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== Images == ==Scam/Fraud Charges==

While I'm glad the article has two good images at the moment, I think it could use a couple more, including:
* An actual screenshot of ''Crossing Over'' or ''Cross Country''. This would qualify under ].
* Images of Edward's most notable media appearances. One of these is surely the ''South Park'' episode, so a screenshot would be appropriate and would (I believe) qualify under fair use as long as the episode is discussed (as it is now). The episode shows Edward in several scenes, most notably on the set of ''Crossing Over'' and also at the intergalactic awards ceremony where he is crowned and given his "award". We could use an image of either scene.
If other media appearances deserve to be pictured, I'd like to know so I can try to track down images from them. &mdash; ] 16:50, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

== Expanding the introduction ==

] is a guideline for introductions. Since the neutrality of the lead is disputed at the moment, I'll offer my suggestions for discussion and amendment here on the talk page until the current dispute is resolved. In part, the guideline reads:
:The lead should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, establishing context, explaining why the subject is interesting or notable, and describing its notable controversies, if there are any. It should be between one and four paragraphs long, should be carefully sourced as appropriate, and should be written in a clear and accessible style so that the reader is encouraged to read the rest of the article.
One suggestion the guideline makes is to "try to have a sentence, clause, or at least a word devoted to each of the main headlines in the article." I think this is a good idea, so here are the sections and my suggestion for each:
*''Biography'': Mention that Edward was convinced of psychic phenomena at 15, or perhaps "at a young age" &mdash; don't give everything away too soon. =)
*''Television shows'': Mention his current show in slightly more detail; both shows are already mentioned.
*''Paranormal study'', ''Criticism'' and ''Controversies'': Say that he is a controversial figure or that he has drawn support and criticism.
*''Appearances in the media'' and ''Books'': Do nothing, since they are already mentioned ("Edward ... is an ] author and ] personality").
I don't think any of these changes should be applied to the first sentence. Here's one way they might be presented, with a little additional text to flesh it out:

:'''John Edward McGee Jr.''', (born ], ] in ]), better known as '''John Edward''', is an ] author and ] personality best known for performing as a ] on his shows ''Crossing Over'' and ''John Edward Cross Country''.

:Edward was convinced at a young age that he could become a psychic. After writing his first book on the subject in 1998, Edward became a well known and controversial figure in the United States through his shows and other media appearances. His current show, ''John Edward Cross Country'', has been aired on ] since May 2006.

Amend away! &mdash; ] <small>(])</small> 00:09, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

::I'm beginning to think the ] guideline is going to make for some longer introductions than the actual article itself. ] <small> ] </small> 08:19, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

==Edward and Randi==
So the situation where Edward purportedly refused to participate in Randi's million-dollar psychic-giveaway: What, if anything, should we put in the article - if it can be ]'d. It appears to be such a gimmick, with no scientific value. We'd have to add whatever Edward's reasons are too, not just a blurb on Randi's "challenge" all by its lonesome. ] <small> ] </small> 08:19, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

:What exactly are you calling a gimmick with not scientific value?] <sup>]</sup> 02:28, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
::Randi's million-dollar challenge. ] <small> ] </small> 04:31, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

:::In what way is James Randi's challenge a "Gimmick"?] <sup>]</sup> 18:20, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

::::I’ll be happy to explain. There are two poles of possibilities, with a wide range of potentials arrayed between them.

::::*If one '''doubts''' Randi: then, as he has stated, “''I always have an out”,'' which is interpreted by his detractors to mean that he would find a way to never pay. They believe he has the power and ability to set up a test so the subject would fail, thus the challenge is gimmicked.

::::*If one '''believes''' what Randi says: (which is that he doesn’t believe <u>anyone</u> has paranormal abilities), this means he doesn't believe anyone will ever collect – so that too is just a marketing gimmick.

::::Instead of proving his opinion by ], which would be the proper scientific approach – he uses a gimmick. And it indeed fits the definition of . ''(a “trick or device used to attract business or attention <a marketing gimmick>”)''

::::Let’s face it, Randi was a professional magician – full of gimmicks to make it look like he was performing supernatural or paranormal magic – and that’s the way he views ‘’all’’ individuals who make a claim to have paranormal abilities. One can make anything look like its just plain old stage magic, whether you’re talking to the dead or walking on water and raising the dead.

::::Randi is still using gimmicks. And who can blame him? It’s hard to prove to people that the paranormal or supernatural doesn’t exist – that’s exactly why it’s paranormal and supernatural. He’s fighting what he perceives as fire with his own fire. Trickery and gimcrackery. ] <small> ] </small> 03:18, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

:::::There is part of Randi's 'out' statement that you have missed out. The full quote is "I always have an out &ndash; I'm right!". I have to say, I take exception to what is written above &ndash; you have implied that the JREF would not pay out in the event of a genuine winner. A challenge application is a legally binding contract between applicant and the JREF, and serious legal consequences to the JREF would ensue were it not to pay out the money. As you yourself said , personal attacks on talk pages have absolutely no place in Misplaced Pages. Do you stand by what you have written? &mdash; ]<sup> ]</sup> 03:41, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::::::Yes I stand by what I have written. I know what the full quote purportedly is, but I am describing what his critics have said about his comment, not necessarily my own pov - I'm not implying anything. If you read what I wrote, it clearly describes both angles with "''if, then''" statements: "''if you believe what Randi says, then''" and "''if you '''don't''' believe what Randi says, then...''" Do you disagree that Randi does not believe that ''anyone'' has paranormal powers and therefore does not believe he will ever have to pay anyone the money? Do you disagree that his his statement about "having an out", even as you fully quote it, has been used by his detractors as I have indicated above? My only implication here is that I believe the challenge to be a marketing ''gimmick'' instead of an attempt at true scientific exploration. I'm sorry if you are offended, it wasn't meant to be offensive to anyone - I'll even delete the comment if you truly find it offensive (after reading and understanding my explanation, of course). I'll also be checking with others to see if this is a personal attack against Randi, I don't believe it is - but if it is - I'll retract, because a PA is not my intention. ] <small> ] </small> 05:59, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::::::Well, I still stand by what I originally wrote, but I did rewrite it to ''better'' explain what my intent and meaning is. Now, does that mean I'm not really standing by what I wrote? I'm not actually sure....hopefully someone will drop by my talk page and explain it to me. And I've verified with a couple of folks that it's not a personal attack - at least in their professional opinions.... ] <small> ] </small> 06:32, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::::::I'd also like to point out that the opinions I have written about above are ] from a ], and in no way violates ] as did the ''true'' personal attacks made by the editor to whom I made the remark you quote above. ] <small> ] </small> 06:37, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::::::Just for clarification, the quote I used when presenting the detractor's side: ''"I always have an out"'', sans any "- I'm right", is a <u>direct quote</u> from . It may be incomplete or a lie, but it's V. ] <small> ] </small>

::::::For those who may be interested, here's the entire quote from :
:::::::"''Randi asked my advice on the Helmut Schmidt parapsychology experiment which some CSICOPs had been investigating. I simply urged that it be approached with all the caution KZA had thrown to the winds in 1975 and 1976. He assured me how cautious he was in the testing for his well-publicized $ 10,000 prize for proof of psychic abilities (for which he acts as policeman, judge and jury -- and thus never has supported my idea of neutral judgment of CSICOP tests. "I always have an out," he said.''"

::::::Apparently, there has been some problem verifying Randi's version of the statement, as it is quoted by BillC above: ]?
::::::] <small> ] </small> 07:07, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

:I would be more than happy to refute your anti-randi triflings but this isn't the place to do it. This is a talk page for the John Edwards article. So discussing it here is against wikipedia policy. I will however direct you to the James Randi message board where you can start a thread discussing these things and I will refute them there. Here's a link to the forum ]. It's free to register and post.] <sup>]</sup> 07:13, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
::Damn, that was '''my''' line. Well, mostly, it's not really against ''policy'', it's recommended by the ], I was going to reply to your query with a very similar line...but I decided to answer it here - in most fulsome detail. Although I could make an argument that this <u>is</u> an appropriate place for the discussion - since the challenge itself is mentioned in <u>this</u> article, I do happen to agree with you. So, this little sideline is over. ] <small> ] </small> 07:23, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

:::First of all. Never edit my posts. ] clearly says "Comment on content, not on the contributor." That's precisely what I was doing. I called your COMMENT triflings not you. However, If you think I insulted you then take proper administrative actions by reporting it. Never alter my posts. Second of all, Debating James Randi on a John Edward talk page is certainly off topic and does not help contribute to the Page itself. Thirdly..The challenge still stands. Register on James Randi's forum and I will debate it with you there. Post your registered name on my talk page and I will post in the thread you start on that forum.] <sup>]</sup> 07:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::::I will once again attempt to take this ] discussion to your talk page, as outlined in that '''policy'''. ] <small> ] </small> 07:50, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

:::::See the comment on my talk page then.] <sup>]</sup> 07:54, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

