's IMPOSSIBLE to out him because there is absolutely NOTHING OF A PERSONAL NATURE that would enable anyone to find him in his information. Conveniently both that editor and Elinruby forget that ANYTHING that is posted on WP stays here forever.
    Elinruby is unable to tell the difference between a comment made about something that's written, and a personal attack. That editor seems to think that when a written comment is attacked, the editor is personally attacked. I've pointed this out several times, to no avail. At least some of the disagreement is due to the fact that neither Elinruby, nor Activist has any education, training, or experience in law enforcement matters that are a large part of the incident under discussion. I've been trained and worked in these matters for many years. And so they make assumptions about what happened based on this inexperience and lack of knowledge. Elinruby interprets this as being called ignorant.
    Elinruby wrote, Needless to say we don't see that editor on the page any more very much at all.
    I've invited him back. I've pinged him repeatedly. He hasn't put in an appearance in quite some time.
    Elinruby wrote, he likes the word ignorant and uses it a lot
    I don't know what a lot means, it's quite vague. As are many of that editor's messages on the Talk page. I've asked dozens of questions of Elinruby to try and clear up inconsistencies or when vague references that can't be followed are made, but Elinruby refuses to answer them. At one point, after I'd asked about a dozen questions trying to clear up misunderstandings and vague references, and not even one of them had been answered, I asked why there hadn't been any answers to my questions. Elinruby denied that I'd asked any questions! And so I listed them one by one. Even then, answers were not provide for many of them. Since then, the number of unanswered questions has climbed to over 50 and they are just ignored, making communication difficult, if not impossible.
    Elinruby wrote, editor has said he knows he is right and primary sources are acceptable if used carefully. "Careful use of primary sources" in this case is, per that editor, a courtroom exhibit briefly seen on a YouTube video. I am inclined to believe the video is genuine and there is such an exhibit but the sources do not use terminology he wants in the article; his contention is that the accuracy of the terminology is obvious from the exhibit.
    This is old business. The point is moot because I've found and cited a secondary source that gives the information, but Elinruby will not let go of it. At question is the description of a knife used by a suspect who was committing aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against several police officers. Many secondary sources state that the knife was a folding knife with a blade about 3 1/2" long. The knife was a lock−back type and the blade of the knife was partially serrated, but none of the sources had written these last two descriptions in the news stories about the incident. The knife however, is shown in a still photo on some video footage that comes from Court TV, a live TV camera in the courtroom during the criminal trial of two officers who were involved in the incident. The knife is shown in a still photo against a scale, to show its length.
    It's my contention that any "educated person, without any specialized knowledge" could look at the photo of the knife and see that the blade is partially serrated. This does not take any interpretation, only observation. This takes it out of the realm of Original Research, and makes it a BlueSky matter. REPEATEDLY I've pointed this out to Elinruby and at least one other editor, but they've not replied to that comment. Once Elinruby said that the average person would not recognize that the knife was a lock−back from looking at the photo and perhaps that's correct. But the knife is described that way in one of the reputable secondary sources that I've cited. Elinruby also disagreed that the average person would recognize that the knife was partially serrated. But if you showed three knives to the average person and one of them was serrated, I have no doubt that they could pick out the serrated one from the other two. This is common knowledge, it doesn’t take a knife "specialist" or "expert" to see that a knife has a serrated blade. But Elinruby does not respond at all when I've pointed this out. Instead, the entire argument about OR is restated, as if we had not discussed the matter repeatedly.
    Elinruby wrote, editor has said he doesn't care what I or any other editor say about this.
    I carefully considered the opinion of this editor when it was first proposed. I closely read the policy on Original Research, closely examining it. I do not think that this matter requires interpretation. It only requires observation. I think this editor is wrong on this and has added nothing new to the discussion, since it originally came up.
    Elinruby wrote, there was some sort of rant about BS yesterday, which, as best I can determine, refers to a prosecution witness' testimony.
    As with some of Elinruby's other references, I don't know what is being referred to here. This is typical of some of the comments that this editor makes. When I ask for clarification so that we can discuss what is being referred to, I do not get a response, making progress towards a solution, impossible.
    Elinruby wrote, editor has said he has "inside sources"
    I do have some sources inside the law enforcement agency under discussion. But I have no idea why Elinruby brings this up. I have not used any unattributable sources in the article, only to enlighten the other editors in the Talk section.
    Elinruby wrote, there are COI discussions open re the city of Albuquerque
    I thought that this had been settled. After I answered repeated questions, stating that I did not have any COIs about the Article under discussion, Elinruby responded that it was understood that I did not have any COIs. To repeat, I am not, and have never been an employee of any entity under discussion in the Article. That includes the City of Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Police Department, the attorneys involved in the case, and the police union. Elinruby was under the impression that I had said that I had done some work for someone involved in the court case, but I've never said anything of the kind.
    In our last exchange on this matter of COIs I wrote this, As it says, I am not, and never have been employed by anyone or any entity mentioned in this incident. NO, I was not involved in this case. I can't say this with any more clarity and if you don't get it this time, too bad – I DO NOT HAVE ANY COI'S HERE. Beanyandcecil (talk) 05:31, 20 October 2016 (UTC) and Elinruby responded, ok then not an employee not a contractor not a witness. Got it. but that entry was not signed so there is no date and time for it. But it sure appears that it was clearly understood that I do not have any COIs in this matter. But now it comes up again. This is an oft repeated situation in editing this Article and dealing with Elinruby. We discuss something, it appears to be settled, but then it's brought up again, as if the previous discussion had never occurred.
    Elinruby wrote, editor makes wild and unfounded accusations
    Such an allegation without supporting evidence is worse than worthless. It's character assassination of the lowest kind. If Elinruby wants to be believed on this then those unfounded accusations should be presented so that I can address them. Until that happens, I'll deny making any.
    Elinruby wrote, editor makes remarks about other editors. All the time, non-stop, and assumes bad faith.
    This is just about identical to the last accusation. I'll deny it until evidence of same is presented. But I'll STRONGLY disagree with the bad faith accusation. IN FACT, both Elinruby and Activist have accused ME of acting in bad faith, several times in both our discussions on the Talk Page and in editing the Article. I've only made such a remark when it's been obvious. As mentioned before Elinruby can't tell the difference between a remark made about an editor's writing and one made about the editor himself. I've made many of the first and none of the second, except to reply to such a comment made about me.
    Elinruby wrote, editor, when asked directly if he has a contract with the city of albuquerque, editor replies that he is not a city employee
    This is an excellent example of this editor's redundancy and inability to understand simple statements. Just a few paragraphs above I quoted Elinruby as stating, ok then not an employee not a contractor not a witness. Got it. But here it is again, as if it had never before been discussed. Beanyandcecil (talk) 05:32, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Looking over their contributions, every edit in the last week has been utter nonsense: including poorly sourced and OR lurid details or longwinded explanations all meant to justify the actions of the police. -Darouet (talk) 17:32, 20 October 2016 (UTC)
    Everyone's a critic, but this is simply twaddle. I've placed several comments that were either neutral towards the police, or were against their interests. When I started editing this page, there was nearly a complete lack of anything that supported the officers in the case. It was a highly biased article, against the police. I did nothing but provide balance, the NPOV that WP requires. Here we have more accusations without any support for them. My sources are reputable and properly cited. There are no lurid details or longwinded explanations. Beanyandcecil (talk) 05:40, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    pretty much. I am just sticking my head in the door and can't do the promised diffs just now, but I will follow up by morning. He does make some useful contributions now and then but the signal to noise ratio is very low, and generally you have to go through a few rounds of being called stupid before getting any substantive answer. I have only persisted thus far because I think the article is important. Albuquerque police have a LOT of issues and this is the only one that has been documented to any extent on wikipedia. So part of my discussion with Beanyandcecil has been "ok, I understand that that this is not the usual best-practices protocol for making contact with the mentally ill, but that is sort of the point."
    James Boyd was minding his own business on a mountain with a knife in his pocket and wound up dead. The knife was legal and at worst Boyd was committing an infraction of a municipal ordinance. Death is not the desired outcome for this in my mind so how did this happen? There are a lot of sources, although there are also a lot of errors and contradictions. But, and this is according to New Mexico attorney-general Hector Balderas as reported in many many RS, APD filed criminal charges against the DA for "political reasons" after she filed criminal charges against these officers. I did not make that up. The other editor did not make that up. It is established fact widely reported in RS. There are very valid grounds for concern about retaliation, for example, whether Beanyandcecil believes he is endangering the other editor or not. If the other editor lives in a small enough town the information Beanyandcecil is trying to use to prove the other editor is stupid -- and why is he trying to prove the other editor is stupid anyway? ---might well be identifying, especially if the incident happened someplace in New Mexico like say Hatch for example. Gotta go, back later Elinruby (talk) 23:03, 20 October 2016 (UTC).


