Revision as of 17:04, 31 July 2015 view sourceWnt (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users36,218 edits →Man Up: The GamerGate Controversy Article← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:17, 31 July 2015 view source MarkBernstein (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,220 edits Undid revision 673952766 by Chrisrus (talk) It's not a question of whether Brusstopher finds the discussion interesting, it's whether the discussion benefits the project.Next edit → | ||
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== Man Up: The GamerGate Controversy Article == | == Man Up: The GamerGate Controversy Article == | ||
{{hat|reason=]. It's clear Jimbo isn't going to respond, and as Liz has said this conversation will just keep on going infinitely if not hatted. The less Gamergate drama that exists in the world the beter. If you suspect someone of being evil or bad editing, go to ] instead. Absolutely nothing remotely productive or beneficial can come from keeping this discussion open. ] (]) 21:31, 30 July 2015 (UTC)}} | |||
Jimbo, when is Wikimedia foundation going to man up and intervene on the entirely toxic nonsense that is the GamerGate controversy article, which still persists upon being nothing more than a squatted soapbox for a single point of view and a forum for certain individuals to discuss their individual viewpoints on the topic? It's time that those with some degree of authority to get to grips with this persistent problem. ] (]) 13:49, 27 July 2015 (UTC) | Jimbo, when is Wikimedia foundation going to man up and intervene on the entirely toxic nonsense that is the GamerGate controversy article, which still persists upon being nothing more than a squatted soapbox for a single point of view and a forum for certain individuals to discuss their individual viewpoints on the topic? It's time that those with some degree of authority to get to grips with this persistent problem. ] (]) 13:49, 27 July 2015 (UTC) | ||
:Sadly Jimbo and Wikimedia's hands are tied on this. They play a dangerous game any time they wield their authority to settle content disputes. It is indeed appalling for just how long that article has stood as little more than a propaganda piece for people opposed to the movement. We’ll be soon approaching an entire year now of Misplaced Pages being abused to libel tens of thousands of people in a movement as serial misogynists, harassers, and general scumbags. The core problem with it seems to stem from heavy administrative bias against editors on one "side" of the controversy. If you have a look at the list of sanctions applied around the topic area maybe 90% or more of them have been against so-called “pro-GG” editors. Until the administration corps grows a spine and learns to deal with bad actors '''impartially''' (and those with a bone to pick in this conflict step ''down'' and let truly uninvolved admins take over), this site's credibility will just continue to be tarnished by that joke of an article. Already this past year I have noticed a marked shift in attitude towards linking to Misplaced Pages articles in many of the online communities I visit. People like to pretend that video game enthusiasts exist in a vacuum and can just be bullied and pushed around as they please, but the game generation is all grown up now and many see no reason to trust Misplaced Pages in other areas when what has happened on that article has been happening for so long in spite of huge amounts of attention. | :Sadly Jimbo and Wikimedia's hands are tied on this. They play a dangerous game any time they wield their authority to settle content disputes. It is indeed appalling for just how long that article has stood as little more than a propaganda piece for people opposed to the movement. We’ll be soon approaching an entire year now of Misplaced Pages being abused to libel tens of thousands of people in a movement as serial misogynists, harassers, and general scumbags. The core problem with it seems to stem from heavy administrative bias against editors on one "side" of the controversy. If you have a look at the list of sanctions applied around the topic area maybe 90% or more of them have been against so-called “pro-GG” editors. Until the administration corps grows a spine and learns to deal with bad actors '''impartially''' (and those with a bone to pick in this conflict step ''down'' and let truly uninvolved admins take over), this site's credibility will just continue to be tarnished by that joke of an article. Already this past year I have noticed a marked shift in attitude towards linking to Misplaced Pages articles in many of the online communities I visit. People like to pretend that video game enthusiasts exist in a vacuum and can just be bullied and pushed around as they please, but the game generation is all grown up now and many see no reason to trust Misplaced Pages in other areas when what has happened on that article has been happening for so long in spite of huge amounts of attention. | ||
