Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard

Welcome — ask about reliability of sources in context!

Before posting, check the archives and list of perennial sources for prior discussions. Context is important: supply the source, the article it is used in, and the claim it supports. Additional notes: RFCs for deprecation, blacklisting, or other classification should not be opened unless the source is widely used and has been repeatedly discussed. Consensus is assessed based on the weight of policy-based arguments. While the consensus of several editors can generally be relied upon, answers are not policy. This page is not a forum for general discussions unrelated to the reliability of sources. Start a new discussion

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

After 6 years of being correctly identified in the article, User:Malik Shabazz, (WP:COI), has decided to change the book's authorship, as he prefers Malcolm X to be listed as the author, rather than Alex Haley. I corrected the article, a second time, and inserted a reference, which Malik Shabazz promptly removed.Mk5384 (talk) 20:03, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure why this is here, since it's not a question of WP:RS. In any event, I showed Mk5384 two editions of the book (actually three, because Amazon has photos of two editions) that show the book's authorship "with the assistance of Alex Haley".[1][2] That an article has been wrong for six years doesn't turn a mistake into a fact. And I'm very curious what my conflict of interest is here. That I admire Malcolm X? — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 20:13, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Then where should it be? You admit, yourself, in the article that Alex Haley wrote the book. Where it says "with the assistance of Alex Haley", it certainly doesn't say, "by Malcolm X". I also admire Malcolm X. But I don't take it to the ridiculous level of pretending he wrote something that he didn't write.Mk5384 (talk) 20:19, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Third opinion might be more appropriate. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 20:23, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't see the point in asking for a 3rd opinion of a fact that is explicitly clear. And like I said; that's one of the problems here. Because you're an admin, I'm supposed to ask for a "3rd opinion" about a fact that was never in dispute, and you just decided to change because you like it better that way.Mk5384 (talk) 20:36, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

This does indeed not belong on the RS noticeboard. A better place would the articles talkpage and a Request for comments. That being said I do have an opinion on the matter, though I never heard about the book before. Apparently the bookjacket says Malcom X wrote the book, which seems no more than logical it being his autobiography and everything. If he did not write that the book, than a Reliable source stating that very fact should be presented. In that case the discrepancy should be mentioned in the article. Yoenit (talk) 20:53, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I have asked for a 3rd opinion, as suggested. However, I'm concerned that it will be filled with comments like the one above. Those unfamiliar with the subject may, quite naturally, assume that, as it is an "autobiography", it only makes sense that Malcolm X wrote it. As far as a reliable source, I did provide it. Malik Shabazz promptly removed it.Mk5384 (talk) 22:56, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

It's generally accepted that Haley wrote the book. What the original edition said is marketing. We need academic sources. Paul B (talk) 22:41, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

After filing at Wikipedia:Third opinion, it was immediately removed. So it doesn't belong here. It doesn't belong at 3rd opinion. It comes down to what I originally said. As the person who wants Malcolm X listed as the author is an administrator, he gets what he wants, without regard as to the truth. What a joke.Mk5384 (talk) 23:03, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

My view carries no more weight than yours, except that mine is supported by the title page of the book itself. I'm still waiting, though, for you to show me another Wikipedia article about an autobiography that attributes authorship to the ghostwriter, as opposed to the putative "author". — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 23:07, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

The title page is irrelevant. I think the debate about relibility does legitimately belong on this page. This is a question of what academic sources say about authorhip. There are many comparable examples, from books said to have been written by Aristotle through to "autobiographies" of air-headed celebrities obviously written by ghost authors. As long as we have clear RS consensus about who the author is we can go with that. Paul B (talk) 23:12, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

From the articles talkpage:

"Here's a scholarly source: [3]

Malcolm X, with the assistance of Alex Haley... Malcolm X told the story of his life to Alex Haley in a series of interviews that took place over a period of nearly two years. Malcolm read the text of the Autobiography, approving and correcting the chapters as Haley wrote them, although he did not live to see the last revisions made in the manuscript. Evidence both internal and external to the Autobiography suggests that Haley kept to the agreement he made with Malcom -- to include nothing Malcolm had not said and to say everything Malcolm wanted included.

That pretty much settles it, in my opinion. --SarekOfVulcan (talk) 23:05, 23 June 2010 (UTC)"

I gotta agree with him, this seems like pretty clear that Haley functioned as a ghostwriter, which are normally not credited as the primary author. Yoenit (talk) 23:24, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't know if this is helpful but Paul McCartney wrote Yesterday (song) but Lennon-McCartney are credited as co-authors. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 01:14, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

One way to resolve bibliographic problems like this is to consult a major library to see how they handle it. They are supposed to be the experts at bibliographical picky-pickies. The Library of Congress lists the author as Malcolm X. Zero^talk 00:20, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

All of the sources I see above are citing the title of the book, which includes the phrase "with the assistance of Alex Haley". These are not sources referring to the book as written by Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley. --GabeMc (talk) 01:22, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Here are five scholarly sources who use the phrase "co-authored by Alex Haley":

• [4]
• [5]
• [6]
• [7]
• [8]

GabeMc (talk) 01:30, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Here are five scholarly sources who refer to Haley as a co-author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

• [9]
• [10]
• [11]
• [12]
• [13]

GabeMc (talk) 01:40, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

"I'm not sure why this is here, since it's not a question of WP:RS. In any event, I showed Mk5384 two editions of the book (actually three, because Amazon has photos of two editions) that show the book's authorship "with the assistance of Alex Haley".[14][15]"--Mailk Shabazz 20:13, 23 June 2010

but Malik Shabaz said this when he reverted good faith edits by GabeMc, "Amazon isn't a WP:RS" [16]GabeMc (talk) 02:00, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

This is getting tiresome. Here are three citations of the Autobiography that all attribute authorship to "Malcolm X, with the assistance of Alex Haley".123

Here are more than 1100 more books that indicate the authorship was "with the assistance of Alex Haley:

http://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks%3A1&q="autobiography+of+malcolm+x"+"assistance+of+alex+haley"

GabeMc needs to drop the stick and back slowly away from the horse carcass. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 02:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

The three scholarly sources above 123 are actually foot-notes citing the title, not using the phrase "with the assistance of Alex Haley" in a DESCRIPTIVE sentence. They are not describing the book that way, they are including the phrase as part of the title. According to the Library of Congress the "main title" is officially "The autobiography of Malcolm X / with the assistance of Alex Haley ; introduction by M.S. Handler ; epilogue by Alex Haley." That is the title of the book, not the author, editor, or publisher giving credit.--GabeMc (talk) 02:24, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Your sources are not attributing authorship, "with the assistance of Alex Haley" is PART OF THE TITLE.--GabeMc (talk) 02:26, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