    Elinruby wrote, pretty much. I am just sticking my head in the door and can't do the promised diffs just now, but I will follow up by morning. He does make some useful contributions now and then but the signal to noise ratio is very low, and generally you have to go through a few rounds of being called stupid before getting any substantive answer.
    Here we have an excellent example of Elinruby's inability to accurately recount facts. I have NEVER called any editor stupid! This is a deliberate attempt to deceive any outside editors who may be reading this. It's reprehensible and disgusting!
    Elinruby wrote, James Boyd was minding his own business on a mountain with a knife in his pocket and wound up dead. The knife was legal and at worst Boyd was committing an infraction of a municipal ordinance. Death is not the desired outcome for this in my mind so how did this happen?
    I find it amazing that some people will summarize a situation like this in such a manner. Yes, Boyd was minding his own business on a mountain with a knife and wound up dead. Conveniently Elinruby has omitted vital details that wound up with Boyd being shot and killed by the police. Commensurate with his violation of camping (for over a month) in an area where no overnight camping was permitted, and subsequent to a call by a local resident complaining about him, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) dispatched two officers assigned to the area to deal with the situation. When they approached Boyd, who was under a make−shift shelter constructed from a sheet of plastic he confronted them with a knife, threatening to kill them if they touched him, escalating the violation from one of a misdemeanor (illegal camping), to a felony, (aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer). Naturally the officers called for backup. Boyd was known to the officers who responded to the second call as a violent mental patient who had slashed someone with a box cutter, broken the nose of a APD officer, and who had spit jalapeno pepper into the eyes of a jailer.
    It turned into a stand-off lasting about 3 1/2 hours, during which the police called in mental health professionals to deal with Boyd. Negotiations were unsuccessful at having him put down his knives and he continued to threaten to kill anyone who tried to take his knives or to take him into custody. When it was clear that he was not going to comply with commands to put down the knives and darkness was fast approaching, they formulated a plan to use less lethal force to take him into custody. That plan failed and two officer shot Boyd to save the life of a police K−9 handler who was in close proximity to Boyd who, at that moment was armed with two knives. There was a trial that of the officers for open count murder (later reduced to second degree murder) that resulted in a hung jury, voting 9-3 for acquittal. Just a little bit more than the killing of a harmless camper that Elinruby described.
    Elinruby wrote, There are a lot of sources, although there are also a lot of errors and contradictions. But, and this is according to New Mexico attorney-general Hector Balderas as reported in many many RS, APD filed criminal charges against the DA for "political reasons" after she filed criminal charges against these officers. I did not make that up. The other editor did not make that up. It is established fact widely reported in RS.
    No matter how many RSs repeat the statement that the APD filed charges against the DA for "political reasons" it's still nothing but an opinion, and one clearly driven by politics. I have no problem with adding that to the article, but it's not been done! I have no idea why Elinruby brings it up at this late date. But if so, then it's only reasonable to provide NPOV to counter the statement with one from another source, perhaps the police union, that the charges were appropriate and correct. In fact, the entire DA's office was removed from the case, requiring the appointment of a special prosecutor, lending some credence to the opinion that there was an obvious COI in the DA's office. But of course, you won't hear that side from Elinruby.
    Elinruby wrote, There are very valid grounds for concern about retaliation, for example, whether Beanyandcecil believes he is endangering the other editor or not. If the other editor lives in a small enough town the information Beanyandcecil is trying to use to prove the other editor is stupid -- and why is he trying to prove the other editor is stupid anyway?
    I'm sorry but this is so much nonsense. Activist provided the information himself. There is nothing of a personal nature contained in the message. And I've done no research to find any material of that nature at all. As WP describes, "Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify an individual, not limited to but including name, address, date of birth, marital status, contact information, ID issue and expiry date, financial records, credit information, medical history, where one travels, and intentions to acquire goods and services." There is a vague description of an incident and some vague background information that Activist supplied. WP states that if an editor has supplied personal information himself that it's not considered to be harassment. This occurred on the 10th or 11th of this month. Activist voice his complaints to me and I responded that by keeping his message to me, his responses to my questions that, per WP policy and rules, I had neither harassed him, nor was there information to "out him" in the material THAT HE HAD PROVIDED. I thought the matter closed. Activist basically 'took his ball and went home' refusing to take part in the editing of the article any longer or to respond to pings, but Elinruby continues to bring it up occasionally, as now. Beanyandcecil (talk) 05:56, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I have to run as well, so I'll be quick. I've been interacting with Activist on this site for years. Unfortunately, he may have outed himself by posting to other sites under his real name and talking about the same topics with the same level of detail than he does here. I'm going to be respectful and leave it at that. RadioKAOS / Talk to me, Billy / Transmissions 00:04, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Thanks for this. Since Activist has apparently outed himself as shown by RadioKAOS, it appears that his concerns about me 'outing him' are just so much nonsense. I have no personal information that would allow this, nor would I be interested in such a thing. It appears that Activist, along with Elinruby, simply do not want me to provide a NPOV, and that this section started by Elinruby is nothing but another attempt to prevent that. Beanyandcecil (talk) 06:02, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    That may be so, and I think it is up to @Activist to pursue the attempted outing as an attempted outing if he chooses to do so. Nor do I know if is in New Mexico. But Beanyandcecil by the same token doesn't know that he is not, and is waving around a legalistic and cherry-picked citing of the policy in order to leave it up.
    My primary point in bring this up however is the level of contentiousness shown by Beanyandcecil in posting the exchange to his talk page to somehow prove...something... and then refusing to remove it.

    Activist wrote, "There is no basis for posting personal information about myself that I took pains to clearly restrict solely to both of you." *There was no "personal information" about yourself in your message.

    If an editor feels his privacy is at risk who is BeanyandCecil to question that? Chilling effects doesn't begin to cover it; APD is known for killing people for crying out loud. *I* feel intimidated by this action and have removed some identifying details from my account because of it. But this is not the forum for that discussion and I would out myself and perhaps endanger other people if I explained why. Let's just say "Beanyandcecil has a contentious editing style" and leave it at that. It is also important to realize the context -- and yes I will provide a diff -- Beanyandcecil was saying since neither of us was an LEO who has used lethal force we should not edit the article, as we were doing, to reflect the trial. I disagree of course; police officers charged with homicide seems notable to me, regardless of whether I approve. Back shortly to flesh out the NPOV items, need food first tho. Elinruby (talk) 03:58, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I agree, it is up to Activist if he wants to pursue the matter. But there is no, as Elinruby claims, an attempted outing. ACTIVIST put the information up and there is NO PERSONAL INFORMATION, per WP definition, in it. It makes no difference where he lives, it's impossible to determine his identity by what he wrote.
    There is going to be, as Elinruby wrote, contentiousness in an article like this, particularly when one editor or more, allow themselves to become so emotionally invested that they lose sight of the fact that fairness and WP policy require a NPOV.
    Any reasonable person may question the opinion of anyone here. That's the way that this works. Activist may feel that his privacy is at risk, but in fact, it's not. There is no personal information, as defined by WP or by any other standard for that matter, contained in Activist's message. Identification of him is impossible from it. AND both Activist and Elinruby seem to forget that contrary to Activist's wishes to delete the material, WP keeps it forever. This is clearly written in the policy page on this. Activist might think that he's being stalked by Bigfoot, that the moon is made of green cheese and that the Russians have tapped his phone. But that does not affect reality.
    It's unfortunate that Elinruby has such a degree of paranoia that those feelings could only be dealt with by remov some identifying details from account ... But those details should never have been there in the first place. WP makes this extremely clear. Keeping such information from appearing on the Net is little more than common sense. Elinruby's obsession is so severe that she fears that APD will kill her for daring to post on WP!? Good grief, could there be any deeper emotional involvement? Get a grip.
    Perhaps I do have a contentious editing style. But unlike some, I manage to stay polite and professional, until the personal attacks become too egregious to bear, then I return like for like. Contrary to Elinruby's statement, I've not called anyone names or committed any personal attacks, as she's done to me. My comments have all been aimed at the comments of other editors, NOT at the editors themselves.
    But I will have to award ten Pinocchios to Elinruby's claim that Beanyandcecil was saying since neither of us was an LEO who has used lethal force we should not edit the article, as we were doing, to reflect the trial. I've NEVER said this, or anything close to it. I challenge Elinruby to bring that statement here to support that claim. I have NEVER said that ANYONE should not edit the article ... to reflect the trial. This is a complete and utter fabrication. But the converse is true. Elinruby has, several times, told me that I should not insert material that provides NPOV. I will be happy to bring those statements here, if requested.
    And finally, Elinruby is challenged by simply keeping to facts and being accurate in editing. "Homicide" is the killing of a human being. It's not a crime, but simply a finding of fact. It's a general term. NO ONE is charged with homicide as Elinruby has just claimed. IN FACT, the two APD officers were charged with "open murder" meaning that they could be convicted or either first or second degree murder, depending on what the jury decided. IN FACT the jury voted 9-3 for acquittal, and a mistrial was declared when they dead−locked. Beanyandcecil (talk) 07:21, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    There you have it, folks