== "Self-proclaimed" is not a weasle word if it's sourced. ==

The dispute concerning this page deals with the wording concerning John Edward and whether or not to call him a "Psychic" or a "Supposed psychic" or a "purported psychic" etc. It is true that some of those terms should be avoided in encyclopedia articles in some cases. However specific terms such as "Self-Proclaimed" would be suitable as long as they cited the assertion. Calling Edward a "Self Proclaimed Psychic" would not violate wikipedia policy nor is it considered a weasle word if it's sourced. From ]
# {{cquote|It is <u>acceptable</u> to use some of these phrases, if they are accompanied by a citation that supports the claim...Bertrand Russell, a '''self-proclaimed''' atheist (Bertrand Russell, Collected Papers, vol. 11, p. 91) ...}}] <sup>]</sup> 02:27, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

== Links to Schwartz and Hyman articles ==

:''See ''
Why not put in the links, since they make it more obvious that one can go and read the source, and it might be useful?? Is there something wrong with such links? ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 22:34, 5 February 2007 (UTC)
:] says "You should not add a descriptive title to an embedded HTML link within an article"; that is, our links should look like and not . Also, ] suggests that sources may be included as inline external links or as references in the References section. I recommend that we continue to use the latter system. &mdash; ] <small>(])</small> 22:51, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

::Understood. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 00:26, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

== Neutrality tag? ==

What justification is there for keeping the neurality tag?] <sup>]</sup> 03:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

:The <nowiki>{{POV-intro}}</nowiki> tag is in place pending the outcome of a mediation case concerning the introduction's wording. Until the disagreement is resolved, the tag should remain. &mdash; ] <small>(])</small> 08:03, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

::The mediation needs to start. It can't stay there indefinitely. ] <sup>]</sup> 08:18, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
== Mediation ==
Ive taken this case to mediate. Ive familiarised myself with the basics. Seems like a basic issue of how the lede should be written. Id like to take a quick poll of your views if you like the qualified wording (professed, etc.) or the wording which avoids the qualifiers (is a psychic medium, etc) -]|] 08:51, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

How do people feel about the current lede? -]|] 09:19, 16 February 2007 (UTC)


Was pretty sure before he became a psychic, Edwards was involved in some sort of financial scam that lead to fraud charges and perhaps even a conviction. Was this whitewashed out the article by fans? <!-- Template:Unsigned IP --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (]) 17:13, 26 August 2017 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
*'''I support referring to John Edward as a "Self-proclaimed psychic".''' The dispute concerning this page deals with the wording concerning John Edward and whether or not to call him a "Psychic" or a "Supposed psychic" or a "purported psychic" etc. It is true that some of those terms should be avoided in encyclopedia articles in some cases. However specific terms such as "Self-Proclaimed" would be suitable as long as they cited the assertion. Calling Edward a "Self Proclaimed Psychic" would not violate wikipedia policy nor is it considered a weasle word if it's sourced. From ]
{{cquote|It is <u>acceptable</u> to use some of these phrases, if they are accompanied by a citation that supports the claim...Bertrand Russell, a '''self-proclaimed''' atheist (Bertrand Russell, Collected Papers, vol. 11, p. 91) ...}}
I therefore believe that saying John Edward is a "Self proclaimed psychic" would not qualify as a weasel word and describes the situation perfectly.] <sup>]</sup> 11:11, 16 February 2007 (UTC)


==Category change==
*Concerning this sentence..."is an American author and television personality best known for performing as a psychic medium on his shows Crossing Over and John Edward Cross Country." I believe that "as a psychic medium" should simply be removed. If we say "performing as a purported/alleged/self professed psychic medium" that would be incorrect grammar. Since he isn't "performing as a purported psychic". What we should simply say is he ""is an American author and television personality best known for performing <s>as a psychic medium</s> on his shows Crossing Over and John Edward Cross Country."] <sup>]</sup> 11:24, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
Categories have been changed in accordance with the recent Arbitration on the paranormal, specifically ], and ]. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 22:19, 3 August 2007 (UTC)


==Format change for Cross Country==
*I like the current lede overall. However, I think it is problematic to say Edward "performs as a psychic medium" because it can mean that he ''acts'' as a medium (which can be either neutral or anti-Edward) or that he ''performs'' what a medium does (which I think is pro-Edward). Clearly, we cannot say under ] and ] that he ''is'' a medium &mdash; someone who transmits messages from the dead &mdash; but under those policies we can and should say that (1) he professes to be a medium and that (2) he is best known for his shows. ("Professed" and "self-proclaimed" have the same meaning, but the latter, while not necessarily pejorative, has (negative) POV connotations which the former does not.) I think we should '''say Edward is a "professed psychic"''' because that, in itself, is grammatically correct, ], ] and, as far as I can tell, ]. &mdash; ] <small>(])</small> 20:36, 16 February 2007 (UTC)


So as not to introduce unsourced info - has any in-print discussion been made about the drastic format change of ''Cross Country'' in the second season? ] (] | ]) 12:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
::I don't see a problem with "self professed psychic". I don't see how that could imply negative connotations.] <sup>]</sup> 21:09, 16 February 2007 (UTC)


==The 9-11 Controversy==
; Comment
Wikidudeman, I think I understand your position. There are a couple problems with it. For one just the word "psychic" alone, by definition doesnt typically mean '''"someone who has psychic powers and uses them"''' but rather it means '''"someone whom people go to for spiritualistic guidance (of a non-religious and perhaps dubious nature)"'''. Saying John Edwards is a psychic therefore carries with it this definition. "Self professed" part is also dubious, because his career is based on the views of other people about his "psychic" abilities, not just his own. Your desire to introduce the qualitative language may not be weasel wording, but it certainly seems motivated by your pov to take a skeptical focus on Edward's supposed "psychic" abilities - an aspect which belongs in a critical section, and (if and only if criticism is noteworthy) a small paragraph at the end of the lede explaining the controversy. More to the point, criticisms about Edwards should be specific to him, while criticism of psychic performance should be on the psychic article.


Edward is doing a bit on his Cross Country show of 'contacting' a firefighter who died on 9-11. ] (]) 19:37, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
Elembis, I think the current version is fine. "Performs" is not weasel wording, as even psychics are plain about their work as being a "performance". Qualifiers are often appropriate, but the word "performs" is a fairly accurate description of someone who 1) has an entertaining show on television, and 2) performs in front of an audience. -]|] 01:17, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


==But seriously==
;My Suggestion on the Wording of the Intro
Isn't it a bit much to call him an entertainer or psychic medium? I mean, is exploitation an approved form of entertainment? And giving him credit as an actual psychic medium - seriously? --] (]) 03:03, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
:This isn't the place to debate the right/wrong of Edward's work. He is by definition a television performer/entertainer, whose show revolves around his being a medium, a title he readily professes for himself. I think the current wording is fine. ] (] | ]) 04:33, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
::That's like letting an article on Hitler entitle himself a "Social Engineer" because that is how he thought of himself. ] (]) 19:42, 14 December 2022 (UTC)


Well quite obviously he isn't a "psychic medium". But he is an entertainer. He performs his show for ratings, his shows standing is based on ratings, he could have a boring show on late night public television but he chose to be an entertainer.
You guys should take a look at the ] article. The intro for that article does a good job, in my opinion. "... describes herself as a ] and a ]". That completely avoids making any factual statements about whether or not the subject of the article really has psychic powers. I think that's entirely appropriate, too... if people want to see a debate on whether or not psychic powers are real or not, they can click on ] and read its respective article. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 05:40, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


Thats not really up for discussion, that hes an entertainer. Thats...well, what he does. That he may also believe his own lies or have a certain reason for what he does would not remove the fact hes an entertainer. Even shock jockeys are entertainers. To each his own I guess, even if theirs is remarkably ignorant. ] (]) 12:11, 20 February 2009 (UTC) Harlequin
:Not my article, but that sounds like a truly excellent idea to me. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 06:53, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


As "psychic mediums" do not really exist, and are on the face of it frauds, I do not have any problem with the way it is worded. Clearly, any rational individual who reads "psychic medium" knows that that is a fake thing anyway. He clearly entertains mindless drones who want to feel better....so he is an entertainer. I believe a prudent and rational person can read the things that he is, and take from that what each means.
:...On the surface, but I can't see how it would work, as one must say how he, um, does stuff, on his show. Sorry. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 07:12, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


==Protected==
::Well, we don't know how he does stuff on his show. The topic is surrounded by allegations and controversy, without anything really being known for sure. As an encyclopedia, it's our job to present facts (or, barring that, opinions of all significant parties). I think the wording above is a good compromise for this reason. It's a fact that John Edward describes himself as a psychic and a medium. That shouldn't be hard to prove nor cite. Whether he actually is a psychic/medium (or whether or not such phenomena even exist) is not a fact, though, and is something that in my opinion we should not comment on if we want to maintain ]. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 08:07, 17 February 2007 (UTC)
I've protected this for 3 days to stop a looming edit war. Work out issues on the talk page. <span style="font-family:Verdana,sans-serif"> — ] • ] • </span> 21:47, 7 January 2009 (UTC)