It looks like you have three recitations of the title while I have over 10 WP:RS referring to Haley as the co-author. --GabeMc (talk) 02:32, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Here are ten MORE sources that refer to Haley as the co-author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X--GabeMc (talk) 03:39, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

• [17]
• [18]
• [19]
• [20]
• [21]
• [22]
• [23]
• [24]
• [25]
• [26]

This is not a contest of who can find the most reliable sources. This discussion was started because an editor wanted to credit Haley as the main author, a position nobody seems to be defend anymore. It shifted to whether Haley should be called a "co-author" or an "assistant", which is a downright lame discussion. I have little doubt hunderds of sources are available to support both views, so linking all of those is not gonna solve anything. The best authority on the subject are probably the big libraries, which don't seem to support Haley as a co-author. I would therefore propose to keep Malcom as the author with Haley as an assistant, but include that Haley has also been called a co-author with a reliable source (preferably one that also discusses the controversy in question). Yoenit (talk) 12:52, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

What is being missed here is that this not a case of "an editor wants to credit Haley as the main author". It is a case of "the article correctly credited Haley as the main author for 6 years, until 2 months ago, when Malik Shabazz, who owns all articles that mention Malcolm X, decided he liked it better calling Malcolm X the main author." Malik Shabazz is abusing his position as an admin by attempting to bully other users into accepting the version he wants. His comments, like "this is a closed issue", and "drop the stick and back slowly away from the horse carcass", are egregiously out of line.Mk5384 (talk) 19:02, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

No, this is a case where every bibliographic citation of the book attributes authorship to "Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley" but you and your buddy are making a "controversy" where none exists. That an article was wrong for six years doesn't turn an error into the truth. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 19:50, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

You're right that no controversy exists. And you assumed ownership of this article long before you decided to change it. The only error that exists here is your hagiography of Malcolm X, which contradicts your pledge on your own user page.Mk5384 (talk) 22:39, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Please stop claiming Malik Shabazz is "abusing his position as an admin", this is a serious accusation. If you have proof feel free to stand him up for recall (see user:Malik Shabazz). If you don't, than know it is considered a personal attack and can get you banned if you keep making it without presenting any evidence. Yoenit (talk) 00:30, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

I've presented plenty of evidence. And here's one I haven't said yet. It appears to me that he has used rollbacks to revert to his preferred version, even though no vandalism took place.Mk5384 (talk) 10:22, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Malik, I am curious, why are your three sources better then my 20? And one more time I will explain why I think you seem so confused, "with the assistance of Alex Haley" is a phrase FROM THE TITLE OF THE BOOK so your sources are good if you want to confirm the title, nothing more. This is beginning to feel like a WP:OWNERSHIP issue. "All Wikipedia content is edited collaboratively. Wikipedia contributors are editors, not authors, and no one, no matter how skilled, has the right to act as if they are the owner of a particular article." --GabeMc (talk) 00:33, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

• There does not appear to be a question as to the reliability of any source. This noticeboard is not a venue for disputes. Please desist. Dlabtot (talk) 00:38, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

There is indeed, no question as to the reliability. The issue here, is that Malik says his sources are the only ones that count, and continues to revert to his preferred version.Mk5384 (talk) 14:12, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

UCLA, Cornell, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Oxford University, and The University of Chicago all give Alex Haley an author credit on the Autobiography.

• [27]
• [28]
• [29]
• [30]
• [31]
• autobiography of malcolm x%22&mode=Basic&scp.scps=scope%3A(%22OX%22
• [32]

--GabeMc (talk) 03:25, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

So far, no source has asserted that Alex Haley wrote the book and Malcolm X didn't. Ergo the article would be wrong to cite the book as The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Alex Haley. At the same time, all sources assert that Alex Haley played a large part in the authorship of the book. Many even describe him as the co-author. So it would be equally wrong to cite the book as The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Malcolm X. This is not a reliable source dispute, this is a content dispute about the precise form of words to be used to describe a book which was written by two people. You should go back to the content page, and decide between

• Malcolm X with Alex Haley
• Malcolm X and Alex Haley
• Alex Haley and Malcolm X
• Alex Haley, from interviews with Malcolm X
• some other permutation of both names.

If necessary, hold an RfC.--Elen of the Roads (talk) 11:09, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

That Alex Haley wrote the book is fact. To state otherwise, is duplicitous, and a disservice to our readers.Mk5384 (talk) 15:10, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

People might like to discuss this with the people working on Shakespeare, a number of whose plays (as generally so described) are regarded by most scholars as involving various degrees of collaboration. Authorship is not a straightforward concept. Peter jackson (talk) 10:44, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Citing an email

I'm expanding several historic browsers with User:Mabdul such as Agora (web browser) and Arena (web browser). I've contacted the original authors of the browsers via email, and they've responded with certain information that isn't in any book, nor on the web. How would I cite an email? Should I foward the email to OTRS and then cite it with the OTRS ticket?Smallman12q (talk) 20:16, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure that a personal e-mail should qualify as a reliable source. Please don't think that I'm questioning your integrity or honesty, Smallman12q! Most of what I write is written to APA publication standards and in APA publications you only cite personal communications in the body of an article, not in the reference section. This is relevant because the reasoning APA uses is that other scholars can not access personal communications and use them in their own research. As annoyed as I am by many APA standards, I think they have a good point on this issue and it seems relevant for us, too, in deciding if personal communications are reliable.

But I don't know how we have treated this issue in the past. Anyone? ElKevbo (talk) 21:14, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

You can't cite an email like that. Only published sources that are verifiable. Dlabtot (talk) 21:18, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

What if the information isn't in published sources? I'd like to cite Dave Raggett and Arthur Secret both of which work at the W3C. The information I'd like to cite is concerning now obselete/history browsers Agora (web browser) and Arena (web browser), yet the information is not available in published sources. I don't see how the original program authors can be considered "unreliable"?Smallman12q (talk) 21:44, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Then you can't use it. The applicable policies are WP:V and WP:OR. Dlabtot (talk) 21:57, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict, Dlabtot is fully correct, but does no effort to explain why) The core problem is verifiability. People have to be able to check the whether the information is correct. You could put this email online somewhere, but there is no way for us to know whether you changed it before doing so (aka, you are "unreliable", not the program author). Don't they have some kind of official website where they could put the information in question, so we can verify it was really given by them and not made up by you? Yoenit (talk) 22:09, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Dlabtor and Yoenit are correct. Furthermore, even if they publish the information on their own websites, you must be careful of WP:OR and WP:UNDUE. Jayjg ^(talk) 23:20, 24 June 2010 (UTC)