    I found that very hard to read and I actually mostly know what he is talking about. I am itching to slap a hatnote on that mess but I think someone else should do that if in fact it is appropriate.

    One of the things I need help with is keeping my temper.

    Another is trying to explain NPOV to Beanyandcecil, because he is sure not listening to me, and I have been working on this for more that a week full-time, and come on, that is ridiculous. He has said he doesn't care what I or anyone else thinks of his OR, because he is sure he is right. Perhaps he will listen to several of you. Whatever you do though, do not attempt to explain anything inline as he will inline-answer your explanation to tell you how wrong you are and ping you for each inline alleged refutation.

    Let's attempt a different format. I have promised diffs on the issues in the weeds and am late on that. But I feel a need to address, as one uninterrupted train of thought, the most recent astonishing pronouncement from Beanyandcecil. Perhaps he should ask the Kari Brandenburg about his certitude that APD does not engage in retaliation. I'll pursue my own privacy issue through the proper channel, but the important point here is that Beanyandcecil is dismissing safety concerns about which he has no information whatsoever. I will not be bullied into exacerbating them, nor will I be bullied into letting Beanyandcecil distort the account of this homicide on Misplaced Pages.

    I feel also the need to point out (and should not feel this need imho) that I have had a global account for almost five years, although I created this username in 2007. Before that I had some IP edits, almost all of the copywriting variety. I came to Misplaced Pages through the Open Education Repository. As noted in my user profile, my background is computer networking and internet security. I have more than 19,100 contributions on 18 projects. I usually translate and currently am working on articles about trade theory (en->fr), the appeals process in French law (fr->en) and Mexican proto-punk(es->en).

    Not only do I seriously have other things to do than be schooled on What is Misplaced Pages -- much less privacy on the internet, omg -- by Beanyandcecil, I get very few complaints about my ability to communicate ;) let alone my mental stability, forsooth.

    I can of course make a mistake like anyone else, but my work is autopatrolled on Wikimedia Commons and I have had an IP block exemption on English Misplaced Pages, so there have been a couple of findings already that on the whole I try to do the right thing and often actually do. I have been profoundly involved as a 3rd party mediator in big messy disputes both here at NPOV and at the RS noticeboard and on talk pages. Articles like Ugg boot, Leopold II of Belgium.

    Recently I extensively contributed to Panama Papers. I am somewhat familiar with BLP policy ;) Before that, Stop Online Piracy Act (remember the day they turned off Misplaced Pages?). Yeah, I've heard of NPOV. No blocks, ever, not even any administrative contact not initiated by me, I don't think.

    And ;) someone who just now broke 500 edits this month wants to explain to me that Misplaced Pages has an NPOV policy. Because I letting my emotions govern my edits. Or something.

    Bah. Back to diffs, sorry about the delay there. ~~

    Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations - Child rape claim

    Within the Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations page is a claim by a woman, called "Jane Doe", who says that at the age of 13 she was raped by Donald Trump on multiple occasions. She first filed a suit in California, but it was thrown out due to filing issues; The plaintiff filed the case by herself, without a lawyer. A civil lawsuit was filed in New York earlier this year, and a third attempt at litigating the case began with an October 2016 filing.

    Although there has been widespread press coverage of allegations against Donald Trump of sexual assault or misconduct since the second presidential debated on October 9, 2016 — this case has not received significant press. Although we have reputable mainstream press sources that have reported that a suit was filed and that a hearing is scheduled for December 2016, there is not widespread coverage.

    Please see argument presented by Mandruss (emphasis his):

    1. We should look at percentage of the whole who have reported it, not simply the number who have reported it. We should consider that the others have not reported it, despite the fact that they must know about it. They have made a positive decision that it is not newsworthy, not simply overlooked it. We have to assume that.
    2. I have essentially proposed limiting our "universe" to 18 of the highest quality sources for the purpose of judging WP:DUE. The alternative is to expand the universe to all reliable sources, research all of them, and then calculate a new percentage who report it. That would be completely unworkable for multiple reasons.
    3. 16.6% of our current universe have reported it. 83.3% of our current universe, 5 times as many, have deemed it not newsworthy. That does not justify content about accusations of the repeated rape of a 13-year-girl. Accusations don't get much more serious, short of murder.
    4. I have said in multiple places that this rationale is only for the purpose of deciding whether to include any content. If we decide to do so, then we can use other reliable sources to determine content.

    Due the visibility of Donald Trump during his campaign and the severity of the claim, we would like to have your assistance to settle the issue of whether or how accusations by this woman should be included in the page. Conversation about this issue is posted at The lawsuit didn't receive much coverage / Remove Jane Doe?.

    Thanks so much!--CaroleHenson (talk) 03:23, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    This section became difficult to manage and find the discussions, so as requested, I created subsections. I collapsed them, then, too - hoping that makes any further content easier to edit + it highlights that it would be good, if you have an opinion, to vote on approaches at the RfC.--00:54, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    Early discussion