It really needs to say "supposed" psychic medium. This page's existence diminishes everything Misplaced Pages stands for. <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 04:05, 30 July 2009 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:: I think you should read my comments again. -]|] 10:08, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


==Medium or tv personality==
:::I've just re-read your comments and I'm not exactly sure what I'm missing. Would you care to elucidate the points you made most relevant to my comments? –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 10:47, 17 February 2007 (UTC)
Somebody keeps changing 'medium' to 'television personality'. Now i know that most people don't believe that he has genuine abilities but either way he styles himself as a medium and ommitting this is very obviously point of view. And even if you believe that all mediums are fake, then where is the harm in calling him one? ] (]) 17:56, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
:I think that the article has to state the facts. Edward is undoubtedly a television personality; whether or not he is a genuine medium is going to be nigh-impossible to determine factually, and thus I think that the current wording of the intro is more correct. ] (] | ]) 20:44, 8 January 2009 (UTC)


::I disagree: it's certainly possible to determine factually if he is a genuine medium, and the ball is in his court. If he wins $1,000,000 from James Randi, then he's a real medium. If he's afraid to submit to a scientific test, then he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. If he were to dress up as Elvis during his performances, you'd be correct to call him an Elvis IMPERSONATOR, not Elvis, even if he claims he's Elvis in his act. So call him a Medium Impersonator. He certainly does a good impersonation of a Douchbag, and that's not original research -- I can provide references. ] (]) 16:13, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
::::Stevertigo, What definition of 'psychic' doesn't include someone with paranormal powers? The most known definition is someone with paranormal powers and simply saying he 'is a psychic' or 'performs as a psychic' would imply he has powers. I agree with Lantoka BTW aswell.] <sup>]</sup> 12:34, 17 February 2007 (UTC)


::I agree, but why not add medium as well? There is no reason as to why there only needs to be one or the other, he is both a medium and television personality. ] (]) 13:30, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
Wikidudeman, I think you need to take it down a notch. Please understand that criticism of Edward is entirely separate from criticism of psychic phenomenon. Please also understand that changes to a consensus agreeable version should be well justified, not merely motivated by the typically skeptical point of view. Any mature definition of the word "psychic" should naturally carry all the caveats associated with skepticism. To assert the skeptic POV is in essence a lack of AGF that others will interpret the term correctly. -]|] 01:54, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


:::The entire second sentence of the lead’s first paragraph is devoted to that exact thing, his performing as a psychic medium. It would be redundant to add it again in the first sentence and it isn’t necessary. The most agreed on ] of Edwards is the fact that he’s a successful author and television personality. The second sentence gives detail on what his shows and books are about.
:Stevertigo, I don't know what you're talking about. Take what down a notch? You said that one definition of "psychic" could include "someone whom people go to for spiritualistic guidance (of a non-religious and perhaps dubious nature)". I questioned this assertion and also said that even if it is true, the most common definition and the definition most people know is the one that implies supernatural powers. However we don't even need to use the term "psychic" since it's technically incorrect. John Edward claims to he a "medium" i.e. someone who talks to dead people. See ]]. What we should say is John Edward is a "Self professed Medium". <small>—The preceding ] comment was added by ] (] • ]) 02:20, 18 February 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->


:::Secondly, the Shiavo incident is not at all “biased” per ], it is sourced and neutrally worded. It was indeed a well-publicized controversy and needs to be mentioned in the article. If you can come up with more neutral wording for that, which gains consensus, then we can change it. But you cannot just delete sourced, relevant and neutral content like that. ] <small>]</small> 19:04, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
::BTW Stevertigo, If any of my responses seem abrasive or rude in tone then realize that it is totally unintentional. If that's what you did mean by "take it down notch". I don't know.] <sup>]</sup> 02:30, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


Then why not rewrite the introduction including medium in the opening? 'Television Personality' serves no real purpose except to perhaps please skeptics who don't like to see him labelled a medium. And i will take you up on the offer, although there is hardly a neutral way of putting such a thing. and it may be sourced, but what value does this really have if the information is still biased? ] (]) 23:15, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
:I, too, am pretty confused by Stevertigo's comments. Can we get some third party input on the ideas/issues raised here? I think it would help alleviate some of the confusion. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 04:00, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
:I agree with Willbyr above (and his recent edit). Since we can't factually verify that the guy actually is a medium, that is, that he can actually communicate with the dead, the sourced and verifiable fact we can include is that he describes himself as a medium (or whatever similar wording is most agreeable). I don't see any consensus for saying flat out that he is a medium, so please find some agreement instead of just revert warring over it. --] (]) 17:00, 16 January 2009 (UTC)


I think that the recent edit is finally an acceptable middle ground. As long as the 'medium' isn't left out, it is not too biased (at least not AS biased as it was before). But the new edit will suffice, and i think that it is the closest to a consensus that we will come to. And as you may have noticed, i did attempt to discuss this on this very page, but it is only when the above comment was made that any discussion had taken place. Thanks ] (]) 17:39, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
::I think Stevertigo ''is'' the third party. Latonka, I agree with everything you say concerning the fact that it would be nice if we could say "describes himself as." I just tried re-writing it, and couldn't make it work in practice, in an actual sentence. Because, what is it he does on his shows?
:I see comments from Willbyr and Dreadstar about it above. --] (]) 17:56, 16 January 2009 (UTC)


Since people seem to think it's ok to call him a medium even though it is not verified simply because he claims that and because you can't prove him wrong, then I suggest they also edit David Koresh's article. I mean, you'd have to list "messiah" or "incarnation of Jesus" into the lead, wouldn't you since you can't PROVE he ISN'T and he did claim it, right? Someone explain to me the difference.
::"Self-proclaimed" is probably the most awful WP:WTA you can apply. It has the air of "self-proclaimed Savior of the World and Lord of the 7th Dimension," and is totally derogatory when used on a psychic, because psychics get so much scorn.


Or, since Kim Jong Il claims to be a god, we should put "Kim Jong Il is the Korean leader and a god" in the lead, right?
::You have to say what he acts out on his shows, or you will be leaving something important out.


Moral: Just because someone claims to be something that you can't disprove, doesn't mean wikipedia should have to list him as such; I'm changing it if there's no response to this entry.] (]) 17:20, 7 October 2010 (UTC)
::The word "perform," can mean to "(really) do an act," or it can mean to "put on a (false) act." This dual meaning means it is totally NPOV, and Misplaced Pages is not telling the reader which meaning to apply. According to WordWeb it can mean:


==Here We Go Again==
#To act or perform an action
#Perform a function
#Give a performance (of something)


This happens about every 6 months... a John Edward fan finds his Misplaced Pages article, and starts kicking up a stink about this or that. Now someone has tagged the entire article citing non-POV and factual accuracy, without any word of explanation or justification. If no explanation is forthcoming in 3 days I'm removing the tag. ] (]) 02:38, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
::'''"Self professed" part is also dubious, because his career is based on the views of other people about his "psychic" abilities, not just his own"''' This is true.
:The article is POV because of the blatant hints at him being a fake, and any attempts to reduce the bias of the article are an uphill battle, and met with hostility. The article needs a rewrite. ] (]) 11:47, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
::Misplaced Pages is about presenting facts, not opinions or professions of faith as facts. As I think was mentioned earlier, Edward's ability to talk to the dead is inherently untestable so cannot be presented as fact. And funnily enough, not everyone subscribes to Edward's explanation that his ability is genuine. Presenting an untestable, subjective, ad-doc psychic faculty as fact is about as biased as you can get. ] (]) 21:54, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
::Actually now I think about it, I agree the article's opening statement should describe Edward as a "psychic". Along with all the connotations attached to that word. ] (]) 21:57, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
:::You say it is not about presenting opinions, yet your previous comment shows that this is exactly what you are going to do. Yes, not everybody agrees with his claims, but that is still what he professes to be and his 'act'is presented as psychic. And the connotations associated with 'psychic' are again a matter of opinion. This is precisely why i have flagged the article as POV, just read the article and it very clearly puts across a viewpoint. ] (]) 16:11, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
::::Edward should not be described as a "psychic"...I disagree with Phallicmonkey's claims about the article's neutrality, but describing him in that manner implies a belief in the opposite, which is definitely POV. ] (] | ]) 14:30, 7 February 2009 (UTC)


He styles himself as a psychic, so it is not up to us to make assumptions regarding this, the facts should be presented. And the facts are 1) He describes himself as psychic and 2) This should be adhered to regardless of personal bias, otherwise the article is fairly useless as a source of fact, but is rather used as an oppurtunity for skeptics to get their viewpoint across. ] (]) 18:33, 7 February 2009 (UTC)
::However, all definitions of "psychic" do include paranormal powers, as far as I know. This is irrelevant, however, because of the meaning of the word "performs," which doesn't indicate whether he really does it or whether he just acts like he does. This is especially true in this case, because it '''is used in the context of a performance, a TV show.'''
:Fair enough, Willbyr. IMHO since the term "psychic" can only be self-styled anyway, and does not infer any kind of professionalism like a doctor or engineer, I can't see the harm in having it in the opening paragraph. On the other hand many readers are very gullible. As far as POV is concerned, yes this article if very POV -- in favour of Edward. ] (]) 21:53, 8 February 2009 (UTC)