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# '''Bias on our part''' Established editors who don't want the GG's side included are a problem to be overcome if the article is to be balanced, but are merely secondary to the problem of biased sources. | # '''Bias on our part''' Established editors who don't want the GG's side included are a problem to be overcome if the article is to be balanced, but are merely secondary to the problem of biased sources. | ||
# '''Editors who suck at Misplaced Pages''' Editors trying to tell GG's side are too often inexperienced and ineffective. We should help them, not treat them like the enemy. On the other hand, they must be made to understand that until their side of the story is published somewhere ], there is little we can do, so let that be a main goal of their movement at this point. ] (]) 16:25, 30 July 2015 (UTC) | # '''Editors who suck at Misplaced Pages''' Editors trying to tell GG's side are too often inexperienced and ineffective. We should help them, not treat them like the enemy. On the other hand, they must be made to understand that until their side of the story is published somewhere ], there is little we can do, so let that be a main goal of their movement at this point. ] (]) 16:25, 30 July 2015 (UTC) | ||
{{hab}} | |||
== The People's Operator logos == | == The People's Operator logos == |
Revision as of 17:17, 31 July 2015
Welcome to my talk page. Please sign and date your entries by inserting ~~~~ at the end. Start a new talk topic. |
Jimbo welcomes your comments and updates. He holds the founder's seat on the Wikimedia Foundation's Board of Trustees. The three trustees elected as community representatives until July 2015 are Sj, Phoebe, and Raystorm. The Wikimedia Foundation Senior Community Advocate is Maggie Dennis. |
This user talk page might be watched by friendly talk page stalkers, which means that someone other than me might reply to your query. Their input is welcome and their help with messages that I cannot reply to quickly is appreciated. |
- Voluntary RfAs after resignation
- Allowing page movers to enable two-factor authentication
- Rewriting the guideline Misplaced Pages:Please do not bite the newcomers
- Should comments made using LLMs or chatbots be discounted or even removed?
Can you just block an IP address
Hi, just want to know a question, can anyone block an IP address of a person that doesn't have a Misplaced Pages account? Dylan Keane (talk) 20:30, 24 July 2015 (UTC)
- Admins can.--Jimbo Wales (talk) 20:35, 24 July 2015 (UTC)
- Yes, admins can block IP addresses, and entire ranges, and can choose whether the block also affects logged-in users using that address. Guy (Help!) 22:05, 25 July 2015 (UTC)
- It would be fun to block everyone on April 1 :) . Count Iblis (talk) 19:07, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- Define fun. Define April 1. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 19:45, 26 July 2015 (UTC).
- Don't worry, it will take a while before ET can edit Misplaced Pages. Count Iblis (talk) 17:00, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- Define fun. Define April 1. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 19:45, 26 July 2015 (UTC).
- It would be fun to block everyone on April 1 :) . Count Iblis (talk) 19:07, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- yes, and for example Montgomery County, Maryland schools and library ip is blocked until 2017. it's an amusing form of collective punishment. apparently escalating blocks don't work against proxies; perhaps a rethink is in order. 98.163.68.171 (talk) 19:53, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- It's not punishment. It is merely protecting Misplaced Pages from damage. If a certain IP address is used persistently to vandalize Misplaced Pages, it makes perfect sense to soft-block that IP - it protects Misplaced Pages while still allowing constructive registered users to contribute. Deli nk (talk) 20:25, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- To elaborate for anyone reading this who is not a Wiki(m|p)edia insider, shared IP addresses, such as those used by schools, if they are blocked, are typically "soft-blocked", which only prevents edits from that address by users not logged into an account. Sometimes you can still create an account while using the address. If account creation is disabled, and you don't have access to any other IP address, you can request that an account be created for you. --108.38.204.15 (talk) 02:42, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- There is some ghastly vandalism comes from Maryland (see for example 75.127.167.98) but that was only blocked for a week last month. Compare that with Hackney borough, Hackney schools and library ip 156.61.250.250 where administrators are claiming that, however good the edits, if the editors are unaware of the talk page then they're not going to let them edit. I don't know what part of London you live in, Jimbo, or how much you know about Hackney, but shouldn't the people who live there have the same editing opportunities as those who live beyond the borough boundary?