    Early discussion
    In addition to WP:DUE, WP:BALASP and WP:EXCEPTIONAL may also apply. EXCEPTIONAL says, "Any exceptional claim requires multiple high-quality sources." In my view this accusation rises above what EXCEPTIONAL means by "exceptional claim", so the requirement should correspondingly rise above "multiple high-quality sources". This is not an allegation of, say, wife beating. ―Mandruss  04:58, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    That said, I don't know whether EXCEPTIONAL refers to the woman's "claim" that the rapes occurred or our "claim" that she made that claim. If the latter, I withdraw the EXCEPTIONAL part of the argument. There is little question that a lawsuit is pending, so that is not at all exceptional. ―Mandruss  05:21, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    We now have multiple witnesses and a court taking the case seriously. This is not some nuisance or frivolous claim. There is no doubt that the case exists and is being covered in reliable sources. If leading metropolitan dailies are treating this as valid, who are we to say otherwise? The truth or otherwise of the allegations will be tested in court. We are not a court. --Pete (talk) 07:56, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    They are taking it seriously because it is linked to someone already convicted, who had ties to a high-ranking member of the British Royalty. It has yet to be determined if it is nuisance or frivolous, but the circumstances are probably why its not being shouted from the rooftops. Only in death does duty end (talk) 08:01, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    We are not a court. - I agree, and I don't propose to be a court. I'm looking only at amount of coverage, which has nothing to do with the merits of the case. You're the one looking at the merits, with the statement, This is not some nuisance or frivolous claim. How can you or anyone else besides the woman herself, Trump, probably Epstein, and maybe a few more people know that? Were you present during the rapes? ―Mandruss  08:22, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I don't think we should look at the amounts of coverage. Firstly, we have a court case. Secondly, we have several reliable sources that report the court case. That should be enough. The case is clearly relevant to the article. I think a court case is more significant than a media interview. The consequences are greater for both sides. As discussed at the article's talk page, we don't exactly know why some media outlets have ignored the story. But I don't think that's relevant. If there was no reliable source, that would be different. But given that we have reliable sources, how can the article ignore an allegation that has come to court? Even if you think the allegations are false, that is not a reason to ignore it.--Jack Upland (talk) 09:48, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I don't know if that's a generic you but I have no opinion about whether the allegations are true or false. If I did, I wouldn't bring it with me to Misplaced Pages. In stark contrast, many involved editors clearly have an opinion, and too many of those do bring it with them to Misplaced Pages. This is not some nuisance or frivolous claim. This is a not necessarily a reference to you, but if the shoe fits... ―Mandruss  10:20, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Skyring: Basically the only reliable sources that have analysed it are treating it as a nuisance claim. WaPo: "Lawsuits like that offer a chance at getting unconfirmed (or false) information into the headlines." The Guardian: "Lawsuits accusing Donald Trump of sexually assaulting a child in the 1990s appear to have been orchestrated by an eccentric anti-Trump campaigner with a record of making outlandish claims about celebrities." Vox: "So most media outlets haven’t written about the Katie Johnson lawsuit. The allegations seem so likely to be untrue that even writing the words “Trump” and “allegedly raped a 13-year-old” in the same sentence feels sort of icky." Madshurtie (talk) 09:53, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I think this cuts both ways. If the claim is valid, it obviously harms Trump. But if the claim is groundless it could harm those making other allegations against Trump. Either way, I don't think that Misplaced Pages, being neutral, should exclude it.--Jack Upland (talk) 11:28, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Jack Upland: I don't think that's how we normally treat WP:BLPGOSSIP (assuming it's agreed this is gossip). Madshurtie (talk) 12:13, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    It does seem to be BLPGOSSIP, assuming by "source" it refers to Ms. Doe. We can't know anything about her reliability, one way or the other. But I hate that we're stuck using the word "gossip" in this case, as it seems to trivialize the allegation. ―Mandruss  12:34, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Stepping back for a second, I think that there are two key questions about this significant, exceptional claim of "rape" - that has arised during an exceptional time, Trump's presidential campaign:

    1) Should content be included if only 16% of key mainstream media has picked up the story? 2) If it is included, because of the nature of the story and the uneven reporting, should we tone down the verbiage, such as eliminating the word "rape" and mention of Epstein and his parties?--CaroleHenson (talk) 14:44, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    Its only being treated seriously because its related to Epstein. Presenting it without that context would be pointless. I dont think it should be in there at all really, but if you remove any link to Epstein it lacks the appropriate context. More than 16% of the mainstream media have picked up on it, but they are overwhelmingly treating it as 'likely bogus'. Which is another reason not to include it. Only in death does duty end (talk) 14:48, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    How to we know why it is or isn't being treated seriously? Do we have quotes from editors or journalists of the newspapers covering/not covering the story?--CaroleHenson (talk) 14:53, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I've only seen Vox comment on why other news outlets are leaving it. I guess that fact that both the other RS that have discussed it are very skeptical is some clue. Madshurtie (talk) 15:40, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    "I have essentially proposed limiting our "universe" to 18 of the highest quality sources for the purpose of judging WP:DUE. The alternative is to expand the universe to all reliable sources, research all of them, and then calculate a new percentage who report it. That would be completely unworkable for multiple reasons." Well, yes. So don't impose self-created rules that are impossible to enforce. Multiple reliable sources cover the rape allegation, the tie-in to Epstein, and an impending court date. Misplaced Pages is not censored and both WP:V and WP:RS are satisfied. Not really seeing why this is an issue, of course it should be included (in neutral language (but not hiding the fact that it is rape that is alleged) and without sensationalising it. Bastun 15:48, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    How about when the three reliable sources discussing it seem to consider it WP:BLPGOSSIP? Madshurtie (talk) 15:54, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    While correct, that covers 'can it be included'. At this point editorial judgement kicks in and the question is 'Should it?'. If the sources were less obviously treating it as rubbish I would say go ahead, but as Madshurtie points out, the reliable sources are treating it as bogus. We do not *have* to include every piece of information available even if it is sourced. Only in death does duty end (talk) 15:59, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    We all apply editorial judgment every day. If we rejected things because they have not been done before, nothing could ever be improved; no new ideas could be brought forward to benefit Misplaced Pages. Please don't oppose things simply because they are new to you. I'm certainly not proposing any "rules" or proposing to "enforce" anything. Not really seeing why this is an issue - I can see that. both WP:V and WP:RS are satisfied - How about WP:DUE, WP:EXCEPTIONAL, and WP:BLPGOSSIP? ―Mandruss  16:01, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    "The three reliable sources discussing it seem to consider it WP:BLPGOSSIP" Do they? Even if that were the case, and even if that were to preclude inclusion, what about these reliable sources do not. There are many more such reliable sources. Bastun 18:49, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Bastun: Do they? I said they seem to, but, based on BLPGOSSIP, they seem to. Apart from the Washington Times, you've cited two tabloids, a social news site, and an Independent article that is citing Buzzfeed and LawNewz. I had missed the Washington Times article, though it barely discusses the case, and if the best other source you can find is the Washington Times, you've got a lot of convincing to do. There are many more such reliable sources. Prove it. Madshurtie (talk) 20:14, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    I think there are good arguments both for inclusion and exclusion. It is indeed widely covered, as everything about any hyper-notable person such as a US Presidential candidate is widely covered. However, as a matter of WP:DUE it is clearly not covered as widely as most of the other allegations of impropriety in that article. Any attempt to create numerical thresholds is going to fail because you can't really compare sources that way. But I do think the sources are applying their own equivalent of BLPGOSSIP, downplaying the story considerably because it is more salacious than the others and not nearly as well documented. Our standards are higher than theirs, and unlike the news sources we have no deadline, so on balance I would excluded it. If anything comes of it we can reconsider. If nothing further emerges, no charges are brought, it is not verified by credible investigative journalists, no case proceeds far, it is not a turning point in the campaign etc., then in the end it would not be includable. So let's not jump the gun to include it now. Just my opinion here. - Wikidemon (talk) 19:59, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Whoah. Five different conditions for inclusion (none of which are backed by policy, obviously). Are you sure you've done enough to rule any possible mention out, there, Wikidemon? :-P It's a civil case, not a criminal one. Investigative journalists don't normally cover court cases, that's left to court reporters. The next hearing takes place after the election. Not as well documented - we get to see in December, then, possibly, in 2017, if the case proceeds. The facts are an allegation of rape has been made and a hearing will be held on the case in December. That has been covered, neutrally, by multiple reliable sources, and not including those facts would be pretty blatant censorship. Bastun 20:12, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Madshurtie: sorry, missed this earlier. Yes, apart from the reliable sources I listed, there are indeed others, which you admit you had missed. I found mine with one quick Google search. I do not have to "prove" anything here... Bastun 21:11, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    It's all backed by policy. I stand by every last thing I said. You happen to disagree, apparently. Crying censorship isn't really going to advance a content argument very far. - Wikidemon (talk) 22:57, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Bastun: You found one reliable source. You said there are "many more" that have discussed it. You have not demonstrated that. Madshurtie (talk) 08:30, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    A note to interested editors, this content is in a section titled Legal proceedings, where there is a link to the Main article - Legal affairs of Donald Trump, where this same content (with more details) is in a sub-section titled Rape claim, which is sourced to - The Daily Mail, HuffPo, National Review, LawNewz, NY Daily News, Snopes, and primary documents. So even if the consensus is to remove and/or reduce the material from this particular article, it still remains in another article.-- Isaidnoway (talk) 21:57, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    There are good points on both sides of the issue, but it isn't clear how we can come to a conclusion or compromise. As a previous voter to keep the section as-is, may I throw out a compromise proposal until we know more, using articles by reliable sources that specifically refer to this case (versus the articles that are a list of accusers)
    "Trump has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old. Now a woman, she has filed civil lawsuits against Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. A case filed in California was dismissed and an October 2016 filing is a third attempt made to litigate the allegation in New York. Federal Judge Ronnie Abrams ordered a status hearing for pre-trial or settlement preparation on December 16, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Lawyers for the plaintiff, for Trump, and for Epstein are to appear This case has only been picked up by a small percentage of the mainstream media and the claims are denied by Trump and his lawyer, who state that the claim is untrue, an "obvious publicity stunt", and a "hoax". It was reported in June 2016 that this case is connected to a former Jerry Springer producer Norm Lubow, as well as to an anti-Trump activist. Libby Nelson of Vox states that this is the reason why the story has not been picked up widely by the media.