Couldn't OTRS be used to verify the email, and then perhaps make a subpage copy of it? I'd really don't see a need to further burden the authors with the creation of additional webpages. There is some information best obtained from the original developers themselves, for example, why they chose to name a browser a certain way, or certain technical aspects of the development.Smallman12q (talk) 01:32, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

My guess is that they would have to receive the email directly - just forwarding it would allow you to intercept the content. The only other solution I can think of is that you would have to give them access to your email account if the email is still on the mail server, and then they can verify that it hasn't been tampered with. Betty Logan (talk) 01:46, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

WP:V only requires cites for material that is challenged or likely to be challenged. If this information isn't contentious, you're free to include it in the article and not cite your sources. If you really want to cite this e-mail, publish it somewhere on the internet and invoke WP:IAR: any rule that prevents you from improving Wikipedia should be ignored. Again, I'm assuming the information isn't contentious, controversial, etc.. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:51, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Your interpretation of WP:V is wrong. The second sentence of the policy: "All material in Wikipedia articles must be attributable to a reliable published source to show that it is not original research, but in practice not everything need actually be attributed.". Information in an email is not attributable to a reliable published source, thus should not be included in articles. You can ofcourse invoke wp:IAR, but that will not make the problem go away, as it will just get challenged again at a later date. Yoenit (talk) 10:49, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Apparently, wording of WP:V has changed since the last time I looked at it. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 15:35, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Out of curiosity, if I were to send a list of questions to a software's original author, and they responded, would that be considered WP:OR?Smallman12q (talk) 01:02, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, see above for reasons why. –– Jezhotwells (talk) 01:11, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

What about if I emailed the W3C and put up their response to the email in a simple .txt faq on their site...this would now qualify for WP:RS right?Smallman12q (talk) 21:20, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Blog post created by Wikipedia editor as a result of article dispute

This is an interesting case. William Connolley is both a notable person and an editor here on Wikipedia, User:William M. Connolley. Connolley created a blog post as the result of an article dispute which he is involved in. Now that blog post is being cited (by a different editor) in the article (but for non-controversial information). His blog is obviously reliable for the opinions of Connolley, but I don't know if it's appropriate. I have some WP:CIRCULAR and WP:COI concerns, not to mention the fact that a Wikipedia editor specifically created the blog post as a response to the article. I honestly don't know enough about Wikipedia policies and guidelines to make an informed decision.

1. Link to the source in question: Flaunt the stupidity
2. The article in which it is being used: Hide the decline
3. The exact statement in the article that the source is supporting:

   William M. Connolley on his personal blog said of the video, "It wasn't funny, it was dull."

4. Links to relevant talk page discussion:[33]

Can we have some uninvolved editors weigh in here? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 18:04, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

Anyone commenting here should also review the section directly above and justify why their responses are the same/different for these two statements. Hipocrite (talk) 18:07, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

My view is the same as expressed above, with the addition that the opinions of Anthony Watts and William Connolley on whether a youtube video is "hilarious" or "dull" are both outside their areas of expertise ("weather presenter" and "climate modeller"). If Roger Ebert ("film critic") gave a similar opinion about a short film, then it might be notable. Or perhaps Bill Murray ("weather presenter" and "hilarious"). First Light (talk) 19:06, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

I consider both bloggers to be experts with deep knowledge of the relevant field: climate-change political bombast. And I'm not being sarcastic when I say that. Really. No, really.-- JohnWBarber (talk) 02:41, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Is this a gag order for the uninitiated? Could you please cite any policy that prohibits posting comments without prerequisite posts elsewhere, or "justifications", or tribal dances? East of Borschov 07:59, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Comment by not very involved (at the moment) editor. No, no, no, no. Nowhere near Wikipedia, please. None of this is notable or worth including. Not the original video, not William Connolley's comments on it, not none of it. People are trying to run rings round Wikipedia, let's not let them. No. Itsmejudith (talk) 08:13, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Are reviews reliable sources?

In Newport_Tower_(Rhode_Island) a reference to a review in what seems to be a reliable source (Baltic Astronomy) of an unreliable source (New England Antiquities Research Association Journal). Does a review in a reliable source suddenly turn that article into a reliable source? --OpenFuture (talk) 07:48, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Here's the link to the source: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1997BaltA...6...71P (Yes, it really does look like that. ;) ) --OpenFuture (talk) 07:56, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Actually, the article that was published in the NEARA journal was republished in Baltic Astronomy and the link is to an abstract, not a review Yes it is reliable, it was written by a physicist and published in a reliable source (Baltic Astronomy). It is an unusual subject for a physicist, determining whether an ancient tower may have been designed as an observatory, which probably explains the publishing history. TFD (talk) 08:21, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Aha, then I understand. OK, then it's a reliable source. Now I just need to get my hands on a copy, so that I can verify what it actually says. :-) --OpenFuture (talk) 09:17, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm. This looks odd. Why is a peer-reviewed astronomy journal reprinting an article that appeared earlier in NEASA? Has BA previously published any articles in archeoastronomy? Or are they simply picking something up because it looks interesting? Itsmejudith (talk) 19:21, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

TechRepublic

I have been redirecting non-notable stubs about Space Invaders sequels and spin-offs to List of Space Invaders video games. One of the last ones on my list is Space Invaders Trilogy. However, I've hit a snag looking for a reliable source to add it to the list. The article currently doesn't provide any link that I think would meet WP:RS. About the only good source I found is this page on TechRepublic, which is owned by CBS Interactive. I've never used TechRepublic before and would like to know if this qualifies as a reliable source. Thanks. (Guyinblack25 ^talk 15:42, 28 June 2010 (UTC))

I wouldn't have a problem with Techrepublic being used as a source, as long as we're talking about articles written by their staff. I use it quite a lot for technical reviews, etc. but the page you linked to appears to be a reprint of a press release that originated with the company that produced the game, so it isn't an independent source. The company producing the software is probably reliable re. the game's existence, but are you looking for more than that?--Michig (talk) 15:58, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Not really. The game is not-notable because a lack of independent sourcing. So I'm really just looking for a source to add it to List of Space Invaders video games, a Featured list. I want to use the TechRepublic page to source the release year, the developer, and that it is a compilation of three Space Invader games on mobile phones. Basically the bare bones of its existence. Will it suffice? (Guyinblack25 ^talk 16:12, 28 June 2010 (UTC))

I would have thought so, unless we're going to doubt the veracity of the company's press release, and I see no reason to.--Michig (talk) 20:26, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

I'll use the source then. Thanks. (Guyinblack25 ^talk 20:43, 28 June 2010 (UTC))

According to our article, Techrepublic is owned by CBS Interactive. Their white papers are featured at other reliable sources.[34][35] although I'm not sure what these other sites' policies on whitepapers are. There doesn't seem to be an About page for this source, but article authors are named and they seem to have an editor-in-chief.[36]. Looks promising. OTOH, this source isn't cited by very many Wikipedia articles.[37] A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:03, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Newsweek's "The gaggle" blog