Monkey, if you want to tag the entire article, you should put your specific criticisms on the talk page so individual parts can be discussed. "it's all bad" without going into detail makes the tag pretty useless. --] (]) 13:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)
::"'''take a skeptical focus on Edward's supposed "psychic" abilities - an aspect which belongs in a critical section, and (if and only if criticism is noteworthy) a small paragraph at the end of the lede explaining the controversy. More to the point, criticisms about Edwards should be specific to him, while criticism of psychic performance should be on the psychic article."''' This is dead-on. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 04:50, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


Personally, I don't think that Edward's claim to be able to talk to the dead is inherrently untestable, but like most people in his industry, he doesn't show a lot of interest in falsifying his claimed powers so it amounts to the same thing. I just said that his claims aren't supported by scientific consensus. I don't think anyone can really argue with that point and that's really all you can say about people in Edward's line of work. ] (]) 16:20, 11 June 2009 (UTC)
:::Hmm... well, perhaps the dual meaning of the word "perform" is exactly what we need. That covers both sides of the issue, wouldn't you say? I've spent a good five minutes trying to re-word that intro and nothing less ambiguous has emerged. At this point I'm in favor of keeping the wording as-is. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 05:23, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
: What I do not get is: why not call him a television personality '''that claims to have psychic power''' thats absolutely factbased. He ''is'' a ''television personality'' and he ''does claim'' to have ''psychic power''. If he really is a psychich than is up to the reader to decide. --] (]) 13:10, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
::"Claim," in this instance, is a ] term per ]. This issue was so contentious that it went to ArbCom; ]. ] <small>]</small> 13:28, 19 March 2015 (UTC)


==Show format==
::::Yeah, that is exactly what I did, I couldn't re-word it. I agree that the dual meaning of "perform" is perfect here. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 06:01, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
What does Wikidudeman think about the above consensus? Do people agree with Wikidudeman to use 'medium' instead of 'psychic?' -]|] 09:52, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


{{tlc|editsemiprotected}}
::Here's how I think it should be worded...


Originally: Readings in Crossing Over involve Edward questioning audience members with what is presented as information being communicated by their deceased friends and relatives. Edward says he receives images and clues from "the other side" which the audience must assist him in interpreting. Aside from questionnaires filled out prior to taping, the audience is not supposed to supply Edward with any prior information about themselves, their family or whom they are trying to connect with "on the other side". Audience members respond to Edward's statements and questions, adding any details they feel are appropriate.
{{cquote|John Edward McGee, Jr. (born October 19, 1969), better known as John Edward, is an American author and television personality best known for performing on his shows 'Crossing Over' and 'John Edward Cross Country' where he says he talks to the dead relatives of his guests.


Born in Glen Cove, New York, Edward was convinced at a young age that he could become a medium. After writing his first book on the subject in 1998, Edward became a well known and controversial figure in the United States through his shows and other media appearances. His current show, John Edward Cross Country, has been aired on WE tv since May 2006.}}


Change to: Readings in ''Crossing Over'' involve Edward presenting audience members with information being communicated by their deceased friends and relatives and asking them for "yes" or "no" confirmation and validation of that information, but sometimes receives more information than requested, which he often clarifies as information given to him by the audience member and claims he can no longer use that piece of information as validation. Edward receives and interprets information through clairsentience (clear feeling), clairaudience (clear hearing) and clairvoyance (clear seeing) in which he feels, hears or sees images in his mind's eye from the other side which the audience must validate as pertaining to them. Edward has no prior information about audience members, their family or those in spirit with whom they are trying to connect.<ref name="CROver" />
This is really the only realistic way to word it to avoid POV or implying he actually is psychic.] <sup>]</sup> 17:44, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


:What's the issue with the word "psychic"? That's what he claims he is, right? I mean, medium implies that he has the same kind of supernatural powers. So why is medium okay but psychic bad? –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 20:39, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


--I've seen John Edward live and there are no "questionnaires" that people fill out. John Edward does not "question" audience members, he presents them with information and then asks them to confirm the information. I've also added the three "clairs" which Edward uses to receive his information. -- bigcaat - Aug. 21, '09 (sorry if I haven't done this exactly right. I've not done this 'talk' thing before.)<small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 06:33, 22 August 2009</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->
::Stevertigo was saying that "psychic" could be used without saying he is not necessarily a psychic because some definitions of 'psychic' might simply mean someone who people go to for "someone whom people go to for spiritualistic guidance (of a non-religious and perhaps dubious nature)" which is a problem we don't have to deal with if we simply say he's a "self-professed medium" because technically a psychic and a medium aren't the same thing. I believe "Psychic" is the general term and "Medium" is the specified term. I don't think John Edward claims he can move things with his mind or see the future like other self professed psychics claim.] <sup>]</sup> 20:48, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


] '''Not done:'''<!-- Template:ESp --> Welcome and thanks for wanting to improve this article. One of the key principle in Misplaced Pages is presenting information with a ]. In this case, that means neither accepting nor rejecting the claims made on the show, but presenting them as being the claims made on the show. Rewording it as you suggest would accept and promote what is widely held as being false. Also, we do not allow ], like your having seen the show live, and prefer ] ] secondary sources. The current sources for much of this article are interviews and the shows themself, which are primary sources, but can at least be verified and used in a limitted way. Please read the linked articles to learn more about these policies. ] (]) 16:49, 23 August 2009 (UTC)
:::Well, this guy seems to fit your first definition perfectly. Doesn't he have his own talk show where he pretty much tries to console people by using his "psychic powers" to communicate with dead family members? As for the second definition, which includes additional powers, I guess he doesn't really fit that bill, so medium would be a bit better (although we could also just mention both). Just my two cents. ;) –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 20:53, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


==QVC==
::::Anyway...Who here opposes my rendition of how the introduction should be worded?] <sup>]</sup> 20:58, 18 February 2007 (UTC)


Should his appearance(s) on QVC (peddling ostensibly blessed jewelry and such) be included? George Lee 07:10, 9 September 2009 (UTC) <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) </span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
Wikidudeman, your version is a bit conversational and not encyclopedic. I agree that using the word medium. Now deal with your fellow editors on the other issues please. The idea now is to work here on a finished lede section - you can just work on the same copy rather than pasting over each other. I dont think the issues here are major nor are you far from agreement provided (Wikidudeman) you can show yourself to be agreeable with your respectable peers. -]|] 00:43, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
Could the 'verifiable secondary sources' be sited in this article? As I too have been to see the live shows (I am actually a rational, logical sceptic)and there was definately no questionaires or similar prior to the show. I just want to know how he does it, read up on cold reading but it just doesn't add up. So regardless of personal belief this is a very, very interesting subject. People should keep an open mind, this life holds infinate possibilties!


==Point of the Terri Schiavo controversy?==
:Wikidudeman doesn't seem to realize that "psychic medium" (if I am correct), is a '''subtype''' of "medium." Edward says he is a ''psychicmedium'', as if it is all one word. He gives a performance of being a "psychic medium" on his show. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current lead. The only thing we are really arguing about here, as far as I know, is the word "performed." All suggested alternative versions make it less accurate, or less NPOV. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 01:45, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


"So whether it's in a physical vehicle or not, there is still the ability to connect But she's clear on what's going – and I can tell you that she's definitely clear on what's happening now around her." Edward was criticized for this statement because Schiavo did not have proper brain function at the time."
::"The only thing" - WDM is talking about other things though.
: If thats what Edward claims, then its quite encyclopedic to say "Edward claims to be a "psychicmedium" (a combined ] and ])" and add a footnote to explain any particulars about the usage. -]|] 02:45, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


Does it matter that the complaint is that she did not have proper brain function at the time? This is a man who claims he can talk to dead people who don't have a brain in the first place, let alone brain function. I'm not saying I believe Edward has psychic powers, but it just seems like a silly criticism. You might as well criticize the fact that he thinks he can talk to dead people. ] (]) 17:59, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
::Moving beyond what "psychic" or "psychic medium" means. The current lead says "best known for performing as a psychic medium on his shows Crossing Over and John Edward Cross Country." That wording implies he is actually a psychic medium. I don't see a problem with this wording.."best known for performing on his shows 'Crossing Over' and 'John Edward Cross Country' where he asserts he talks to the dead relatives of his guests."] <sup>]</sup> 02:48, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


---He didn't say he could talk to her, he said she was "clear on what's happening around her," while all medical science would lead us to believe she could not. Or, at least that's the criticism. <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 06:01, 12 November 2009 UTC</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->
:::I don't think it's clear either way. Remember, the word "perform" as discussed above can imply both that he's putting on an act or that he's using a power. And this is actually very convenient for our purposes. It's, in effect, a neutral wording that doesn't make a claim either way. Which is why I'm most in favor of the current wording. Your wording sounds pretty skeptical to me, and while I don't personally have a problem with that, I think the current wording is more ] and thus more appropriate for the encyclopedia.