- Incidentally, I just received a message from one JoeSperrazza dated Monday saying
- To elaborate for anyone reading this who is not a Wiki(m|p)edia insider, shared IP addresses, such as those used by schools, if they are blocked, are typically "soft-blocked", which only prevents edits from that address by users not logged into an account. Sometimes you can still create an account while using the address. If account creation is disabled, and you don't have access to any other IP address, you can request that an account be created for you. --108.38.204.15 (talk) 02:42, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- It's not punishment. It is merely protecting Misplaced Pages from damage. If a certain IP address is used persistently to vandalize Misplaced Pages, it makes perfect sense to soft-block that IP - it protects Misplaced Pages while still allowing constructive registered users to contribute. Deli nk (talk) 20:25, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- yes, and for example Montgomery County, Maryland schools and library ip is blocked until 2017. it's an amusing form of collective punishment. apparently escalating blocks don't work against proxies; perhaps a rethink is in order. 98.163.68.171 (talk) 19:53, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
This IP has been repeatedly blocked from editing Misplaced Pages in response to abuse of editing privileges. Further abuse from this IP address may result in an extended block.
Actually, it's been blocked twice, so what is this JoeSperrazza talking about? He provides a link to WP:AIV but that's a page you never tell a vandal about. The IP has only three edits, one pointing out that the borough was blocked without reason given. How is this "repeat vandalism" as claimed in JoeSperrazza's edit summary? 82.3.169.164 (talk) 17:25, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- We could also contact that school and ask them to install some special WMF malware on their computers that will redirect from the real Misplaced Pages to a fake Misplaced Pages copy. They can then edit that copy of Misplaced Pages all they like, all we need to do here is reset that page to the current page every hour or so using some bot, to prevent the schoolchildren from getting suspicious. Count Iblis (talk) 20:00, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- Hackney schoolchildren do not vandalise Misplaced Pages. In the six weeks prior to the block there were 566 edits, none of which was vandalism. The borough needs to be unblocked, but who's going to do it? Rich used to be an administrator but doesn't seem to be any more. Adding to Guy's answer to the OP, Jimbo can block people although he doesn't. He can also unblock people (or schools) and sometimes does. All the best: 82.3.169.164 (talk) 09:58, 31 July 2015 (UTC)
- Note the IP is banned user User:Vote (X) for Change --NeilN 13:12, 31 July 2015 (UTC)
- I just had to come in here. JoeSperrazza, who has done nothing for two days and is the subject of this thread, goes onto NeilN's talk page claiming block evasion. Checking through his contributions I find this: . As will be seen, what Joe asserts as fact quite frequently isn't. The same applies to administrators - they have just unblocked dozens of innocent editors who they declared to be sockpuppets.
- Now the interesting part - why did Joe go to NeilN of all people? Well, an editor pointed out that NeilN and tag teamer AstroLynx were feeding false information into a Muhammad images RfC and eight minutes later that editor was blocked.
- Again, according to another editor the pair were doing an end run round WP:V by removing sourced attributions of the image . That editor edited from the Hackney library and 28 hours later the entire borough was blocked. 78.145.28.178 (talk) 15:20, 31 July 2015 (UTC)
Bruce Lee
Hello Jimbo & others! Nobody wants develop this article, as I see (Bruce Lee). How to place information that Bruce Lee was a personal hero of .... Mao Zedong? Kind Regards! Fighter Lion (talk) 23:31, 25 July 2015 (UTC)
- Being the "personal hero" of someone doesn't mean the subject of that idolation has to be included in the biography. With such a figure as Mao - it seems that this is more or less a bad idea for obvious reasons. ChrisGualtieri (talk) 04:21, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- This is encyclopedic information. Mao is a powerful figure in the world history (great meaning, he is not "someone"). Fighter Lion (talk) 21:08, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- In your view. Which you could demonstrate by providing reliable independent sources discussing this as significant to Lee's life and work. Otherwise it's just indiscriminate information, and Misplaced Pages is not a collection of that. Guy (Help!) 22:04, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- These data can be placed in the article about Mao. Another dictator who loves martial arts (Kim Jong-un is an admirer of Jean-Claude Van Damme). Articles about them are under lock also. Reliable independent sources .. Fighter Lion (talk) 23:03, 26 July 2015 (UTC)