A question has arisen about Newsweek's "The gaggle" blog for use in Climatic Research Unit email controversy. Please review this diff, this source and Talk:Climatic_Research_Unit_email_controversy#The_Gaggle and provide assistance. It would be nice if the climate change standard parties would not respond here, thanks. Hipocrite (talk) 01:49, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I think it is. The relevant policy is WP:NEWSBLOG and Sharon Begley is obviously a professional writer. The only problem seems to be whether "the gaggle blog" is "under full editorial" control. The fact a company statement was made via the blog seems a good indication of that and I can't find anything that points to the contrary. The Burden of evidence may lie with the user adding material, but the request made on the Talk:Climatic_Research_Unit_email_controversy#The_Gaggle is rather ridiculous. I don't think you can find a statement specifying the blog is under full editorial control for any newspaper blogs, so if that would be required we might as well delete WP:NEWSBLOG. Yoenit (talk) 09:02, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Is newsweek british owned? If it is then under uk law all online content falls under editoral control. mark nutley (talk) 09:25, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

No, it isn't. (In any case, the question would surely be where it is published, not who owns it.) Barnabypage (talk) 09:34, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Additionally, that's not what UK law holds. UK law, like US law, states that material published in online blogs is the responsibility of the newspaper publishing them. This is the same between the UK and the US. If "The Gaggle," were to publish libel, Newsweek would obviously be liable, as they are the publisher (not merely the provider of interactive platform). If UK liability laws make all UK newspaper blogs "under full editorial control," just because parent publications are liable for the online blogs, then all US newspaper blogs are as well. Hipocrite (talk) 09:43, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Well then there we go, if they newsweek can be held accountable for the content then they must retain some editorial control, otherwise they`d be screwed. I would say this is a wp:rs mark nutley (talk) 10:29, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

This might be a nice example of a major newsoutlet being held accountable for a blog post when their editorial control failed[[38]]. Yoenit (talk) 10:47, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Given all of this, is it then the opinion of the uninvolved editors here that Newsweek's "The Gaggle" blog is a reliable source in this context? Hipocrite (talk) 10:36, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

According to WP:RS, blogs must be under the full editorial control of the publication. Is this blog under full editorial control? I haven't seen any evidence that demonstrates this. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 10:41, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)::I agree that it is a reliable source. I do not agree that the attribution should be to Newsweek as it is in (at least) the first diff, ie articles should not say 'Newsweek' says, but the atribution should be to the author of the blog, adding that it is in Newsweek. WP:NEWSBLOG makes this clear: "Where a news organization publishes an opinion piece, the writer should be attributed (e.g. "Jane Smith has suggested...")" Dougweller (talk) 10:42, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I accept this compromise, though I don't believe the piece is an opinion piece. Hipocrite (talk) 10:44, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I believe this New York Observer article settles the question definitively, as it describes the editorial regime for "The Gaggle": [39] It's edited by Newsweek's senior editors. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:19, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure how that New York Observer article supports the contention that this blog is under their full editorial control, however, Hipocrite has contacted Newsweek and Newsweek has replied that it falls under their full editorial control, so I am satisfied.[40] I do wonder whether that means they mean that this blog should be treated as a straight news story or as an opinion piece. But for the sake of harmony, I won't examine that issue. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:11, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The New York Observer article clearly states that (1) "The Gaggle" was established by Newsweek's editorial staff; (2) it is written by the weekly's reporters; and (3) it is edited by the senior editors. You can't get much clearer that that. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:25, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

No one's disputing that it's written by Newsweek's staff. Newspapers frequently publish opinion pieces, but that doesn't necessarily make that reliable for anything more than the author's opinion. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:43, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

That's a separate issue from the exam question of "is it under editorial control". "The Gaggle" clearly can be used per WP:NEWSBLOG; whether it should be used is another matter altogether. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:47, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Seems to be a pretty straightforward case of WP:NEWSBLOG. Usually we would treat these as equivalent to opinion pieces in the print version of the paper. I suggested on WP:Identifying reliable sources that there is now a blurred relationship between signed opinion pieces in the good quality press and news, and no-one demurred. As well as news and polemical essays, there is reportage and serious commentary. Itsmejudith (talk) 19:54, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

nihonto club and sho-shin

Is sho-shin a reliable source? How about the Nihonto Club; is it a reliable source? For instance this text. I'd also like to make use of other texts on swordsmiths/swords (for instance to connect the signature with the name of a smith and his province) which can be accessed through the meisearch for List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords). However I'd like to know if it can be considered reliable before I delve into it. bamse (talk) 16:31, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

• Sho-shin. Owner is named Robert Cole, seems a selfpublished site. There is a Robert E. Cole, who wrote some books about the Japanese industry [41][42]. Two questions remain: Is this the same person (I think so) and are his books considered "in the relevant field" to see him as an expert on Japanese weaponry (I don't think so). I would really like a second opinion on this.
• Nihontoclub seems also selfpublished, but here the author is only known as "kazarena". There is also a "Paul Martin", who seems to write books, which I can't find on google[43]. Don't have much hope for this one. Yoenit (talk) 12:54, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. I'll not use these sources in this case. How about The Japanese Sword Society of the United States, is it reliable? bamse (talk) 21:22, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

NBADraft.net

I'm curious, would http://www.nbadraft.net be considered a reliable source? It contains some good mock drafts and scouting notes on future NBA players. ~EDDY ^{(talk/contribs/editor review)}~ 19:46, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

It doesn't appear to in any way meet the criteria of WP:RS as far as I can see. Dlabtot (talk) 20:29, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm not getting a sense of reliability. There's nothing on their about page that makes any claims of being associated with a notable person or organization or anything like that. Seems like it might be just a guy with a site, which is WP:SPS. — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 20:45, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

It was cited by USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2010-06-23-2589105885_x.htm ~EDDY ^{(talk/contribs/editor review)}~ 21:11, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

The result of their mock draft is cited, but they aren't cited in support of any fact. If the mock draft were relevant and significant in some article, then perhaps they would be RS, but it is hard for me to imagine a valid such instance, since we are not chroniclers of current or future events. Dlabtot (talk) 21:37, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm...their About page gives no indication that they have a professional staff or editorial policy. OTOH, I found favorible reference to it at Forbes[44]. Sports Illustrated says its "visited, at the very least for reference material, by a sizable number of NBA decision-makers. Not the old school GMs, necessarily, but definitely by their tech-savvy underlings and scouts. Said one Eastern Conference evaluator, "It's not like we're on the clock on draft night, scrambling, and then saying, 'Who does NBADraft.net say we should take?' That would be ridiculous. That would mean we aren't doing our jobs. But do I look at their mocks? For sure." "[45] It appears as if Fox News has published some of their articles[46][47]. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:01, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't know how much this means, but it's cited by (about) 142 articles[48] which tends to indicate other editors have found the site reliable. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:10, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