    References

    1. ^ Pilkington, Ed (October 12, 2016). "Trump lawyers given court date over lawsuit alleging rape of 13-year-old". The Guardian. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
    2. Greene, Leonard (June 20, 2016). "California woman's rape lawsuit against Donald Trump resurfaces in New York court". Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
    3. ^ Nelson, Libby (October 12, 2016). "The sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump, explained". Vox. Retrieved 21 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
    4. Carmon, Irin (October 13, 2016). "The Allegations Women Have Made Against Donald Trump". NBC News. Retrieved October 15, 2016. After 11 months of turbo-charged rumors and worldwide publicity over their separation, Donald and Ivana Trump were granted a divorce yesterday.... Mr. Trump's lawyer, Jay Goldberg, said "I do not see any alternative but a trial."
    5. Swaine, Jon (July 7, 2016). "Rape lawsuits against Donald Trump linked to former TV producer". The Guardian. Retrieved October 21, 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
    This solution doesn't meet the request to "keep" it as-is or to "remove" it, but it is a point in between that acknowledges that that there is an allegation, without using the word "rape", and states that there are doubts about the claim.--CaroleHenson (talk) 23:12, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Another option is to make this footnote to the applicable sentence in the intro.--CaroleHenson (talk) 23:20, 21 October 2016 (UTC)
    Any attempt to create numerical thresholds is going to fail because you can't really compare sources that way. - Sorry for the late response. The first sentence at WP:DUE uses the word "proportion", so it says we should "compare sources that way". The world uses numbers for clarification, and it has done for thousands of years. It is not useful to say, "Relatively few sources have reported this", since the immediate response is, "Oh yeah? What are you calling 'relatively few'?". Using numbers simply saves us that time.
    In response to people who are afraid to fly because airliners crash in a scary way and kill a lot of people, is it more useful to say, "Well the rate of fatalities per passenger mile is really, really low", or "There are x fatalities per one million passenger miles"?
    This is not the first time I have encountered resistance to quantifying things, as if only fuzzy thinking is useful, and I strongly oppose such resistance. Percentages represent proportions very effectively and clearly. This is not to say that numbers should be our only thinking tool, that they should be codified in policy, or that they should represent bright lines, only that such things should not be forbidden or dismissed in thinking and discussion. ―Mandruss  23:47, 21 October 2016 (UTC)

    Balancing aspects

    Balancing aspects
    The relevant pollicy is "Balancing aspects": "An article should not give undue weight to any aspects of the subject but should strive to treat each aspect with a weight appropriate to the weight of that aspect in the body of reliable sources on the subject. For example, discussion of isolated events, criticisms, or news reports about a subject may be verifiable and impartial, but still disproportionate to their overall significance to the article topic. This is a concern especially in relation to recent events that may be in the news." Since the story has received minimal coverage in proportion to all coverage of Donald Trump, it should be left out.
    If we decide to place a different emphasis on topics than mainstream sources do, then articles will emphasize a different "point of view", which is against the neutrality policy. Neutral in Misplaced Pages of course does not mean neutral to the information, but reflecting the balance used in mainstream sources. Of course Misplaced Pages could have a different criterion for inclusion, but it needs some criterion otherwise editors could never agree on what to include. There is nothing for example in the Hillary Clinton article about Juanita Broaddrick's claim that Clinton threatened her to remain silent about an alleged rape, that she laughed about her defense of a child rapist, or that according to someone claiming to be Bill Clinton's ex-lover, Clinton had a "lumpy body...her fat ankles and her thick calves covered with black hair".
    TFD (talk) 02:09, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    You can't compare this to the Hillary Clinton article, TFD. We are talking specifically about an article related to sexual misconduct.--Jack Upland (talk) 03:04, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    I'm sorry, Jack, you've lost me. It was just an example of "balancing aspects". I have been a voter for keeping something in the article, and this is making me question that.--CaroleHenson (talk) 03:22, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Perhaps not the best example. But consider NPR's article, "1 More Woman Accuses Trump Of Inappropriate Sexual Conduct. Here's The Full List", which is extensively used in the article. There is no mention of the child rape allegation. And bear in mind that while one could argue whether the writer is neutral or hostile to Trump, no one could argue that she is a Trump supporter. I do not know why most reporters ignore the child rape allegations, but I do not think we can rebalance what mainstream sources write, unless we change policy. As thinking people, all editors must question what the media choose to emphasize, but similarly we could never agree among ourselves what they should emphasize. Conservapedia was founded to specifically to redress mainstream bias to a U.S. conservative perspective and there have been similar attempts to redress it to other viewpoints. None of them though have the same following as Misplaced Pages, so there must be a demand for Misplaced Pages's approach. TFD (talk) 03:56, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    @The Four Deuces: My problem with BALASP is that it could, not unreasonably, allow "just a little" content about an allegation that Trump repeatedly raped a 13-year-old girl. That's not going to work for me. Put it this way, if this situation doesn't warrant complete omission, what kind of situation would? ―Mandruss  06:23, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    There are a lot of theories that get bounced around the "echo chamber" and some spill into right-wing reliable sources such as Fox News and the Daily Mail. Occasionally the bounce into mainstream media. Once they get there, the accused parties are forced to respond, journalists examine the evidence and experts are consulted. For example, the birther theory was covered in mainstream media and thoroughly discredited. Because of the attention it received, we could write an article about it because per "Misplaced Pages:Fringe theories", "Statements about the truth of a theory must be based upon independent reliable sources.... the relationship of the marginal idea to the mainstream idea in a serious and substantial manner." If the theory is ignored in high quality reliable sources, we do not have informed opinion about its veracity and the accused parties generally do not reply. For example, Ted Cruz was forced to respond to allegations in the National Enquirer that his father was involved with Lee Harvey Oswald after the allegations became reported in mainstream media. And of course, the media provided information that debunked the involvement.

    But suppose the story had never received mainstream coverage and we decided to cover it in Cruz's article. We would then be disseminating a story to a wide audience that would otherwise never have heard about it, without explaining how reasonable the theory was. We would put Cruz in the position of having to deny the story and push it into mainstream media or ignore leaving some Misplaced Pages editors believing it to be true. Its role would then be the same as news media, deciding what is or is not important and driving coverage in other news media. That is beyond neutrality, which is to merely reflect what is reported, rather than driving what is reported.