- Favourite songs of Bruce Lee were: My Way (Frank Sinatra); And When I Die (Blood, Sweat & Tears); Look Around from Look Around (Sérgio Mendes album). Confirmation is here (during the funeral sounded the same songs). And this: The Impossible Dream (Tom Jones). Fighter Lion (talk) 02:05, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
Man Up: The GamerGate Controversy Article
Doing what should have been done a long time ago. It's clear Jimbo isn't going to respond, and as Liz has said this conversation will just keep on going infinitely if not hatted. The less Gamergate drama that exists in the world the beter. If you suspect someone of being evil or bad editing, go to WP:AE instead. Absolutely nothing remotely productive or beneficial can come from keeping this discussion open. Brustopher (talk) 21:31, 30 July 2015 (UTC) |
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The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it. |
Jimbo, when is Wikimedia foundation going to man up and intervene on the entirely toxic nonsense that is the GamerGate controversy article, which still persists upon being nothing more than a squatted soapbox for a single point of view and a forum for certain individuals to discuss their individual viewpoints on the topic? It's time that those with some degree of authority to get to grips with this persistent problem. 77.97.24.152 (talk) 13:49, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
The Gamergate article today follows the consensus of reliable sources. That consensus is unfavorable to Gamergate because Gamergate’s chief notable accomplishments to date are (a) its widely reported efforts to harass female software developers by threatening to maim, rape, or murder them, and (b) its also widely-reported efforts to use Misplaced Pages to improve its public reputation and to further harass its targets by using Misplaced Pages to discuss their sex lives. This is the way the sources now stand, and Misplaced Pages will continue to reflect the sources; in many respects, the current article errs by extending Gamergate too many benefits of too many doubts. This excess of charity had led to many evasions and much weaseling to satisfy Gamergate and the many new and zombie accounts it recruited in order to take over the page and to drive its opponents off wikipedia -- an effort that, to wikipedia's shame, has been largely successful. Were Misplaced Pages to actually deviate substantially from the consensus of the sources, the public outcry would surely provoke a swift return to good sense. If Gamergate desires more favorable coverage in Misplaced Pages, they first need to accomplish praiseworthy things and seek praise in reliable sources. MarkBernstein (talk) 23:34, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
If anyone wants an actual no-bullshit rundown of the toxicity of Gamergate, just go read Rationalwiki's article. Rationalwiki is unabashedly biased in favor of facts and against crankery, which tends to shut down anyone whining about how the article isn't "neutral" because it doesn't treat the subject with kid gloves. (Granted, having much lower traffic than en.wp probably also helps.) --108.38.204.15 (talk) 14:32, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
I think we have to accept that the Misplaced Pages model is not going to work under all circumstances. The main problem being with criticisms of journalistic behavior: making those very journals reliable sources, and making critical sources unreliable, means that the article is never going to be very fair and balanced. On the whole the WP system of reliable sources works very well, but we shouldn't expect it to work every time. I don't think any sensible editor would want to get involved, as there are almost intractable problems, which isn't the case on the majority of articles.--Jules (Mrjulesd) 19:18, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
Oh my, what a response. I did not ask for dialogue with any of the editors above, I asked explicitly for action on the part of Jimmy Wales and the Wikimedia foundation. But, I should also be thankful as you have made my point for me, the whole discussion is littered with admissions that the article is a mess and that it is not being edited in the interest of impartiality or truth, but rather based upon political lines and to serve demagoguery. Thank you for displaying that Misplaced Pages is being abused in this instance. 77.97.24.152 (talk) 20:11, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
This is just from my experience but this discussion will continue until it is archived. GamerGate discussions are truly an endless abyss that is bottomless even though the opinions expressed about it rarely change. I actually thought the subject would be over after a couple of months (what hot topic on the internet lasts longer than that?) but, a year on, it still seems to be going on, despite GamerGate suffering from inevitable attrition. I think that the article is gradually getting better and as we acquire more thoughtful and less newsy secondary sources, the article will become more balanced. And, for what it's worth, GamerGate doxed me, too, although I was spared the death threats. Liz 20:39, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
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The People's Operator logos
Jimbo, are you okay with the following logos appearing on Commons?