According to the New York Times, "When they first went online, NBADraft.net (in 2000) and DraftExpress (2004) focused almost entirely on mock drafts. They have since expanded into independent scouting operations, with modest staffs of self-trained experts."[49] A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:35, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

Supplementary sources

Cross posted from: WT:RS#Supplementary sources. ScienceApologist (talk) 22:01, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

At Manchester United F.C.'s recent archived FAC, one thing that came up was that apparently some of our sources were unreliable. The sources in question were: unitedkits.co.uk, historicalkits.co.uk and prideofmanchester.co.uk. All of these sources are essentially fansites, but are excellently maintained and THE place to go to find out information on kits. They were used to reference manchester united's past kits. Anyway, I have been down to the Manchester United museum to check that the information is correct. So my question is, shall I just replace all the sources, or use the manchester united museum as an additional source and if so, how should I do this? Just add a footnote explaining that the sources have been checked at the Manchester United museum or add additional inline citation wherever one of these sites was used? Thanks, Tom 81.159.216.106 (talk) 16:13, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

ArXiv.org

Mining Meaning from Wikipedia[50] Any idea of if this is a Reliable source for Wikipedia Related info? Weaponbb7 (talk) 23:49, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

ArXiv is not necessarily a reliable source. Articles on ArXiv are self-published, and not all vetted by the moderators. I will review the linked article shortly. Hipocrite (talk) 00:13, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

That paper, however, appears to be published by individuals who might reasonably be considered experts. Before using any controversial facts from the paper, consider seeking further confirmation. What would you like to use the paper as a source for? Hipocrite (talk) 00:18, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Noticed that it was in bibliography here and here, as i was unfaliliar with the site i brought it here to learn more Weaponbb7 (talk) 01:20, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This paper was reliably published: Medelyan, Olena; Milne, David; Legg, Catherine; Witten, Ian H. (2009), "Mining meaning from Wikipedia", International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 67 (9): 716–754, doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2009.05.004, arXiv:0809.4530. So it turns out to be a reliable source after all; I found this by searching Google scholar for the title, or it would likely have worked to use crossref.org instead. However, in other cases where a reliable publication of the same paper cannot be found, then arxiv papers should be considered as self-published sources: only reliable to the extent that their authors are known experts in the subject of the paper. They do not go through any significant peer-review, only a cursory check by the arxiv moderators to ensure that they are on-topic and meet some very minimal standards of scholarly communication. —David Eppstein (talk) 07:05, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Quote from Drug Prevention Organization

I have contributed text to the Arguments for and against drug prohibition page but have had one of the contributed arguments for prohibition removed here on the basis that it does not, in the view of another editor, quote from a reliable source. I am hereby looking for advice on the source.

Obviously debates regarding ‘Arguments for and against drug prohibition’ will not be found in peer-reviewed journals because such a debate is not scientific research as such, although it will rely on surveys that are done by reputable organizations. However this debate is found mainly in the political realm as well as between opposing drug advocacy organizations, particularly between drug prevention organizations and drug legalization organizations.

I have added an argument which appears on Australia’s official drug debate website, which is the ‘Drugtalk’ e-mail listserver operated by the peak body representing almost all Australian drug and alcohol organizations, ADCA. The listserver claims 350 participants (see http://ndsis.adca.org.au/e_list.php) who contribute to ongoing debates about national and international drug policy. This debate listserver has its own administrator and is fully archived, accessible via password from the Drugtalk administrator. I therefore would argue that the text I have contributed to this Wikipedia page is from a reliable source, from an appropriate organization that is constantly involved in the drug prevention advocacy area, and which is accessible on the internet as per Wikipedia policy.

I have cited the argument below, which is contributed by the drug prevention organization, Drug Free Australia, whose name appears under this argument on the Drugtalk listserver. The text reads:

The criticism that the ‘war on drugs’ can never be won (and consequently is of no value) is no more true than the argument that police ‘blitzes’ on highway speeding should be curtailed because they fail to eradicate speeding. While blitzes on speeding very successfully reduce and contain the behaviour, policing of illicit drug use does exactly the same. Removing policing of speeding drivers will have precisely the same effect as removing policing of illicit drugs. No one would suggest legalizing stealing because it has never been eradicated. My source is listed as Drug Free Australia - The Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia Drugtalk drug debate listserver 11 May 2010 12.05 PM

Interested in other observations on this one. Minphie (talk) 01:03, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Could we have a direct link to the post itself. Also ADRA Australia appears to be a a Christian, humanitarian agency, not a drug prevention agency, or is there another. This makes me doubt the expertise (and thus the reliability) of the source. Nope its the one, it seems that as well as aid they also provide drug rehabilitation services. But I cannot determine if they are any ore qulified then many other lay church aid gruops.Slatersteven (talk) 01:15, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The organization referred to is Drug Free Australia with website http://www.drugfree.org.au/. The actual quote on Drugtalk reads:

"Remember, also, in your concerns about prohibition, that 95% of Australian do not want to legalise heroin, cocaine or amphetamines, and 78% don’t want to legalise cannabis. You know we’ve had this discussion before and it’s all found on pp 11,12 of the 2007 Australian Drug Strategy Household Survey. So for the relevant argument about Australia and its prohibition of drugs, I think you’ll find that 95% support for prohibition is pretty close to unanimous, and that the ‘drug war’ as you call it, which is no more a war than a police blitz on speeding (a ‘war’ they will never win, but will be supported by the public every time) in Australia has precious few casualties while hundreds die each year from the INHERENT harms of various of the illicits."