    TFD (talk) 07:02, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    There is a court case. This is fact. This is not gossip. This is not a fringe theory. This is not a claim. How can we not mention this case in such an article?--Jack Upland (talk) 07:11, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Because there is no policy or guideline that says something should be included because there is a court case, it is fact, it is not gossip, it is not a fringe theory or it is not a claim. And policy says to exclude it. If you want the story to reach a wide audience of readers, then persuade NPR and mainstream media to cover it. Why are we supposed to accept your opinion that the information is significant and reject the judgment of mainstream sources?  ::Incidentally, an unproved, unsubstantiated allegation that has received little media attention is by definition fringe.
    TFD (talk) 07:43, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Jack Upland - I totally understand where you are coming from; I have felt the same way - which is clear from my suggested compromise approaches earlier today. Two things. 1) The longer the conversation has gone on, the more I've questioned why this hasn't been picked up widely by mainstream media - especially since all the allegations came out after October 9. 2) Most important, since we have guidelines that prevent content being added in these kinds of situations, it seems we should follow the guidelines. Filing a lawsuit does not mean that the claim is true. For fun, here's a screenshow of crazy lawsuits.--CaroleHenson (talk) 08:02, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    FYI, it wasn't looking like we were going to get a consensus here, either, so CaroleHenson and I have been putting together an RfC with a suggestion for 4 day duration. Any comments are welcome, even if it's "I don't think we'll need an RfC". There is an attached talk page. ―Mandruss  07:46, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    The court case is fact. And there is plenty of mainstream media reporting:, , , , , , , . It's being reported all over the world. It's just that some American sources have avoided it. Filing a lawsuit doesn't make it true, nor does giving an interview to a journalist make it true. I would rather give an interview than front court. But we don't have to make a judgement whether the claims are true. In fact, we shouldn't.--Jack Upland (talk) 08:03, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Two of the sources have been identified as unreliable: DailyMail and Independent. The list of all the media outlets that are not covering the story would be a much longer list - per the discussion at the very top of this section.--CaroleHenson (talk) 08:08, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    What??? They are major newspapers. Anyway, I was responding to TFD's comment about that mainstream media did not cover it. The list of all global media not covering any story would always engulf those who did. Misplaced Pages is not American. It is not a mirror site of the New York Times.--Jack Upland (talk) 08:34, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Jack Upland: You think the Daily Mail is reliable?? The Independent one is unreliable because it mainly cites Buzzfeed and LawNewz. To add a third, the Daily Mercury is a Queensland tabloid. Also note that three of the other sources only have a few sentences on the case in list articles on the general accusations. That's why I didn't consider them reliable sources that actually discuss the case. Thanks for adding the Sydney Morning Herald though. Madshurtie (talk) 08:47, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    • So we agree that mainstream and reliable sources report the case.
    • It's pretty obvious that the proposed exclusion of the Jane Doe case is not neutral. It seems to be motivated by the idea that this case could detract from the other allegations. Well, that is not neutral. Don't hide behind "BLP" when you're pushing your own agenda.--Jack Upland (talk) 09:21, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    @Jack Upland: In response to your comments:

    • There's never been a dispute that reliable, mainstream sources have reported on Jane Doe. Most of the coverage, though, is in connection with the list of accusers and often has been limited in the information that is published. There are a few stories just about Doe even though there have been lawsuits filed throughout this year.
    • Doesn't it seems a bit strange to you that "16.6% of our current universe have reported it. 83.3% of our current universe, 5 times as many, have deemed it not newsworthy." from the review of a universe of top mainstream media? During a presidential campaign? One in which sexual assault or other misconduct has been reported in a frenzied manner? And, that there wasn't much reporting on this until October?
    • Please note that there have been a number of attempts to add content that is unflattering and offensive about the accusers. The reasoning was the same as yours as to why it should have been included.
    • What changed my mind about removing the Jane Doe section is the Balancing aspects guideline--CaroleHenson (talk) 09:52, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    @Jack Upland: So we agree that mainstream and reliable sources report the case. So we can agree that mainstream and reliable sources are mostly ignoring the case. We can also agree that there is a lot of doubt among the remainder. So far people have produced only eight reliable sources that have covered it. Three of those eight barely mention it in list articles, three of the the remaining five are very skeptical, and the last two are lower calibre sources.

    Who said we should exclude this case because it would detract from other allegations? You've talked about it; I haven't yet found anyone else. Madshurtie (talk) 09:55, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    It is not "obvious" that the exclusion of the Jane Doe story is not "neutral" as defined in Misplaced Pages policy. Neutrality does not mean that we should provide equal weight to different details, but that we should apply the weight that mainstream sources do. And yes, that makes Misplaced Pages "a mirror site of the New York Times." If a Misplaced Pages article contains all the facts and opinions that one would expect to find in a New York Times article on the subject, then it passes neutrality with flying colors. If you think that we should have a different standard for including material then write up a proposal and get it approved. The accusations may be really, really important or trivial. But we defer to editors of mainstream news media to make the call. TFD (talk) 15:10, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    Most legitimate news outlets have picked up the story, so the argument of UNDUE seems silly at this point. Something that has been bothering me about this discussion is the inherent discounting of a rape accusation. It doesn't matter who its leveled at, its serious and those sorts of accusations should always be taken seriously. If we have sources, that should be the sole point governing whether to include or not. - Jack Sebastian (talk) 17:02, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    Jack Sebastian I have felt the same way until late last night / early this morning and that may be clear by my attempt to come to a compromise to have some content about Jane Doe in the article. I now believe that there's a reason why 83% of the universe of reliable sources didn't report it - and that falls under "balancing aspects", which I was not aware of til last night. I absolutely agree that any claim of rape should be taken seriously by the police, the court, and the media. TFD's comments that are already posted speak to why we should consider that the majority of the media doesn't report this case.--CaroleHenson (talk) 17:21, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    CaroleHenson That was a part of the discussion that threw me. The percentages of outlets reporting, and the list of "official" news outlets. I hadn't seen such a list before. I consider news sources to be like Reuters, BBC, Agence France-Presse (etc.) as wel as most news and television news outlets that are not pointedly partisan. It seems like a different scorecard is being used here. Might I have a link to said scorecard? - Jack Sebastian (talk) 18:12, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Jack Sebastian It's at the very top of The lawsuit didn't receive much coverage / Remove Jane Doe? and a list of sources developed on the talk page is on this subpage--CaroleHenson (talk) 18:17, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    List of sources

    List of sources
    CaroleHenson seriously? Some self-selecting group editors decide now, on a subpage of an article, what is and isn't a reliable source? And use their list of approved sources to determine what can and can't be included? Jebus... I don't think so. Bastun 19:00, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Bastun Let's back up about three steps. This wasn't created willy-nilly - there was a chain of events that led to be it being included:
    • There was an initial discussion before the article was started to attempt to use Fox News, NPR, and LA Times - due to POV issues that came up on this subject on another DT page. i.e., this page was created knowing that there were going to be POV and a lot of other claims to have the entire article or sections of the article deleted.
    • After the article was created, the list was compiled due to several claims in the article including POV and use of non-reliable sources. At the top of the page is the link directly to the archived discussion.
    • I reviewed the article and found that, indeed, there were sources that I found in RSN archives had POV issues with: Politico and Huffington Post. Since we'd already agreed not to use sources with POV issues, it seemed best to replace them.
    • There were also Independent and another source I cannot remember at the moment that RSN deemed was not a reliable source
    • So, I cleaned up the article and started a list using the sources that have been used in the article. People provided feedback about the list of the sources. For instance, I thought Guardian was not a reliable source - based on previous experience years ago. RSN was checked to verify the sources and there was some additional input.
    • The last line of the list of sources is exclude "* Anything else not on the "use" list unless it's a known reliable source (search noticeboard)" Meaning don't use Jezebel (which has been tried a lot with inaccurate stories/content), other tabloid newspapers, etc. without ensuring that they are a RS.--CaroleHenson (talk) 19:15, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Jack Sebastian, the fact that legitimate news outlets have picked up the story, does not make the argument of UNDUE seems silly. First, UNDUE is about reporting opinions, but the concept is similar. The fact something has been reported does not mean it belongs in an article, it must have received prominence in reliable sources on the subject. NPR carried a "Full List" of the women accusers, and did not mention Jane Doe. That's how prominent she is in mainstream sources and how prominent she should be in the article. If the fact something had been report was sufficient to include it, we would not need UNDUE. So long as it met RS (reliably sourced) it would be good to go. TFD (talk) 18:36, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    I agree with what Jack Sebastian and Bastun said. I've been editing Misplaced Pages for more than a decade, and I've never seen a list of approved sources or an an analysis of percentages of coverage.--Jack Upland (talk) 22:33, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Fine. I have already said enough about why the list of sources was created - which was only intended as an aid and to help resolve a POV claim, nothing more than that. There's tons of commentary already about how and why the analysis of the number of sources was done. Which is what led to the RfC so we could get votes instead of having a lot of circular conversations.
    Did you vote, Jack, on the article talk page, by the way?--CaroleHenson (talk) 22:45, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    CaroleHenson I am a little bowled over at your note of Politico's as biased. During the election, it has been the only one to consistently act as fact-checker, calling out each party when they "fib". It only looks like they are biased because there are so many "fibs" on the part of the Republicans and their nominee (you can blame that on Karl Rove, btw). That Fox was even considered a neutral source is likely the source of your traction problem. Fox News is about as biased as you can get in America, apart from some of the more racially-charged altnews groups. Huffington post does have a liberal bias, as it was created to counter the Drudge report (and yeah, it is pretty effing sad that we have to create biased news sources to counter other biased news sources). I get that maybe you were trying to source-balance the story left (LA Times), right (Fox News) and center, but NPR has a specific and very public pro-feminism stance - they cannot be considered neutral in any discussion of the treatment of any woman.
    That's why NPR doesn't identify the rape suspect, The Four Deuces; the rape accusation is treated as if the victim is still a minor, even if they are past the age of majority. NPR will always respect the privacy of a rape victim, and esp. an under-aged one. Basing an argument of UNDUE based upon NPR's respect of privacy is, imo, a mistake. We aren't reporting an opinion: its a court filing, so its well past the 'opinion' phase. It isn't just one outlet breaking the story and the others following suit. Different media outlets are covering it from different angles, and that's where we take our sources. - Jack Sebastian (talk) 23:55, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    Lastly, if this discussion is going to continue further, can someone drop in some arbitrary breaks, so I'm not scrolling trough a wall of text to try and find a reply I was notified about? - Jack Sebastian (talk) 23:57, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
    Jack Sebastian No kidding about the breaks of this long discussion!!! To your points, Jack, that didn't come from me, it came from the RSN and, I think because we've tried to not be biased, no one disagreed about RSN's assessment of Politico or Huffington Post. It wasn't that Fox was considered a neutral source, it's that there's often a claim that most mainstream media is biased towards liberal perspectives. Ironically, although we intended to have FoxNews as a source for balance, I don't think it's used much - perhaps not at all. Although there has been interesting coverage by Megyn Kelly that I think has been fairly balanced about this issue and Judge Jeanine (I think is her name) for Trump. It sounds like it would have been helpful to have had your input when we were working the POV and unreliable sources claim. I will be signing off of DTsma conversation for the moment, hopefully what I've had to say explains how we got to the list. If you think the list needs to come down, you can remove it by editing the top of the page. It's the last of a series of boxes before discussion begins.--CaroleHenson (talk) 00:13, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    CaroleHenson "there's often a claim that most mainstream media is biased towards liberal perspectives" - Carole, the only people who ever say that are Republicans and conservatives who think they are entitled to their own facts (in addition to their opinions). Anytime facts are championed over innuendo and opinion, they are labeled liberal. Sorry - I get to deal with that sort of daily knucklehead in likely the only conservative neighborhood in Chicago (mine is the only house without a Trump sign littering it in the neighborhood). Next time you come across a discussion about that, please drop me a line. :) - Jack Sebastian (talk) 00:20, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Jack Sebastian, there is a POV discussion about the article that has started at the bottom of the page.--CaroleHenson (talk) 00:27, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    RfC at article talk page