==Appearances in the media==
:::And again, if people want to get into the whole ''Does John Edward have psychic powers?'' or even ''Do psychic powers even exist?'' argument, they can click on ] and read about the issue there. By maintaining the current wording, we sidestep the entire debate and maintain NPOV. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 03:02, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


John Edward appeared in an episode of South Park series (6x15) being nominated for the Biggest Douche In The Universe award.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/The_Biggest_Douche_in_the_Universe</ref>
::No, I feel that most people who read it will interpret it as meaning he is actually a psychic. ] <sup>]</sup> 03:06, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


{{reflist-talk}}
:I really don't think so bro. Either you come to the article believing in psychics or you don't. No matter what wording we use for this lede, we're not going to change people's minds with one ambiguous sentence. That would take a full article on the subject, like ] or ], and those articles are much better equipped to deal with the subject than this one. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 03:12, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


==The controversy over calling him a <s>psychic</s> professional psychic medium==
::Agreed, there is nothing in the current lead which says anything about the reality or unreality of Edward's powers. That's because of the meaning of the word "perform." We can link the words "psychic medium" to ]. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 03:28, 19 February 2007 (UTC)


I've edited the lede to say that Edward is a "self-described psychic medium". This should be acceptable to both sides of the controversy, no? ] (]) 20:51, 4 December 2010 (UTC)
:::Hm. -]|] 22:20, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
:Yeah you'd think so; but, predictably, some Edwardphile has changed it back to "''professional'' psychic medium". And another piece of me dies inside. ] (]) 06:52, 8 April 2011 (UTC)
:: I think "''professional'' psychic medium" sums it up perfectly, or is there another reason he's a psychic medium? ] (]) 22:32, 8 April 2011 (UTC)
I periodically edit-out the change to calling this Edward character a professional and will continue to do so as it is a slap in the face to every true professional out there. Even a call girl can prove what she does is based in fact. <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">— Preceding ] comment added by ] (]) 02:55, 25 July 2011 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
::: Bravo! ] (]) 16:26, 10 October 2011 (UTC)


:::: I think there is some confusion here with english usage. If the article stated John Edwards is a professional, that would imply he is someone particularly highly skilled at something, but when "professional" is used in conjunction with a trade e.g. "professional psychic medium", it simply means that the person is paid to do the job rather than doing it as an amateur or unpaid. "Psychic medium" may be a valid epistemological subject, the fact that such effortless and magical gifts are rarely demonstrated or offered free-of-charge by those who are purported to be the most gifted should not escape unremarked.] (]) 17:23, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
::::Well to get done with this mediation, I think we should simply remove the "POV disputed" tag from the article for now considering the dispute is fairly trivial and we've come to somewhat of a consensus that it should be kept the same way it is. The rest of the article beside the introduction is something i'll check for neutrality but the introduction itself doesn't seem to bee too "POV". Any thoughts? Disagreements? ] <sup>]</sup> 05:37, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
::::: I've reverted the removal of "professional" once again. The removal is based on what people think (or don't think) a ] actually does. What Edward does as a psychic medium is obviously very important and pertinent to this article, but it's a whole different thing as to whether or not he gets paid for doing it. I've amended the title of this section accordingly. ] (]) 19:20, 12 January 2012 (UTC)


So obviously this conversation hasn't continued on the Talk page, but once again the lead describes Edward as a "professional self-proclaimed psychic medium," presumably by the same argument that Antar and others are making above, that he "makes a living" as a psychic-medium. But I do not remotely agree that it's factual that he makes his living as a psychic. As was also stated in a previous discussion on this matter, if Edward's job is to maintain ratings and/or seat count for his shows, to entertain enough people to keep the crowds coming, then he's making his living as a stage performer and TV personality, NOT as a psychic-medium. Plus the use of the words "professionally" and "professional" in the same sentence is entirely redundant. Also, Edward hasn't had a regularly running TV show in several years, and now seems to be focusing on stage tours. So unless someone has a source that confirms that Edward makes more than half his income from private readings - which would suggest he "makes his living" as a psychic - shouldn't the lead read something more like this, "known professionally as John Edward, is an American television personality, stage performer and self-proclaimed psychic medium." ] (]) 19:05, 12 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Sounds good to me. I think the lead is as ''neutral'' as it's gonna get, personally. –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 06:33, 21 February 2007 (UTC)


== Granite State newspaper article ==
::::Sorry I have been away on holiday for about a month, and have not been able to participate, I agree with the point that you have made Stevertigo that the is nothing to say that he is or is not, however my contention is that the statement ''performs'' is in itself ambiguous and can lead to multiple interpretations, multiple interpretations are by their nature not encyclopedic, and through thier ambiguity lead to POV. I think it would be far more clear if the introduction indicated that the claims of psychicness come from Edwards himself.


Dreadstar I have readded the reference without the blog citation. ] (]) 04:30, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
::::I also kind of disagree that it is fairly trivial, it establishes a precedent where it is okay to use ambiguous language in an encyclopedia. ] 13:02, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
:Not sure why, the group and their 'spokesperson' don't seem at all notable. What expertise and notability do they have to rise above the threshold set by ]? I'm not seeing it. ] <small>]</small> 18:01, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
::Activism against Edward is noteworthy, even if it had been Anonymous activism. The newspaper that reported it is newsworthy.] (]) 00:46, 28 June 2011 (UTC)
:::Sounds like ] to me. And I'm talking about "''Activism against Edward is noteworthy, even if it had been Anonymous activism.''" I think it's clear we're now deep into ]. The group, the spokesman and the opinion are non-notable and violate ]. ] <small>]</small> 00:49, 28 June 2011 (UTC)
::::No battle from me Dreadstar. I'll play nice. I still totally support my edit, but will back down unless I feel I can better support my position. I still feel that a activism section against Edward is noteworthy even if the activism comes from many un-noteworthy sources. ] (]) 14:45, 28 June 2011 (UTC)
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::::The important thing here is that neither meaning of the word ''performs'' is ], if we take the meaning that Mr Edward is disingenuous about his abilities then no one can prove it, if we take the pro Mr Edward stance, it is equally not ], the only thing that can be ] is that Mr Edward is providing entertainment in a public arena, where he claims to hear the voices of the dead...performing is ambiguous, and in this case doubly not ]] 15:01, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
|}


== Why did you remove my citation? ==
:::::That ambiguity is exactly why we like the word. Since neither can be proved either way, the word "perform" implies and covers both. It's a completely neutral word. And I don't think ] applies in this case, although if it did, there's plenty of evidence that he "performs" psychic acts... or at least appears to. Ever watched one of his two television shows? –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 21:28, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
:::::: Hm. The word 'performs' well in that function. :) -]|] 22:56, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
:::::::Ouch! ..... Nice one, nonetheless! ] <small> ] </small> 23:06, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
* I support keeping the disputed sentence as it currently is: ''"'''John Edward''', is an ] author and ] personality best known for performing as a ] on his shows ''Crossing Over'' and ''John Edward Cross Country''." '' This sentence accurately describes what Edward is best known for, "performing" on his TV shows. The word “performing" does not make a statement either way about his presumed abilities - which is the very nature of NPOV – yet it is not at all ambiguous, because he is indeed giving a televised performance. As a side note, the current version was reached by consensus of editors a few months ago after much dispute over various other versions. ] <small> ] </small> 22:18, 21 February 2007 (UTC)


Dreadstar what do you mean by a "bridge too far"? I have no idea what you are talking about. Is this one of those inclusive WP editor terms that shuts out newer users? Your "talk" page says you are not editing WP and on a break so I am asking for clarification here. ] (]) 02:08, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
:"Psychic medium" is far more accurate than either "psychic" or "medium". A "psychic medium" is a type of medium, and it is what John is referred to as on his show. If we link it to ], then we're good to go. ] <small> ] </small> 00:28, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
:"Bridge too far" was in reference to which accidentally re-added material when making another change. Your content had several problems, primary one being that Edward was not mentioned at all in two of the sources and was only mentioned by name once in the third source. The third source made no commentary on on Edward besides the mere mention of his name. The content was a clear violation of ] and ]. ] <small>]</small> 02:20, 11 October 2011 (UTC)


== External links modified ==
::I agree with Belbo Casaubon, Lantoka, Wikidudeman, and Dreadlocke. The claims of psychicness don't come only from Edward himself, but from all his fans. So what should we say, "acclaimed and claimed psychic medium"? "Performs" is NPOV. ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 01:24, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


Hello fellow Wikipedians,
:::Belbo Casaubon is the one arguing that it isn't NPOV, so I doubt you agree with him. =P –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 02:45, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


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::::Oh, yeah, I think I pasted his username in there because I was going to object, the got distracted. It should read:


{{sourcecheck|checked=false}}
::::I agree with Lantoka, Wikidudeman, and Dreadlocke. Belbo Casaubon, the claims of psychicness don't come only from Edward himself, but from all his fans. So what should we say, "acclaimed and claimed psychic medium"? "Performs" is NPOV.