This is signed off with the organization name and address and contact details. Minphie (talk) 05:50, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This is different from the quote above, which one are you asking avbout. I also notice that you have changed the name of the organisation you are trying to quote. I would have to say that Drug Free Australia looks very much like an advoacy group. I would also again ask for a direct liunk to the post on drug talk.Slatersteven (talk) 11:27, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Here is a link to drugtalk. It is a discussion mailinglist and one must become a member to browse the archive. It should be noted that although Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia is the owner of the site they give "no warranty, guarantee or representation about the accuracy, reliability, timeliness or otherwise of the information contained on the email list Drugtalk" so one can not draw from its credibility. And as with the case of other WP:SPS the status of the poster, if they are experts or not, is paramount to wither it is fit for Wikipedia. So the remaining question rather is can leading figures of an advocacy organization be considered as "established expert on the topic of the article"? I just assume that they have had opinion pieces - "work in the relevant field" - in "reliable third-party publications" but that really needs to fully established. Steinberger (talk) 14:24, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

In regards to Slatersteven's questions, the URL for the quote is http://www.lists.sublimeip.com/mailman/private/drugtalk/2010-May/006082.html but Wikipedia contributors will need to give a username and password to the Administrator via the sign up page drugtalk before being able to access this post. There is no doubt that it can be verified once you have access. The trouble involved, of course, is no more than for a Wikipedia editor who does not have access to medical journals needing to get student access or something like that before being able to verify a medical journal quote. You have asked what quote I would use, and it is the first-mentioned quote that I had originally contributed to the Wikipedia page, rather than the direct quote from Drugtalk. I believe I have summarized the Drug Free Australia argument correctly though. Also, it is important to remember that Drug Free Australia is the peak body for more than 70 Australian drug prevention organizations, who in turn have memberships of 220,000 Australians, and it is the most authoritative voice in Australia for drug prevention, sought out by the Australian media for comment more than any other drug prevention organization. So again the authority of the organization in this drug debate is beyond question. And of course the 'Arguments for and against prohibition' page is recording the arguments out there, and this is one by an appropriate organization which holds a great deal of logical weight and should be included. Minphie (talk) 01:38, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Who posted the message? Also it does not matter how many members an organisation has its the qaulity of its work that mattrers not how many people bleive it. In addition perhpas some links demonstating that the the Australian media seek them out mor then any other similar group (by the way they would need top be sought out as experts not just for thier opinions)? Also this seems to be opinion so even if we do accept this you will have top attributre it.Slatersteven (talk) 10:30, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

The message was signed by Gary Christian, the Secretary of Drug Free Australia, signed with his title, the organization's name, its address and contact details. Minphie (talk) 06:05, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Source of important quote in a national peak body bulletin board archive

I am contemplating adding a small amount of text to the Safe injection site page which refers to important correspondence which is in the public domain between the Medical Director of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) and the drug prevention organization, Drug Free Australia, whose critique of the MSIC's evaluations has chiefly driven the Parliamentary debate in Australia. One of the two major political parties in that country claim they will close the facility if voted into power at the 2011 election. The NSW Liberal party has relied heavily on the Drug Free Australia critique of the injecting room, which was done in 2007 by a team from Drug Free Australia which included an epidemiologist, an addiction medicine specialist and social researchers who have between them been published in more than 20 top peer-reviewed medical journals on related drug or medical foci.

This correspondence between the two organizations, which is reproduced in full, is sourced from the bulletin board run by the peak body for drug and alcohol organizations in Australia, ADCA which links 1,000 professionals from those organizations within Australia. Called the 'Update' bulletin board, it is administered by an ADCA Adminstrator and is fully archived and accessible via password from the Administrator. The correspondence was posted on the bulletin board because it was of national and indeed international importance.

The correspondence is important because it is the only known source for a claim, by the injecting room's Medical Director, that their own 2003 injecting room evaluators had overstated the number of heroin users in the area surrounding the injecting room. While this argument is cited somewhat obtusely by Parliamentarians in a parliamentary debate about the injecting room, the accuracy of the statement can be better evaluated via a short quote directly from this public domain correspondence from that national bulletin board.

I would like advice on the appropriateness of this source. Minphie (talk) 01:38, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

What is the actual reference? Can you post a URL, or is it not publicly accessible? In general, what you describe sounds ok, but it really depends on the actual source, and on exactly what text you want to add to the article (be careful not to violate WP:SYNTH by drawing conclusions that are not stated in the source). Also, WP:SECONDARY is a problem for your proposal because selecting items from primary sources could be regarded as cherry picking original research. In conclusion, it all depends. Johnuniq (talk) 02:25, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The quote is as follows: "Meanwhile would you please note that the new estimate for the IDU population in Kings Cross during the 12 months to 31 October 2002 is 1100, instead of the 4 000 IDUs estimated in the 2003 Final MSIC Evaluation Report - not 2 000 IDUs as you cite in the following: The Drug Free Australia determination of overdoses at 36 times the rate of overdoses on the street is indeed measured using the evaluation's estimate of 2,000 users in Kings Cross each day, (injecting an average of 'at least' 3 times a day resulting in 6,000 injections per day in Kings Cross - p 58 of the evaluation)." This quote clarifies that the injecting room's own staff are stating that their own evaluators overly inflated the user numbers around the injecting room, not Drug Free Australia. Minphie (talk) 05:31, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The question is, is it verifiable? How can a random Wikipedia reader verify the quote? Dlabtot (talk) 14:53, 30 June 2010 (UTC) (Not meaning to imply that that is the only question...) Dlabtot (talk) 18:22, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The quote is indeed verifiable, but requires Wikipedia editors to first sign up for Update by giving a username and password to the Administrator via the sign up page Update before being able to access this post. There is no doubt that it can be verified once they have access. The trouble involved, of course, is no more than for a Wikipedia editor who does not have access to medical journals needing to get student access or something like that before being able to verify a medical journal quote. Minphie (talk) 06:17, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Pifeedback.com

I've previously raised the issue of pifeedback.com not being a reliable source here in May.[51] However, the single response I got has been challenged by another editor who thinks it merits wider discussion,[52] so here we are again. The pifeedback.com internet forums are used as a source for TV ratings on multiple pages. The ratings at this site are typically reposts from other sites,[53][54][55] and there are currently 283 links to the site from multiple articles. Since apparently anyone can post to the site, it doesn't seem to qualify as a reliable source to me. Comments would be greatly appreciated. --AussieLegend (talk) 07:26, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Hard to conceive of an argument that would be used to justify this as a reliable source. Dlabtot (talk) 21:16, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The person (its just one person) I (personally) am linking to is Travis Yann. He posts all of the FINAL numbers. His posts are linked via Tvbythenumbers.com, which is a reliable source. If they link to him, and I use tvtn's as a source on Wikipedia, it would therefore be unreliable? It seems really hard that some guy would sit home on his computer and make up some random numbers that many people (including myself) wait for. The numbers are further proved to be correct by DVR numbers that (mostly) line up with his in some circumstances.02:37, 2 July 2010 (UTC)ChaosMaster16

Dino Felipe

In 2003-2005 "Finese and Runway" formed, gaining notoriety as an Avant-Garde Perfromance art band. The members consisted of Dino "Runway" Felipe, Melba "Finesse" Payes, Jenny-Tambourines and Conceptual Visual/Performance Artist Belaxis Buil( www.BelaxisBuil-PerformanceArt.com). The trio was known for provocative and invasive shows that pushed boundaries as " visceral work"(http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2004-09-23/music/hott-people&page=1). Dino Felipe and Melba Payes later went to perform in Paris. Belaxis Buil continued to develop her own work which has gained international recognition. Rumors of upcoming albums and performances hold fans in suspense...as it is part of the concept with " Finese and Runway"

This is information is not in the Dino Felipe article, nor has the IP in question edited anything before. I don't know why you are posting it on this page. Yoenit (talk) 08:30, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Transfermarkt.co.uk

I would like to add football player profiles from www.transfermarkt.co.uk to the external links section of footballers wikipedia profiles.