    Being that the debate in this thread has become largely circular, after almost 5 days of discussion about this question, I think it's time to get that RfC started. There has been no acknowledgement of my above comment about the RfC, let alone any comments about the draft. So, unless I hear an objection here within about an hour, with some cogent rationale, I'm starting the RfC as currently drafted, at Talk:Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations. ―Mandruss  10:49, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    I added a "Votes" section and cast the first vote.--CaroleHenson (talk) 15:24, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    Simple inclusion of a notable recurring character

    In lieu of entering a lengthy Talk Page debate of back-and-forth opinions or launching an edit war (of which I have never been a party), I would like to address this matter of neutrality here regarding the simple inclusion of the recurring character "Charlie the Bartender" played by Danny Wells on the The Jeffersons WP page. I am inviting editor Quis separabit? to the discussion. My first inclusion was rv'd by Rms125a@hotmail.com (and rightly so). After having sought advice from editors and admins as to how I could improve the situation, notability via expansion of the actor's WP page was suggested: which I diligently accomplished. I made it known on the actor's talk page ] of my intent as well as the The Jeffersons's talk page ] and felt confident to reinstate "Charlie" from the overwhelming evidence that I had found in my research from reliable sources claiming the recurring role and notability for the character in relation to others already included. Within hours, it was rv'd on the basis that there had been no consensus on the talk page. With all due respect and with the highest regard to all contributors on WP, including Rms125a@hotmail.com, with the long standing history of deletions by him/her, I felt it to be non-neutral to the article. I would appreciate a side-by-side discussion as to why this character is being deleted in relation to the others that remain; a few of whom are equal, if not less than equal, to that of Danny Wells in notability and recurrence. This is not my opinion, but cited within the resources on the very same pages that claim the other characters. Thank you. Maineartists (talk) 16:22, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