::::Thanks, Lantoka ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 02:50, 22 February 2007 (UTC) Cheers.—]<small><sub style="margin-left:-14.9ex;color:green;font-family:Comic Sans MS">]:Online</sub></small> 06:38, 7 February 2016 (UTC)


== External links modified ==
I think we're getting pretty close to consensus, then. What does our mediator think? –&nbsp;] <small>(])</small> 02:53, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


Hello fellow Wikipedians,
::Firstly, There was nothing ambiguous about "self professed" from the start and it's clearly allowed per ]. Secondly, I have no idea what is going on with "Dreadlocke" and "Belbo". Neither one of them have been participating in this mediation from the start and then all of a sudden they both come back at the same time and both have similar reasons for not being able to mediate? See ]. Thirdly, This is fairly trivial. Arguing over whether to use "performs as a psychic medium" or "self professed psychic medium" really makes no difference in reality and there's no such thing as "precedent" on wikipedia. Misplaced Pages isn't a court of law and what the consensus is here only applies here and nowhere else. I don't see the point in continually debating this trivial thing personally. If you all want to continue to debate whether that one sentence should stay the same or be changed then be mu guest but as long as that stays the debate then I'll keep out of the debate for now.] <sup>]</sup> 03:03, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


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::: What does the mediator think? I had thought you all agreed to leave it. Then Belbo came along and raised some hackles - undoing the spirit of consensus we worked hard to reach. Belbo, sometimes when you go on vacation, you miss out. -]|] 03:34, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20061222194125/http://www.johnedward.net/about_John_Edward.htm to http://johnedward.net/about_John_Edward.htm
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014609/http://dir.salon.com/story/people/feature/2002/06/13/probability/index.html to http://dir.salon.com/story/people/feature/2002/06/13/probability/index.html


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::::That's actually how we got to mediation. Five editors (not all the same ones in this current consensus, only two are here from the original consensus group) ended a dispute over wording with my "performing as a psychic medium" solution. This wording worked perfectly until Belbo came in a few months later and "raised the hackles" that led to this mediation. Interesting circle. ] <small> ] </small> 03:56, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
::::If anyone's interested, the original consensus was '''5 for''' and '''0 against'''. Pretty clear that time. ] <small> ] </small> 03:59, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


{{sourcecheck|checked=false|needhelp=}}
''Raised the hackles''? I am sorry if I have, I thought I was contributing to a Dispute Resolution which was raised with my name on it, Dreadlocke was off on the sick, so I never logged on while I was on holiday, you must forgive me I am not and 'old hack' at dispute resolution.


Cheers.—] <span style="color:green;font-family:Rockwell">(])</span> 00:10, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
My points are that ''Performs'' is not ], indeed Lantoka, you phrase:
'''there's plenty of evidence that he "performs" psychic acts... or at least appears to'''


== External links modified ==
''If you read ] it clearly states ''If a statement can't stand on its own without weasel words, then it lacks NPOV'', this is clearly the case in this instance.


Hello fellow Wikipedians,
''Performs'' is also clearly ambiguous, either of its meanings giving rise to a potentially POV interpretation
These common meanings are (to paraphrase)
1.To Do.
2:To Enact(as in pretence)


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Any reader who reads this introduction must interpret this line as having either of these two meanings, one has is negative POV and one is positive POV, it is inescapable. The other point is that neither of these interpretations is ].
*Added archive https://archive.is/20130104233353/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0%2C8599%2C100555%2C00.html to http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,100555,00.html
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*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100412161943/http://infinitequest.com/ to http://www.infinitequest.com/


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I think there is some stuff sailing pretty close to ] in some of the raised the hackles comments, remember and treat the newbies nicely, and in ]. ] 11:38, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


{{sourcecheck|checked=false|needhelp=}}
Also, I completely agree with Lantokas point about the ] Article, it is a perfect introduction, with perhaps the exclusion of the James Randi Section] 11:54, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


Cheers.—] <span style="color:green;font-family:Rockwell">(])</span> 15:56, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
:Well, I for one oppose using the Sylvia Browne style introduction, I find it pejorative and incomplete - it does not include the hundreds of thousands of 'believers' that acclaim him as a phychic medium - and it's not what he's known for - his show performances are the key to his fame.
:Are there any others besides Belbo who oppose keeping the current version in place? We seem to have an almost unanimous consensus on keeping to the current version and ending this mediation. ] <small> ] </small> 01:09, 23 February 2007 (UTC)


== See also section ==
::Belbo Casaubon is saying that it is a weasel word, because it can be interpreted in different ways, which would both be POV. But we are not responsible if the reader comes to the page with a POV. If the reader were to come to the page with no POV, then the reader can give "performs" the interpretation that Edward is doing a psychic medium show. So the meaning of "performs" in that situation would be "he is doing a show," and the question of whether he is "really psychic" '''or not''' would not be settled in the reader's mind, because the reader can't tell from the word what the status of Edward's powers is. If the reader is pro-psychic, the interpretation would be "he is performing psychic acts and hosting a show." If the reader is anti-psychic the interpretation would be "Edward is fooling the audience into thinking he is really a psychic." ''']''' <sub>(] Ψ ])</sub> 02:19, 23 February 2007 (UTC)


I removed a lot from the see also section. Most of it was not relevant to John Edward beyond his being a medium. Per ], I think more of a connection is needed, as the section was too long and most of the entries would not be part of a comprehensive article on the biographical subject here. I kept two entries that were about TV shows, as the first description in the lead is "television personality". ] (]) 23:31, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
::: Hm. I hope Belbo has read the mediation discussion. I consider the matter closed, where we agreed that "performs" is not a weasel word and functions quite neutrally. A piston engine "performs." A computer "performs" computations. Case closed. -]|] 06:26, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
:{{ping|wallyfromdilbert}} You are going '''way''' overboard on the medium articles you are removing material from - mostly in See also. The MOS states: "One purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore '''tangentially''' related topics; however, articles linked should be related to the topic of the article." I maintain that the bios of other mediums and articles covering the general topic are tangentially related and I am going to restore the material as is appropriate. ] (]) 23:22, 26 December 2019 (UTC)
::Some of those links have no relevance other than to implicitly disparage the article subject, which would be a violation of the ] policy against unsourced content. Why are you restoring those? Also, I don't see how the remaining links to other mediums are relevant enough to include. ] says that "The links in the 'See also' section should be relevant, '''should reflect the links that would be present in a comprehensive article on the topic,''' and should be limited to a reasonable number." How does a list of other mediums apply to that? Under your interpretation, any biography could have dozens of "see also" entries based purely on their profession. – ] (]) 03:18, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
:::You keep repeating the same part of the MOS that you like - how about the part I quoted: "One purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore '''tangentially''' related topics..."
::::You're not even quoting the whole sentence, which goes on to say "{{tq|One purpose of 'See also' links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics; '''however, articles linked should be related to the topic of the article'''}}" and then provides three conditions for what is considered relevant. Can you please explain how your interpretation would make sense if any biography could have dozens of "see also" entries based purely on their profession? – ] (]) 03:32, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

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Archives
  1. January 2003 – November 2006
  2. November 2006 - January 2007
  3. January 2007 - March 2007
  4. March 2007 - July 2007

Scam/Fraud Charges

Was pretty sure before he became a psychic, Edwards was involved in some sort of financial scam that lead to fraud charges and perhaps even a conviction. Was this whitewashed out the article by fans? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.248.214.103 (talk) 17:13, 26 August 2017 (UTC)

Category change

Categories have been changed in accordance with the recent Arbitration on the paranormal, specifically 6a) Adequate framing, and Cultural artefacts. Martin (Talk Ψ Contribs) 22:19, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Format change for Cross Country

So as not to introduce unsourced info - has any in-print discussion been made about the drastic format change of Cross Country in the second season? Willbyr (talk | contribs) 12:43, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

The 9-11 Controversy

Edward is doing a bit on his Cross Country show of 'contacting' a firefighter who died on 9-11. Lots42 (talk) 19:37, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

But seriously

Isn't it a bit much to call him an entertainer or psychic medium? I mean, is exploitation an approved form of entertainment? And giving him credit as an actual psychic medium - seriously? --Riluve (talk) 03:03, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

This isn't the place to debate the right/wrong of Edward's work. He is by definition a television performer/entertainer, whose show revolves around his being a medium, a title he readily professes for himself. I think the current wording is fine. Willbyr (talk | contribs) 04:33, 22 October 2008 (UTC)
That's like letting an article on Hitler entitle himself a "Social Engineer" because that is how he thought of himself. 50.224.24.38 (talk) 19:42, 14 December 2022 (UTC)

Well quite obviously he isn't a "psychic medium". But he is an entertainer. He performs his show for ratings, his shows standing is based on ratings, he could have a boring show on late night public television but he chose to be an entertainer.