Example: http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/frank-lampard/profil/spieler_3163.html

The transfermarkt database is used by many scouts, player agents and managers all over the world as a source for performance data of all sorts of players. (It covers over 80 leagues worldwide with dynamic (statistical) match reports)

It has detailed information about pretty much every player in professional football.

I have been referred to the reliable sources section to have this site considered a reliable source. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Klattius (talk • contribs) 11:46, June 30, 2010

First off, external links don't have to be reliable sources, per the fourth point of WP:ELMAYBE. That being said I don't think it would be a good idea to add it to to footballer articles per WP:LINKSPAM, unless you can provide some evidence the site is to football what say IMDB is for movies. Yoenit (talk) 12:21, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Ah ok, I didn´t know that. How would I provide this evidence? I see soccerbase links to almost all player profiles - they are similar, but (in my opinion) not as detailed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Klattius (talk • contribs) 12:34, June 30, 2010

I don't see why soccerbase links should be allowed either. There seems to be some external link spam going on on those articles. I just noticed we actually have a separate noticeboard for external link issues, so I moving the the conversation to there (Wikipedia:External_links/Noticeboard#External_links_on_football_player_articles). Yoenit (talk) 13:37, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Demonymns for Northern Ireland

The following sources are being used in the info box demonym field for Northern Ireland:

1. Paul, Dickson (1997). Labels for Locals: What to Call People from Abilene to Zimbabwe. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster. p. 220. ISBN 9780877796169. Northern Ireland: Northern Irishman and Northern Irishwoman, or the collective Irish and Northern Irish {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. Martin, Jeanette; Chaney, Lillian (2009), Passport to Success: The Essential Guide to Business Culture and Customs in America's Largest Trading Partners, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, p. 254, ISBN 978-0-275-99716-8, The United Kingdom is made up of Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. While all of the people of the UK are known as British, the people of Wales are also known as Welsh, in Scotland as Scottish, in England as English, and in Northern Ireland as Irish.
3. Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English (Third revised edition ed.), 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-953296-4, Ulsterman (or Ulsterwoman): a native or inhabitant of Northern Ireland or Ulster. {{citation}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |publihser= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
4. Belfast Telegraph exclusive poll on United Ireland, 15 March 2010, retrieved 30 June 2010 (last few paragraphs of report, also covered the same day by the BBC - Irish identity tops new Northern Ireland poll, 15 March 2010, retrieved 30 June 2010)

The sources are used as follows:

• Source 1 and 2 is being used to support "Irish"
• Source 1 is being used to support "Northern Irish"
• Source 1 indirectly supports British as it states that it is used in regards to the UK, which Northern Ireland is a part of (as well as the British Isles) (← edited by Mabuska)
• Source 3 is being used to support "Ulsterman (or Ulsterwoman)"
• Source 4 is being used to support "British" (← edited by Mabuska)

In particular:

• Questions have been raised about the reliability of sources 1 and 2.
• Objections have been raised to Sources 2, 3 and 4 (edited by Mabuska) because the do not use the word "demonym".
• Objections have been raised as to whether the UK general term in source 1 should apply to localities of the UK, i.e. Northern Ireland. (← edited by Mabuska)

A related question that may invite comment here is whether any of these sources are suitabile to support "British" as demonym for Northern Ireland. --RA (talk) 18:15, 30 June 2010 (UTC) / Mabuska ^(talk) 22:04, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

(Additional info: my own view is that all of these sources are reliable, I sourced each of them. However the question is being raised persistently and a number of editor have suggested taking it here for a 3rd opinion. --RA (talk) 18:24, 30 June 2010 (UTC))

It is important to point out that Paul Dickson, the author of cite #1, is credited by National Geographic as the person who coined the term demonym in the first place. O Fenian (talk) 18:37, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Source two clearly states that all the people of the UK are known as British. The term Irish does not just apply to Northern Ireland, it applies to the whole of the island of Ireland. If Irish can be used despite being about a wider area then why can British not be included as clearly stated in that source the people of Northern Ireland are known as British because they are part of the United Kingdom.

There is only 1 identity that is Northern Ireland specific and that is Northern Irish. If that was the only thing listed in the infobox i would have no problem, but if Irish is listed British must be as well. To discriminate against a large part of the community in Northern Ireland because they only identify as British is unfair and offensive. BritishWatcher (talk) 18:44, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This discussion is about whether the sources are reliable, it is not a soapbox for your personal views. O Fenian (talk) 18:46, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I want a neutral editor to confirm the people of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom are British. This is stated in source 2 which is meant to be a reliable source to justify using Irish. BritishWatcher (talk) 19:00, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

We should let others decide what the sources back up. Let's wait and see what is said. That's why it was brought here. Jack forbes (talk) 19:04, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

It would help if we all had access to this Dicksons book. The source quoted above fails to cover what is said about the United Kingdom and it is not available on Google Books. BritishWatcher (talk) 19:09, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps we shouldn't bring the debate over from the N.Ireland talk page and allow others to come in and decide for themselves. Most of the comments here (including my own) don't belong here. Jack forbes (talk) 19:13, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

people need to understand the full situation. BritishWatcher (talk) 19:22, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

BritishWatcher, this notice board is simply to ascertain the reliability of certain sources for use within Wikipedia, nothing else. Please raise other issues in the appropriate place. WikiuserNI (talk) 20:33, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