It appears that User:Coentor has submitted them as his "Own work". Can you confirm that Coentor is entitled to claim these logos as his own, and/or confirm that these are even associated in any way with The People's Operator? - 173.30.19.16 (talk) 16:03, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- Own work or not, they are too simple to be copyrighted so what's the issue?--ukexpat (talk) 20:02, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- So, a simple copy of a corporate logo can legally be released into the public domain, as these logos were? I didn't know that! - 173.30.19.16 (talk) 23:31, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- No, it's more complicated than that. The logo has to match this condition: "This image or logo only consists of typefaces, individual words, slogans, or simple geometric shapes. These are not eligible for copyright alone because they are not original enough, and thus the logo is considered to be in the public domain." --NeilN 23:37, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- My understanding is that even if a logo doesn't meet the threshold of originality to qualify for copyright protection, it is still protected by trademarks. I don't think any logos can be hosted on Commons for this reason. @Justlettersandnumbers: does a lot of work on copyrights and might be able to confirm. CorporateM (Talk) 00:24, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- CorporateM, you can check this yourself. Go to a company article and it's likely the logo is hosted on Commons. --NeilN 00:33, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- See, e.g., commons:Category:Logos of companies. --108.38.204.15 (talk) 00:38, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- Awww, yes. Poking around at a few of them seems to confirm that they are trademark-protected, but also that Commons allows trademark-protected images. CorporateM (Talk) 01:18, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- The rationale being that uploading trademarked logos to Commons isn't a trademark infringement, whereas uploading a copyright logo can be a copyright infringement.--ukexpat (talk) 03:45, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- I would,have to agree, A picture of the Honda logo on the Honda article is in no way interfering with their business or ability to profit so the image being on commons is in no way a trademark violation.--67.68.31.200 (talk) 22:23, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- The rationale being that uploading trademarked logos to Commons isn't a trademark infringement, whereas uploading a copyright logo can be a copyright infringement.--ukexpat (talk) 03:45, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- Awww, yes. Poking around at a few of them seems to confirm that they are trademark-protected, but also that Commons allows trademark-protected images. CorporateM (Talk) 01:18, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- See, e.g., commons:Category:Logos of companies. --108.38.204.15 (talk) 00:38, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- CorporateM, you can check this yourself. Go to a company article and it's likely the logo is hosted on Commons. --NeilN 00:33, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- My understanding is that even if a logo doesn't meet the threshold of originality to qualify for copyright protection, it is still protected by trademarks. I don't think any logos can be hosted on Commons for this reason. @Justlettersandnumbers: does a lot of work on copyrights and might be able to confirm. CorporateM (Talk) 00:24, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
- No, it's more complicated than that. The logo has to match this condition: "This image or logo only consists of typefaces, individual words, slogans, or simple geometric shapes. These are not eligible for copyright alone because they are not original enough, and thus the logo is considered to be in the public domain." --NeilN 23:37, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
- So, a simple copy of a corporate logo can legally be released into the public domain, as these logos were? I didn't know that! - 173.30.19.16 (talk) 23:31, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
The removal of MathJax
Hi,
I would like to let you (and the WMF) know about the recent discussion regarding math rendering issue at #Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject Mathematics#Future of MathJax on wiki. It seems to me that, at heart, the issue is how the whole development process is framed currently (more precisely the lack of any process at all). The math editors, myself included, has a trouble with the WMF's attitude that the math rendering not only has less priority than some other "big" stuff like Visual Editor, but in fact that the WMF has "essentially no plan." Right now, some "volunteers" maintain and develop the math rendering support; there is nothing wrong with that. But this setup has a consequence that he tends to work on what he likes not what is being asked. This consequence is unfortunate in two ways: (1) it sends messages that the WMF doesn't care about math editors, and (2) the math support in Misplaced Pages is not keeping up with the standard practice; this sends messages to the readers that Misplaced Pages is not hip anymore.