Thats not really up for discussion, that hes an entertainer. Thats...well, what he does. That he may also believe his own lies or have a certain reason for what he does would not remove the fact hes an entertainer. Even shock jockeys are entertainers. To each his own I guess, even if theirs is remarkably ignorant. 58.170.134.254 (talk) 12:11, 20 February 2009 (UTC) Harlequin

As "psychic mediums" do not really exist, and are on the face of it frauds, I do not have any problem with the way it is worded. Clearly, any rational individual who reads "psychic medium" knows that that is a fake thing anyway. He clearly entertains mindless drones who want to feel better....so he is an entertainer. I believe a prudent and rational person can read the things that he is, and take from that what each means.

Protected

I've protected this for 3 days to stop a looming edit war. Work out issues on the talk page. — RlevseTalk21:47, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

It really needs to say "supposed" psychic medium. This page's existence diminishes everything Misplaced Pages stands for. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Burr Pie (talkcontribs) 04:05, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

Medium or tv personality

Somebody keeps changing 'medium' to 'television personality'. Now i know that most people don't believe that he has genuine abilities but either way he styles himself as a medium and ommitting this is very obviously point of view. And even if you believe that all mediums are fake, then where is the harm in calling him one? Phallicmonkey (talk) 17:56, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

I think that the article has to state the facts. Edward is undoubtedly a television personality; whether or not he is a genuine medium is going to be nigh-impossible to determine factually, and thus I think that the current wording of the intro is more correct. Willbyr (talk | contribs) 20:44, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
I disagree: it's certainly possible to determine factually if he is a genuine medium, and the ball is in his court. If he wins $1,000,000 from James Randi, then he's a real medium. If he's afraid to submit to a scientific test, then he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. If he were to dress up as Elvis during his performances, you'd be correct to call him an Elvis IMPERSONATOR, not Elvis, even if he claims he's Elvis in his act. So call him a Medium Impersonator. He certainly does a good impersonation of a Douchbag, and that's not original research -- I can provide references. Xardox (talk) 16:13, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
I agree, but why not add medium as well? There is no reason as to why there only needs to be one or the other, he is both a medium and television personality. Phallicmonkey (talk) 13:30, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
The entire second sentence of the lead’s first paragraph is devoted to that exact thing, his performing as a psychic medium. It would be redundant to add it again in the first sentence and it isn’t necessary. The most agreed on notability of Edwards is the fact that he’s a successful author and television personality. The second sentence gives detail on what his shows and books are about.
Secondly, the Shiavo incident is not at all “biased” per WP:NPOV, it is sourced and neutrally worded. It was indeed a well-publicized controversy and needs to be mentioned in the article. If you can come up with more neutral wording for that, which gains consensus, then we can change it. But you cannot just delete sourced, relevant and neutral content like that. Dreadstar 19:04, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Then why not rewrite the introduction including medium in the opening? 'Television Personality' serves no real purpose except to perhaps please skeptics who don't like to see him labelled a medium. And i will take you up on the offer, although there is hardly a neutral way of putting such a thing. and it may be sourced, but what value does this really have if the information is still biased? Phallicmonkey (talk) 23:15, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

I agree with Willbyr above (and his recent edit). Since we can't factually verify that the guy actually is a medium, that is, that he can actually communicate with the dead, the sourced and verifiable fact we can include is that he describes himself as a medium (or whatever similar wording is most agreeable). I don't see any consensus for saying flat out that he is a medium, so please find some agreement instead of just revert warring over it. --Minderbinder (talk) 17:00, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

I think that the recent edit is finally an acceptable middle ground. As long as the 'medium' isn't left out, it is not too biased (at least not AS biased as it was before). But the new edit will suffice, and i think that it is the closest to a consensus that we will come to. And as you may have noticed, i did attempt to discuss this on this very page, but it is only when the above comment was made that any discussion had taken place. Thanks Phallicmonkey (talk) 17:39, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

I see comments from Willbyr and Dreadstar about it above. --Minderbinder (talk) 17:56, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Since people seem to think it's ok to call him a medium even though it is not verified simply because he claims that and because you can't prove him wrong, then I suggest they also edit David Koresh's article. I mean, you'd have to list "messiah" or "incarnation of Jesus" into the lead, wouldn't you since you can't PROVE he ISN'T and he did claim it, right? Someone explain to me the difference.

Or, since Kim Jong Il claims to be a god, we should put "Kim Jong Il is the Korean leader and a god" in the lead, right?

Moral: Just because someone claims to be something that you can't disprove, doesn't mean wikipedia should have to list him as such; I'm changing it if there's no response to this entry.SuperAtheist (talk) 17:20, 7 October 2010 (UTC)

Here We Go Again

This happens about every 6 months... a John Edward fan finds his Misplaced Pages article, and starts kicking up a stink about this or that. Now someone has tagged the entire article citing non-POV and factual accuracy, without any word of explanation or justification. If no explanation is forthcoming in 3 days I'm removing the tag. JQ (talk) 02:38, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

The article is POV because of the blatant hints at him being a fake, and any attempts to reduce the bias of the article are an uphill battle, and met with hostility. The article needs a rewrite. Phallicmonkey (talk) 11:47, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
Misplaced Pages is about presenting facts, not opinions or professions of faith as facts. As I think was mentioned earlier, Edward's ability to talk to the dead is inherently untestable so cannot be presented as fact. And funnily enough, not everyone subscribes to Edward's explanation that his ability is genuine. Presenting an untestable, subjective, ad-doc psychic faculty as fact is about as biased as you can get. JQ (talk) 21:54, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
Actually now I think about it, I agree the article's opening statement should describe Edward as a "psychic". Along with all the connotations attached to that word. JQ (talk) 21:57, 5 February 2009 (UTC)
You say it is not about presenting opinions, yet your previous comment shows that this is exactly what you are going to do. Yes, not everybody agrees with his claims, but that is still what he professes to be and his 'act'is presented as psychic. And the connotations associated with 'psychic' are again a matter of opinion. This is precisely why i have flagged the article as POV, just read the article and it very clearly puts across a viewpoint. Phallicmonkey (talk) 16:11, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
Edward should not be described as a "psychic"...I disagree with Phallicmonkey's claims about the article's neutrality, but describing him in that manner implies a belief in the opposite, which is definitely POV. Willbyr (talk | contribs) 14:30, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

He styles himself as a psychic, so it is not up to us to make assumptions regarding this, the facts should be presented. And the facts are 1) He describes himself as psychic and 2) This should be adhered to regardless of personal bias, otherwise the article is fairly useless as a source of fact, but is rather used as an oppurtunity for skeptics to get their viewpoint across. Phallicmonkey (talk) 18:33, 7 February 2009 (UTC)

Fair enough, Willbyr. IMHO since the term "psychic" can only be self-styled anyway, and does not infer any kind of professionalism like a doctor or engineer, I can't see the harm in having it in the opening paragraph. On the other hand many readers are very gullible. As far as POV is concerned, yes this article if very POV -- in favour of Edward. JQ (talk) 21:53, 8 February 2009 (UTC)

Monkey, if you want to tag the entire article, you should put your specific criticisms on the talk page so individual parts can be discussed. "it's all bad" without going into detail makes the tag pretty useless. --Minderbinder (talk) 13:50, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Personally, I don't think that Edward's claim to be able to talk to the dead is inherrently untestable, but like most people in his industry, he doesn't show a lot of interest in falsifying his claimed powers so it amounts to the same thing. I just said that his claims aren't supported by scientific consensus. I don't think anyone can really argue with that point and that's really all you can say about people in Edward's line of work. Gregory j (talk) 16:20, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

What I do not get is: why not call him a television personality that claims to have psychic power thats absolutely factbased. He is a television personality and he does claim to have psychic power. If he really is a psychich than is up to the reader to decide. --Gag101 (talk) 13:10, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
"Claim," in this instance, is a loaded term per WP:CLAIM. This issue was so contentious that it went to ArbCom; Adequate framing. Dreadstar 13:28, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

Show format

{{editsemiprotected}}

Originally: Readings in Crossing Over involve Edward questioning audience members with what is presented as information being communicated by their deceased friends and relatives. Edward says he receives images and clues from "the other side" which the audience must assist him in interpreting. Aside from questionnaires filled out prior to taping, the audience is not supposed to supply Edward with any prior information about themselves, their family or whom they are trying to connect with "on the other side". Audience members respond to Edward's statements and questions, adding any details they feel are appropriate.


