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WP:Update/1/Content policy changes, January 2009 to June 2009

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{{collapse top|May 2009}}

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  • Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons
  • Added to WP:BLP#Rationale: "A statement of principles specifically related to such articles has been resolved by the Wikimedia Foundation Board. The full text can be found [http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2009-April/100086.html here]."
  • In WP:BLP##Writing and editing, added "and if that person otherwise remains, or is likely to remain, low profile" and removed "Cover the event, not the person."
  • In WP:BLP##Writing and editing, changed "Individuals notable for well-documented historic events, for example John Hinckley, Jr., fit into this category. The historic significance of events should be indicated by the persistent coverage of the event in reliable secondary sources that devote significant attention to the individual's role. Transient press coverage of a story does not generally indicate an individual who would meet this exception, even if there are multiple independent and reliable secondary sources." to "Individuals notable for well-documented events, such as John Hinckley, Jr., fit into this category. The significance of an event or individual should be indicated by how persistent the coverage is in reliable secondary sources."
  • Added to WP:BLP##Further reading: link to Wikimedia Foundation's resolution about biographies of living people
  • Wikipedia:Naming conventions
  • In WP:NAME#Use common names of persons and things, changed "Except where other accepted Wikipedia naming conventions give a different indication, use the most common name of a person or thing that does not cause ambiguity with other people or things. Use the naming conflict guideline when there is disagreement ..." to "Except where other accepted Wikipedia naming conventions give a different indication, title an article using the most common name of the person or thing that is the subject of the article (making the title unique when necessary as described in the following section and in the disambiguation guideline). The naming conflict guideline may help resolve disagreements ..."
  • In WP:NAME#Be precise when necessary, changed "Avoid giving an article an ambiguous title (unless it is unlikely that the other meanings deserve their own article). If all possible titles have multiple meanings, go with the rule of thumb of naming conventions and use common names of persons and things." to "Name an article as precisely as is necessary to indicate accurately its topical scope; avoid over-precision. If there are other articles with the same name, then the title should include a disambiguator in parentheses, unless the article concerns the primary topic for that name. If alternative common names exist for a topic, sometimes a less ambiguous option may be chosen in order to avoid the need for a disambiguator."
  • Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria
  • In WP:NFCC#Enforcement, changed every occurrence of "image" to "file".
  • After "Image description page", changed "Attribution of the source of the material and, if different from the source, of the copyright holder." to "Identification of the source of the material, supplemented, where possible, with information about the artist, publisher and copyright holder; this is to help determine the material's potential market value."
  • Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not
  • Added to WP:NOT#Wikipedia is not a dictionary: "Exceptions include terms with encyclopedic disputes connected with them, such as Macedonia (terminology): The use of "Macedonia" as the name of a country is disputed by Greece, which uses it as the name of a region, and the debate is well-covered in many reliable sources."
  • Added to WP:NOT#Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information: "Source texts generally belong on Wikisource. Excerpts of lyrics may be used within an article for the purpose of direct commentary upon them, or to illustrate some aspect of the style." Also changed "Wikipedia treats fiction in an encyclopedic manner, discussing the reception, impact, and significance of notable works. A concise plot summary is appropriate as part of the larger coverage of a fictional work." to "The coverage of a fictional work should not be a mere plot summary.{{tlx|Dubious|RFC}} A summary should facilitate substantial coverage of the work's real-world development, reception, and significance."

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{{collapse top|March 2009}}

  • Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons
  • Added to lead: "Therefore, an editor should be able to demonstrate that such material complies with all Wikipedia content policies and guidelines."
  • Added to WP:BLP#Reliable sources: "[Never use] ... tweets"
  • Added to WP:BLP#Articles about people notable only for one event: "If the event is significant, and the individual's role within it is a large one, a separate article for the person is sometimes appropriate. Individuals notable for well-documented historic events, for example John Hinckley, Jr., fit into this category. The historic significance of events should be indicated by the persistent coverage of the event in reliable secondary sources that devote significant attention to the individual's role. Transient press coverage of a story does not generally indicate an individual who would meet this exception, even if there are multiple independent and reliable secondary sources."
  • Added to See also: Wikipedia:Attack page, Wikipedia:Manual of Style (biographies)
  • Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not
  • Added pointer to Wikipedia:Lists (stand-alone lists)#Lead and selection criteria
  • Added: "However, you very well may make new friendships as you go about improving the encyclopedia."
  • Added: "While currently accepted scientific paradigms may later be rejected, and hypotheses previously held to be controversial or incorrect sometimes become accepted by the scientific community, it is not the place of Wikipedia to venture such projections."
  • Changed "However, some articles may include objectionable text, images, or links where they are relevant to the content (such as the articles about the penis or masturbation)." to "However, some articles may include text, images, or links some may find objectionable, when they are relevant to the content."
  • Added: "Wikipedia is not governed by statute:"

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{{collapse top|February 2009}}

  • Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons
  • Added: "Persons are assumed living unless there is a good reason to believe otherwise" [for purposes of this policy]
  • Removed: "Instead [of trivia sections], relevant sourced claims should be woven into the article."
  • In WP:BLP#External links, changed "article" to "biographical material"
  • Removed the WP:BLP#Basic human dignity subheading, and: "Wikipedia articles should respect the basic human dignity of their subjects. Wikipedia aims to be a reputable encyclopedia, not a tabloid. Our articles must not serve primarily to mock or disparage their subjects, whether directly or indirectly."
  • Removed: "The Wikipedia Manual of Style outlines guidelines to respect a person's identity."
  • In WP:BLP#Well-known public figures, changed "a redirect or merge" to "a merge of the information and a redirect of the person's name to the event article"
  • In WP:BLP#Privacy of personal information, added after "Wikipedia includes dates of birth for some well-known persons where the dates": "have been published in one or more reliable sources linked to the persons such that it may reasonably be inferred that the persons do not object to their release"
  • Changed WP:BLP#Dealing with articles about the deceased substantially

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{{collapse top|January 2009}}

::This policy applies equally to biographies of living persons and to biographical material about living persons on other pages. The burden of evidence for any edit on Wikipedia, but especially for edits about living persons, rests firmly on the shoulders of the person who adds or restores the material. This burden applies not just to verifiability of sources, but to all Wikipedia content policies and guidelines. In the case of deceased individuals, material must still comply with all wikipedia policies and prompt removal of questionable material is proper.

  • Wikipedia:No original research
  • Added to WP:NOR#Synthesis of published material which advances a position: "If you are able to prove something that few or none currently believe, Wikipedia is not the place to première such a proof. Once a proof has been presented and discussed elsewhere, however, it may be referenced. See: Wikipedia:Verifiability."
  • Removed from WP:PSTS: "Wikipedia articles should rely mainly on published reliable secondary sources and, to a lesser extent, on tertiary sources. All interpretive claims, analyses, or synthetic claims about primary sources must be referenced to a secondary source, rather than original analysis of the primary-source material by Wikipedia editors."
  • Added the word "secondary" to: "Articles may include analytic, synthetic, interpretive, explanatory, or evaluative claims so long as they have been published by a reliable secondary source."
  • Removed "easily" and "any" from: "Without a secondary source, a primary source may be used only to make descriptive claims, the accuracy of which is [easily] verifiable by a [any] reasonable, educated person without specialist knowledge."
  • The paragraph on "routine calculations" was moved from the lead section down to the WP:SYN section.

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