I get the "If there is a problem, fix it yourself" principle. This is not my problem; the math rendering is fast and looks good on my screen and personally I don't need any fix. But the aforementioned problem that is clearly relevant to the WMF does exist; it's not something for "me" to fix it. I think it is important that there is someone in payroll that works on this specific problem and is held accountable. That would send the messages in the reverse: the WMF does care about the editors and can still produce something "hip" that can attracts new contributors and the editors. -- Taku (talk) 22:51, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
Please see also User_talk:TakuyaMurata#Plans. For me, the interaction is very disturbing. I hope it is a simple mistake on the WMF's part to hire a "liaison" of that type; someone whose mission is drive the editors away. -- Taku (talk) 01:12, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- Why did you put volunteer in scare quotes? Legoktm (talk) 05:00, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- That interaction is disturbing to me, too. But mainly because you are communicating like an asshole. Questioning WhatAmIDoing's competence is your first "go to" comment? I'm glad you're not a diplomat.--Jorm (talk) 06:11, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- @Legoktm: I used the quote to suggest the volunteers are doing the job that is supported to be done by the WMF. Volunteers write and edit Misplaced Pages articles, of course, but, as I understand and I think you would agree, maintaining the website and the software powers it should be the responsibility of the WMF; I mean, otherwise, why does it exist in the first place? It is a gross negligence of the WMF's part not to allocate any engineering resources to the software support for the math. -- Taku (talk) 21:19, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- @Jorm: The interaction reflects the history between her and the math editor community. Nothing personal really, but she has been too ineffective; the job ("liaison") requires some competence and a tiny bit of expertise. For years, the WMF has simply been either unable or unwilling to understand the math rendering problem. A part of blame must go to her (either she is unable or unwilling to do the job) . -- Taku (talk) 21:25, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
DBpedia and wikipedia
I wonder whether we could implement the capabilities of DBpedia right here in Misplaced Pages. It will allow us to explore the information in Misplaced Pages as a collection of related data, and not just articles and data disconnected. Although DBpedia works with infoboxes, I do not know whether they work with templates (boxes that usually follows articles at the bottom).
Thanks,
Logos112 (talk) 01:48, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- So like.... Wikidata? Legoktm (talk) 05:02, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- It works like this: See 2.3 and 2.4 http://wiki.dbpedia.org/OnlineAccess#1%20Querying%20DBpedia Logos112 (talk) 13:39, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
Reliable sources for sale
I have a question about the recent revelation that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) proposed an anti-Google campaign involving segments on the Today show and an editorial in the Wall Street Journal.
Assume for a moment that Google had not been able to obtain the smoking gun email and that the MPAA proceeded as planned; the Mississippi Attorney General buying fake IDs and stolen credit card data through Google, followed by a segment the next day on the Today Show, followed by a large Google investor (paid by the MPAA) demanding reform, then finally an editorial in the Wall Street Journal claiming that Google's stock will lose value unless they do what the MPAA wants them to do.
Had that happened, what would Misplaced Pages's articles on the topic say? Would we dutifully reported the entire incident, backed up by reliable sources? Without the email and the media reports of same, would anyone who disputed the Today Show / Wall Street Journal version be dismissed as a conspiracy theorist? I can't see any way that our policies on verifiability and reliable sources would have allowed us to do otherwise, and I can't imagine any changes to those policies that wouldn't totally screw up the 99.9+% of articles that aren't based on a real conspiracy that involved multiple reliable sources.
So, is there anything Misplaced Pages can do about situations like this, or do we just have to accept them as a necessary consequence of being an encyclopedia? --Guy Macon (talk) 02:22, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- "Misplaced Pages is behind the ball – that is we don't lead". In practical terms, we're not in a position to do anything else. DeCausa (talk) 07:21, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- I think that most people would have assumed that the Wall Street Journal and the Today Show are reliable sources. Without evidence to the contrary, it certainly looked that way. But of course, if they publish editorials as directed by a company, they are in fact no more reliable than a press release by the NewsCorp board of directors. People wouldn't have perceived that before... now, of course, it appears it is time for a rethink. Wnt (talk) 16:54, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
- I am hoping that the discovery phase of this particular lawsuit ends up revealing more publications (and government officials; remember. the Mississippi Attorney General was in on this) that we consider reliable that were willing to take the MPAA's money. I am also hoping that it reveals publications that told the MPAA to pound sand. I think that the real lesson for Misplaced Pages is to take extra care whenever there is a lot of money to be made or lost by somebody, on the theory that those particular topics are the ones that are most likely to have "reliable sources for sale". --Guy Macon (talk) 00:07, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- There is no such thing as a "reliable source." There are only true facts and untrue assertions of fact; some sources have more of the former and less of the latter than others. It is up to Wikipedians to sift out diligently which are which. Carrite (talk) 14:54, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are notoriously unreliable sources for "news" stories about celebrities. I believe they also have similar News of the World type stories on their website, which are familiarly referred to as "The sidebar of shame". Conversely, news reports which appear in the Daily Telegraph are likely to be accurate. 82.3.169.164 (talk) 16:22, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- ...to the best of our knowledge. If someone had asked me last week I would have said that the Mississippi Attorney General, the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal were reliable sources. Now I know that if you have the kind of money major movie studios have all three of those "reliable" sources can be bought. --Guy Macon (talk) 16:40, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- Carrite is correct. There is no blanket "reliable source" designation for any publication or source - I've seen Wordpress blogs be more credible and concrete than NRHP listings. Always consider the source's credibility and motives. WP:OTTO exists to underscore the problems of such cases. ChrisGualtieri (talk) 17:06, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- They are all in general reliable sources. We know that "big comms" cannot be wholly trusted, any more than "big" anything (even "Big Wiki"?) and that is a problem across the board. We also know, for example, that most reputable publications will play ball with government when they perceive that there is some overriding public interest.