Change to: Readings in Crossing Over involve Edward presenting audience members with information being communicated by their deceased friends and relatives and asking them for "yes" or "no" confirmation and validation of that information, but sometimes receives more information than requested, which he often clarifies as information given to him by the audience member and claims he can no longer use that piece of information as validation. Edward receives and interprets information through clairsentience (clear feeling), clairaudience (clear hearing) and clairvoyance (clear seeing) in which he feels, hears or sees images in his mind's eye from the other side which the audience must validate as pertaining to them. Edward has no prior information about audience members, their family or those in spirit with whom they are trying to connect.


--I've seen John Edward live and there are no "questionnaires" that people fill out. John Edward does not "question" audience members, he presents them with information and then asks them to confirm the information. I've also added the three "clairs" which Edward uses to receive his information. -- bigcaat - Aug. 21, '09 (sorry if I haven't done this exactly right. I've not done this 'talk' thing before.)—Preceding unsigned comment added by Bigcaat (talkcontribs) 06:33, 22 August 2009

Not done: Welcome and thanks for wanting to improve this article. One of the key principle in Misplaced Pages is presenting information with a neutral point of view. In this case, that means neither accepting nor rejecting the claims made on the show, but presenting them as being the claims made on the show. Rewording it as you suggest would accept and promote what is widely held as being false. Also, we do not allow original research, like your having seen the show live, and prefer verifiable reliable secondary sources. The current sources for much of this article are interviews and the shows themself, which are primary sources, but can at least be verified and used in a limitted way. Please read the linked articles to learn more about these policies. Celestra (talk) 16:49, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

QVC

Should his appearance(s) on QVC (peddling ostensibly blessed jewelry and such) be included? George Lee 07:10, 9 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by GSpastic (talkcontribs) Could the 'verifiable secondary sources' be sited in this article? As I too have been to see the live shows (I am actually a rational, logical sceptic)and there was definately no questionaires or similar prior to the show. I just want to know how he does it, read up on cold reading but it just doesn't add up. So regardless of personal belief this is a very, very interesting subject. People should keep an open mind, this life holds infinate possibilties!

Point of the Terri Schiavo controversy?

"So whether it's in a physical vehicle or not, there is still the ability to connect But she's clear on what's going – and I can tell you that she's definitely clear on what's happening now around her." Edward was criticized for this statement because Schiavo did not have proper brain function at the time."

Does it matter that the complaint is that she did not have proper brain function at the time? This is a man who claims he can talk to dead people who don't have a brain in the first place, let alone brain function. I'm not saying I believe Edward has psychic powers, but it just seems like a silly criticism. You might as well criticize the fact that he thinks he can talk to dead people. ScienceApe (talk) 17:59, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

---He didn't say he could talk to her, he said she was "clear on what's happening around her," while all medical science would lead us to believe she could not. Or, at least that's the criticism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.230.177.238 (talkcontribs) 06:01, 12 November 2009 UTC

Appearances in the media

John Edward appeared in an episode of South Park series (6x15) being nominated for the Biggest Douche In The Universe award.

References

  1. Cite error: The named reference CROver was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/The_Biggest_Douche_in_the_Universe

The controversy over calling him a psychic professional psychic medium

I've edited the lede to say that Edward is a "self-described psychic medium". This should be acceptable to both sides of the controversy, no? 209.105.199.39 (talk) 20:51, 4 December 2010 (UTC)

Yeah you'd think so; but, predictably, some Edwardphile has changed it back to "professional psychic medium". And another piece of me dies inside. JQ (talk) 06:52, 8 April 2011 (UTC)
I think "professional psychic medium" sums it up perfectly, or is there another reason he's a psychic medium? Mighty Antar (talk) 22:32, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

I periodically edit-out the change to calling this Edward character a professional and will continue to do so as it is a slap in the face to every true professional out there. Even a call girl can prove what she does is based in fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 113.28.103.214 (talk) 02:55, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

Bravo! Xardox (talk) 16:26, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
I think there is some confusion here with english usage. If the article stated John Edwards is a professional, that would imply he is someone particularly highly skilled at something, but when "professional" is used in conjunction with a trade e.g. "professional psychic medium", it simply means that the person is paid to do the job rather than doing it as an amateur or unpaid. "Psychic medium" may be a valid epistemological subject, the fact that such effortless and magical gifts are rarely demonstrated or offered free-of-charge by those who are purported to be the most gifted should not escape unremarked.Mighty Antar (talk) 17:23, 10 October 2011 (UTC)
I've reverted the removal of "professional" once again. The removal is based on what people think (or don't think) a psychic medium actually does. What Edward does as a psychic medium is obviously very important and pertinent to this article, but it's a whole different thing as to whether or not he gets paid for doing it. I've amended the title of this section accordingly. Mighty Antar (talk) 19:20, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

So obviously this conversation hasn't continued on the Talk page, but once again the lead describes Edward as a "professional self-proclaimed psychic medium," presumably by the same argument that Antar and others are making above, that he "makes a living" as a psychic-medium. But I do not remotely agree that it's factual that he makes his living as a psychic. As was also stated in a previous discussion on this matter, if Edward's job is to maintain ratings and/or seat count for his shows, to entertain enough people to keep the crowds coming, then he's making his living as a stage performer and TV personality, NOT as a psychic-medium. Plus the use of the words "professionally" and "professional" in the same sentence is entirely redundant. Also, Edward hasn't had a regularly running TV show in several years, and now seems to be focusing on stage tours. So unless someone has a source that confirms that Edward makes more than half his income from private readings - which would suggest he "makes his living" as a psychic - shouldn't the lead read something more like this, "known professionally as John Edward, is an American television personality, stage performer and self-proclaimed psychic medium." CleverTitania (talk) 19:05, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Granite State newspaper article

Dreadstar I have readded the reference without the blog citation. Sgerbic (talk) 04:30, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Not sure why, the group and their 'spokesperson' don't seem at all notable. What expertise and notability do they have to rise above the threshold set by WP:BLP? I'm not seeing it. Dreadstar 18:01, 27 June 2011 (UTC)
Activism against Edward is noteworthy, even if it had been Anonymous activism. The newspaper that reported it is newsworthy.Sgerbic (talk) 00:46, 28 June 2011 (UTC)
Sounds like OR to me. And I'm talking about "Activism against Edward is noteworthy, even if it had been Anonymous activism." I think it's clear we're now deep into WP:BATTLE. The group, the spokesman and the opinion are non-notable and violate WP:BLP. Dreadstar 00:49, 28 June 2011 (UTC)
No battle from me Dreadstar. I'll play nice. I still totally support my edit, but will back down unless I feel I can better support my position. I still feel that a activism section against Edward is noteworthy even if the activism comes from many un-noteworthy sources. Sgerbic (talk) 14:45, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

File:JohnEdward.jpg Nominated for Deletion

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Why did you remove my citation?

Dreadstar what do you mean by a "bridge too far"? I have no idea what you are talking about. Is this one of those inclusive WP editor terms that shuts out newer users? Your "talk" page says you are not editing WP and on a break so I am asking for clarification here. Sgerbic (talk) 02:08, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

"Bridge too far" was in reference to my own earlier edit which accidentally re-added material when making another change. Your content had several problems, primary one being that Edward was not mentioned at all in two of the sources and was only mentioned by name once in the third source. The third source made no commentary on on Edward besides the mere mention of his name. The content was a clear violation of WP:BLP and WP:UNDUE. Dreadstar 02:20, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

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See also section

I removed a lot from the see also section. Most of it was not relevant to John Edward beyond his being a medium. Per MOS:SEEALSO, I think more of a connection is needed, as the section was too long and most of the entries would not be part of a comprehensive article on the biographical subject here. I kept two entries that were about TV shows, as the first description in the lead is "television personality". – wallyfromdilbert (talk) 23:31, 12 December 2019 (UTC)

@Wallyfromdilbert: You are going way overboard on the medium articles you are removing material from - mostly in See also. The MOS states: "One purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics; however, articles linked should be related to the topic of the article." I maintain that the bios of other mediums and articles covering the general topic are tangentially related and I am going to restore the material as is appropriate. RobP (talk) 23:22, 26 December 2019 (UTC)
Some of those links have no relevance other than to implicitly disparage the article subject, which would be a violation of the WP:BLP policy against unsourced content. Why are you restoring those? Also, I don't see how the remaining links to other mediums are relevant enough to include. WP:SEEALSO says that "The links in the 'See also' section should be relevant, should reflect the links that would be present in a comprehensive article on the topic, and should be limited to a reasonable number." How does a list of other mediums apply to that? Under your interpretation, any biography could have dozens of "see also" entries based purely on their profession. – wallyfromdilbert (talk) 03:18, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
You keep repeating the same part of the MOS that you like - how about the part I quoted: "One purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics..."
You're not even quoting the whole sentence, which goes on to say "One purpose of 'See also' links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics; however, articles linked should be related to the topic of the article" and then provides three conditions for what is considered relevant. Can you please explain how your interpretation would make sense if any biography could have dozens of "see also" entries based purely on their profession? – wallyfromdilbert (talk) 03:32, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
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