    Issues at a Donald Trump page

    This article covers an obviously very contentious, emotional, and very, very important topic. So obviously it is a very difficult article to edit. In 10 years of editing on Misplaced Pages, I've made perhaps 2 dozen edits related to presidential elections and generally have regretted it. Too many sharp elbows. Too many emotional POV editors. I don't see this article as much different, though it actually falls on the calmer side of things. Also CaroleHenson has done a good job trying to keep editing within the rules, though I have disagreed with her a couple of times. I also have given up on editing the article, but have commented several times on the talk page. All in all, I'd say it's about as well written as can be expected and the process is working about as well as can be expected. Smallbones(smalltalk) 00:03, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I would generally concur with all of that. But on something like this I don't know we need an extended debate at NPOVN. One or two experienced and uninvolved editors could review the article for NPOV and give opinions. ―Mandruss  00:07, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I think that anyone who stands to benefit from Trump emerging innocent/guilty of rape charges cannot be use, as they are hopelessly biased. Of course, HRC wants this out in front, since it only benefits her political campaign. Of course Pence is going to dismiss it...for now. If his ride to the White House is later kicked out, he becomes the driver. Nope, nobody political - and we are going to have to stay very, VERY vigilant on this matter, as other political articles of different politicians (Guliani and his ilk) are going to try and sneak in commentary about it. We use neutral articles and court records, and vet out any others collaboratively. The election is 2 weeks away; depending on whether Trump "keeps us in suspense" over conceding defeat. Some of this will die down afterwards.
    I hate politic-related articles. - Jack Sebastian (talk) 03:06, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Perhaps all American editors should step back and allow only truly uninvolved editors to examine the article for bias, NPOV, and undue weight issues. --Taivo (talk) 03:11, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Leave it to the Russians!--Jack Upland (talk) 03:18, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Good idea. Thankfully, I live in Uganda. ―Mandruss  09:39, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    Comment: Jack Sebastian, please explain why you believe Mike Pence's comments defending Trump from the allegations should not be included in the main article, considering that Michelle Obama's comments criticizing Trump because of these allegations have been included in the page.Soham321 (talk) 07:53, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    @Jack Sebastian:@Soham321:I don't see a problem with listing the most notable reactions by American politicians. The politicians may have conflict of interest, but they have generated a lot of the media comment, so their reactions are very notable. The context of many of these events happening within a campaign season is relevant to this article. We can't include every politician, but I think we should continue to include the notable ones in a balanced way. Madshurtie (talk) 09:23, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Madshurtie, this is also my view. But note one more thing. As per WP:WEIGHT, it cannot be that there are 10 lines in the main article dealing with Michelle's statement, and 1-2 lines for Pence's statement. Either Michelle's statement should be reduced/condensed, or Pence's statement be given equal weightage. Right now, bizarrely enough, Michelle Obama's criticism of Trump on account of these allegations is being given more weightage than Trump's defense of himself in the main article.Soham321 (talk) 09:39, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Soham321: WP:WEIGHT says we should give viewpoints weight 'in proportion to the prominence of each viewpoint in the published, reliable sources.' Michelle Obama has had more coverage than Mike Pence, so I see no problem there. Pence is also included in the Trump campaign, whose reaction we've already given, so it may cause duplication. That said, I don't see much of a problem adding Pence if he has a novel and widely covered reaction we can add. Madshurtie (talk) 10:06, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Also note that we haven't added Clinton. Madshurtie (talk) 10:09, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Madshurtie is correct, neutrality does not mean equal treatment. And that misunderstanding may be part of the reason we're here. ―Mandruss  10:10, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Ok, you added the neutrality tag a few minutes before being shown that you don't understand neutrality, so I won't fault you on that. But you might reasonably consider self-reverting that. ―Mandruss  10:21, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Mandruss, I am not reverting the neutrality tag until an uninvolved Admin or senior editor has closed this discussion, and neither should you in my opinion. Soham321 (talk) 10:25, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I promise not to touch it. And I'm not aware that noticeboard discussions have closes or closers. ―Mandruss  10:26, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Madshurtie, you did not comment on whether you also believe that Michelle's statement criticizing Trump on account of these allegations should be given more weightage than Trump's defense of himself in response to these allegations. Note that Trump addressed this issue in the third presidential debate, and also in several campaign speeches and interviews.Soham321 (talk) 10:28, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    @Soham321: Trump's own statements by themselves have been given more content than Michelle Obama. In the Trump campaign reaction section alone, my screen shows more lines discussing Trump's reaction (including the note) than Michelle's. That's not to mention that Trump gets a quote in most of the womens' sections, and in the intro. On top of that, we are giving additional space for reactions by his affiliates, who are clearly directed by Trump. The only person we have included who has spoken for the Hillary Clinton campaign is Michelle. Basically, 1) Trump gets more coverage in the reactions section 2) Trump gets far more coverage in the whole article 3) The Trump campaign gets massively more coverage than the Clinton campaign. If anything, the article is biased in the other direction. Madshurtie (talk) 11:18, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    Madshurtie, on my 15 inch laptop, Donald Trump's defense against the allegations get approximately six lines of coverage (5 1/2 lines + the word "choice"), in a sub-sub section titled "Donald and Melania Trump" within the sub-section "Trump and affiliates' reactions" in the "Reactions" section. Michelle's comments on the allegations against Trump get 9 1/2 lines of coverage. Michelle's comments are included in a sub-section titled "Michelle Obama" in the "Reactions" section. So I cannot agree if your contention is that Donald Trump's defense is being given more coverage and more prominence than Michelle's reaction. This, mind you, is just one NPOV related issue; there are in fact multiple NPOV related issues in the article which spring from the fact that details about Trump's defense of himself against the allegations, which have been inserted in the main page, have been either removed or drastically reduced. That is why it is important that uninvolved editors and/or Admins get involved in this page. Two other editors have expressed support for my position on the talk page of the article: Isaidnoway, and Zigzig20s. Soham321 (talk) 12:07, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    @Soham321: This is the most inane discussion, because you have ignored the point that Trump is quoted multiple times in other sections of the article so that you can nit-pick these paragraphs. However, I have word counted the two sections. The two paragraphs about Trump's reactions inside "Donald and Melania Trump", excluding the Melania paragraph, and including the quote note, add up to 239 words. The one paragraph in the Michelle Obama section, plus the quote box, adds up to 234 words. So you don't have a case, even if we balanced articles like this based on word count. Madshurtie (talk) 12:45, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    Hi there, There's a comment from David Eppstein that is relevant to previous discussions about content additions. I am not sure which diff that's listed above that it might apply to. As the review proceeds, would you please take a look the question I asked (in gray) and his response from this edit? That would be great!--CaroleHenson (talk) 10:50, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    @CaroleHenson: As the review proceeds, - Que? If you mean this discussion, this is not what I've meant when I used the word review. I have suggested soliticing an experienced and uninvolved editor to review the article for NPOV so we can dispense with this debate, which is not likely to be very productive. We have already seen that at least one editor present didn't even know what neutrality means. ―Mandruss  11:14, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Ok, Mandruss, when you bring someone in to review the article for NPOV, could David's comments be included as well, perhaps a #8? I would be happy to type it up in a summary if that would help. It pertains to comments about the accusers. He's not a regular here, I just wanted to make sure it didn't fall through the cracks. It came up at the first dispute, and since the content about accusers was backed-out in editing, it was a non-issue until now.
    I was just informed that my ping did not work with this mention because I did not sign it. It sounds l ike that's immaterial, but I thought I'd give you a "heads up". --CaroleHenson (talk) 11:36, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    What I would do would be to ask David Eppstein if he would care to do a review, something similar to a GA review but perhaps less time-consuming for the reviewer. He appears to have the competence, and I think he qualifies as uninvolved. So he could write a list of points for improvement. We would then make those improvements and use that review as a guide for future editing. ―Mandruss  11:48, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Lovely idea! Oh, if that doesn't work out, I do have experience with a number of GA editors - you and others probably do, too! Yes, there are sections of the GA that wouldn't need to be followed, but that's a great template - or mindset - for reviewing issues!!!--CaroleHenson (talk) 11:56, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Obviously, certain editors who don't agree with his points for improvement will accuse him of bias, just because that's how they roll (anyone who disagrees with them is obviously a POV pusher), but I think we can deal with that. ―Mandruss  12:00, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Yes, I think you have much more experience with disputes, RfCs, etc. and know how to manage the process. You may not need this, but there are a number of different templates, this is my favorite GATable, which might be a good reference to determine what sections might apply for a NPOV review.--CaroleHenson (talk) 12:06, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I'd let Eppstein decide how to do it, should he choose to accept the mission. ―Mandruss  12:10, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Cool!
    I just had my comments on the talk page reverted. I put them back in but made two sections: 1 for the review and the 2nd for a side conversation that I am closing out. I had actually typed an FYI in here awhile ago, but decided that noone would care, and it's best tp close that chapter. Soham321, Please don't revert comments that I make to the talk page.--CaroleHenson (talk) 12:18, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    See Mandruss  12:23, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    CaroleHenson, I am aware of talk page etiquette and would not have reverted you but for the fact that you closed the discussion on the talk page which was following immediately after i gave a link to this discussion on the talk page. You were closing not just your comments, but the comments of other editors, including myself, and you are very much an involved editor in this discussion. I still find it objectionable that you should close the discussion on the talk page which is related to this discussion which continues to take place here, given that you are very much an involved party. Soham321 (talk) 12:28, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

    Yours was the WP:BATTLEGROUND reaction to a WP:BOLD edit. That is not how disagreements are peacefully resolved. Your decision to take a break from the article is a good one in my view. ―Mandruss  12:31, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I disagree that it was a battleground reaction. I just made one revert, and i have not reverted Carol again leaving it for other editors to do so if they wish to. There seems to a pattern in your editing behavior: of mixing up content disputes with conduct disputes. Only a short while back you have requested an Admin to place a ban on Zigzig20s after you had a content dispute with Zigzig on this very page we are disputing. You and Carol are welcome to take me to ANI if you wish to, but do watch out for the boomerang. As far as my talk page message to Carol is concerned, it was just a polite way (the opposite of battleground behavior) of telling CaroleHenson that i did not wish to interact with her on my talk page on this dispute after she made this edit on my talk page: https://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=User_talk:Soham321&diff=745744878&oldid=745743728 ; and i did take a break from the article after telling her i would do so. Soham321 (talk) 12:54, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Again you're incorrect. I sought a discretionary temp block against that user because they were being disruptive, not because of any content disagreement. And I got strong support from two other experienced editors, one by email. Of course you would fail to recognize disruption, it's your m.o. as well. ―Mandruss  12:59, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Not sure why I am constantly getting pinged here. I only wanted to add referenced content about the lawsuits to protect the Wikimedia Foundation. I don't have time to read endless Wikidrama. Several editors agree with me that this content should be included, so please understand that this content is not about me--if anybody is finding themselves thinking about me, please forget me, I am a nobody. Just focus on the content as per weight of reliable third-party sources. Thanks.Zigzig20s (talk) 13:03, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Is there anything that I've said here that would make you think that I didn't understand and support this review? How many people do you know who self-report in a situation like this, specifically ask people not to come to their defense, and leave themselves open that way? You're offended because I closed that question out? I just didn't want anyone else to be pulled into any more drama than necessary.
    Please WP:AGF and talk about things. So much gets smoothed out that way - and so much festers if you believe the other person is evil.
    Just so I can understand, what is the benefit of leaving that open?--CaroleHenson (talk) 12:38, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    Based on your responses, I wonder if you read it. Did you see this: Paraphrasing, I also hear that a bit of distance from responding to a lot of the content issues would be good. I'm "way cool" with that. And, I look forward to feedback from the NPOV approach.--CaroleHenson (talk) 12:47, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
    I reworded the last sentence in this portion of the blurb to: And, I look forward to feedback from the NPOV approach. on the article talk page and this discusssion--CaroleHenson (talk) 12:56, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
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