- Certainly the American system of electing state attorneys general does lead to problems of populist prosecutions, and politicians in public service office.
- So, while it is hypothetical speculation, I don't think we would have dismissed such allegations in the same way that, for example, we might dismiss the conspiracy theory 9/11 was effected with the US Government's secret anti-gravity weapons. Nor do I think we would have been at fault going with the received wisdom if there were no credible grounds to think otherwise.
- It does seem to me very unlikely that the plot as outlined above would have been successfully kept secret.
- All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 17:17, 30 July 2015 (UTC).
- In general, many historians and academics are much better and more neutral sources than the press, but they are less likely to cover current events, less accessible and less abundant. As far as the influence of money on sources, there is a long history of mainstream media covering speculation, gossip and rumor in order to sell more newspapers to a populace that's attracted to that kind of thing. On the flip side, trade press tend to write promotional articles that are supportive of businesses that are current or potential advertisers. There is only so much we can do. Certainly even the Wall Street Journal will get it wrong sometimes and we will get it wrong even more often than they do. I am more concerned about the over-use of primary sources, op-eds and political advocacy pieces written by special interest groups, or articles written in a very negative or positive manner on subjects that are not even really notable and not enough sources exist to evaluate NPOV. CorporateM (Talk) 17:27, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- ...to the best of our knowledge. If someone had asked me last week I would have said that the Mississippi Attorney General, the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal were reliable sources. Now I know that if you have the kind of money major movie studios have all three of those "reliable" sources can be bought. --Guy Macon (talk) 16:40, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
Co-op Mentorship Space
Hi everyone. Back in March–April of this year, a small team of us ran a pilot for a mentorship space for newer editors called the the Co-op. The work for the space was funded by an IEG grant from the WMF. The space was designed to make finding a mentor easier, and also to lessen the burden on mentors by shaping mentorship toward a specific goal or task. Here are some of our more prominent findings from our final report:
- Editors who engaged with a mentor remained active longer, edited more articles, and made substantially more edits overall than editors who were not mentored.
- Editors waited far less time for a mentor thanks to our matching system. Getting matched with a mentor takes less than five minutes, thanks to the use of HostBot. Waiting times for a mentor to actually contact an editor took less than a day, but was as low as an hour or two. By comparison, it took about 4 days for editors to begin adoption through WP:Adopt-a-user in 2011.
- A minority of experienced editors sought out mentorship despite not receiving an invitation during our pilot. These editors may have gotten the most out of mentorship, as they interacted more frequently with their mentor and in more complex topics compared to newer editors.
Based on our results, the Co-op appears to be a sensible way to support fellow editors, but the project won't go anywhere without mentors to provide guidance. Mentoring is necessarily more time-intensive, but we've designed the process to be lightweight. and like many tasks that we take on as editors, our most thorough work is often our best. I also invite the community to help me operate and provide suggestions to improve the Co-op whether it's in terms of how we match editors together, how we should mentor, or how we can better engage newer editors. Questions and comments are welcome here or at Misplaced Pages talk:Co-op. If you enjoy helping new editors get started on Misplaced Pages, I invite you to join us. Thanks a bunch, I, JethroBT 21:05, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
- Also, for those of you who want a middle-of-the-road option for detail about the project compared to our grant report and the above post, a short report I prepared on the Co-op was just published on the WMF Blog. I, JethroBT 23:53, 30 July 2015 (UTC)
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