• The issue is not just reliability of specific named sources. The actual issue surrounding the use of these sources in that article is massive, with many different issues, ranging from PRIMARY to NPOV to GAME to REDFLAG to UNDUE to OR and on and on. It is extremely tiresome that this 'request' has been raised in the exact same manner the whole debate has been conducted by the side that believes 'there's no issue' here - by totally ignoring MASSIVE parts of the objections, and pretending this is just about 'reliability'. Dickson's book is published by a reputable publisher and it has an entry that supposedly says a demonyms for NI are Irish and Northern Irish. Dickson is the guy who invented the term demonym. Yes, everybody understands that. Stop taking us for idiots by continually suggesting the reverse is somehow the issue, while you carry on with the annoying tactic of repetition and willfull pretension. This is NOT the issue in question, and if uninvolved people are just going to post here saying, 'yes, it looks like a reliable source' without investigating the entire issue, then don't bother, because that misses the point of this dispute entirely, although no doubt some will claim such satements of obviousnesses as vindication for their IDIDN'THEARTHAT positions over there. If anyone is interested in what specific issues are, incase they want to give a full opinion, I've raised them a million times on the talk page at the article in question, but all are all distilled into the collapsed box near the end aswell. MickMacNee (talk) 21:47, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I added in a new source above, number 4, and gave the reason why i was told it wasn't relelvant or acceptable despite the same people allowing a source that went against the reasons they gave me; it didn't state demonymn, despite the fact its a poll on how people identify themselves as, which technically is what a demonymn is suppossed to be. Whilst it is only a poll of 1,000 people, it does show a considerable percentage of people identifying themselves as "British" above "Northern Irish". This shows that in the real world people identify as British as well as Northern Irish and Irish. Mabuska ^(talk) 21:57, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I also added in the other issue about source 1 - whether the fact it states British as a denomymn for the UK should apply to its localities. Mabuska ^(talk) 22:04, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Mabuska, could you not have made your edits separately to RA's, instead of mixing your text with theirs? WikiuserNI (talk) 10:46, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

RA already kindly added notes in to what were my additions. No point having them all over the place. Better having them all together in one section. Mabuska ^(talk) 22:43, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Better yet not having one editor make changes that look like they belong to another. WikiuserNI (talk) 14:31, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Chicago Kent Law Review - one specific issue only

There are allegations on the web that the Joyce Foundation (a well known anti gun group with deep pockets) essentially bought an issue of the Chicago Kent Law Review in order to publish material favorable to its position. The Law Review was required to use an outside editor (Carl Bogus) with close ties to the Joyce Foundation who was responsible for accepting what articles went into that issue. The authors were also paid $5,000 each when normally a law review can't afford to pay authors for articles. They tend to be shoe string operation.

Now the question: Would this issue be considered "self-published" as the content was under the full control of Joyce and not the normal law review staff? The issue is used in the Second Amendment article as a "reliable source"

Below are comments found on the web on this issue of the Review.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obama-and-the-attempt-to-destroy-the-second-amendment/

In a breach of law review custom, Chicago-Kent let an “outsider” serve as editor; he was Carl Bogus, a faculty member of a different law school. Bogus had a unique distinction: he had been a director of Handgun Control Inc. (today’s Brady Campaign), and was on the advisory board of the Joyce-funded Violence Policy Center.

http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2005/04/joyce_foundatio.php

Why would I say Joyce is at it again? Well, in 2000 Chicago-Kent Law Review issued a similar symposium issue. A bit of inquiry found ... well, let me give you background first. Law reviews are run on a shoestring. They're edited by students themselves, and very proud of that tradition. Editors get paid a pittance (I got $600 a year back in 1975), and authors of articles never, never, get paid.

A bit of inquiry showed that Joyce had done some serious bankrolling. The law review consented to having an outside editor for that issue, who surprisingly was anti-Second Amendment. (And when pro-Second Amendment law professors volunteered to write, he refused to allow it). He got paid $30,000. Authors of the articles in it got $5,000 each for their time. The rest of the grant went for buying a load of reprints to be sent to judges. So Joyce had essentially bought a issue of the review, stacked the deck of authors, and then mailed a load of copies to judges.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080419/pl_politico/9722

But the Joyce Foundation in 1999 awarded $84,000 to the Chicago-Kent College of Law for a symposium on the theory that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual’s right to bear arms, but rather only a state’s right to arm its militia.

“No effort was made to include the individual right point of view,” its organizer, Carl T. Bogus, a Roger Williams University School of Law professor, wrote in one of several law review articles stemming from the symposium. “Full and robust public debate is not always best served by having all viewpoints represented in every symposium. Sometimes one point of view requires greater illumination.”

http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1112820316.shtml

Was Chicago-Kent at Fault for Publishing This Symposium? Here I think the answer is probably yes. Chicago-Kent, and the journal it publishes, purports to be an academic institution committed to the pursuit of truth. It is not an advocacy group, and it publishes an academic law review that benefits from the perception that it is not an advocacy journal. By mounting a deliberately one-sided symposia it did a disservice to its readers, its academic community, and most especially to its students who were free to attend what was a deliberately one-sided conference.

I also think that accepting funds from a foundation that limits the participants to those holding a particular view is in conflict with its mission as an academic institution. If the Joyce Foundation limited participation to one side of this academic dispute, or if Chicago-Kent did not bother to know that this money could only be spent to fund one side of the dispute, then it made a serious mistake. There are indications that the Joyce Foundation refuses to have any dissenting voices included in its programs. Indeed, it is reported to have protested the appearance at Chicago-Kent of a pro-individual rights speaker within a few weeks of its symposium. The Joyce Foundation also supports the Second Amendment Research Center at Ohio State. When I asked its director, Saul Cornell, in an email exchange if any participants in its academic programs could advocate the individual rights position, he responded that he would obtain separate funding to permit that to happen. I took that as an indication that Joyce does put strings on its funding. (David Hardy quotes and links to the mission statement of the Joyce Foundation here.)

But there is a big difference between the work product of an individual scholar, and the collective work product represented by a symposium sponsored by an academic institution like Chicago-Kent. This issue not only is weaker intellectually than it might have been, but it falsely suggests a uniformity of opinion on the subject it examines. Since the symposium was open to Chicago-Kent students, I wonder if they were informed that the program was deliberately designed to be one-sided. Aren't students (or readers of the law review) entitled to know that they are being provided a deliberately biased stream of information? Here I think the fault and discredit lies entirely with the academic institution. 71.184.184.238 (talk) 20:45, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Who is proposing to use this as a source, and where? I believe that like most law reviews it is compiled by students and largely not peer-reviewed. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:41, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Additional perspective. The core of this complaint that the Chicago-Kent Law Review is not a WP:RS comes from an article published on the blog pajamasmedia.com written by David T. Hardy, senior attorney for the NRA. So there are two parts to this question:

1. Is the Chigago-Kent Law Review considered a reliable source in this instance?
2. Does POV criticism from an advocacy group published at a blog play a role making determinations about reliability of a publisher?

And, for what it is worth. The intended Wikipedia use of this Law Review article is to establish that there are more than one points of view seen in significant sourcing. The AnonIP feels strongly that his point of view is the TRUTH, and the citation to Chicago-Kent Law Review was offered up[56] on the Second Amendment talk page as an example of another point of view seen in reliable sourcing. SaltyBoatr ^{get wet} 21:43, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I am asking if the "one issue" of that review where the Joyce Foundation effectively bought the right to include content of its choice, and exclude content it did not want, and further paid the authors of the content it included a decent sum for their articles when normally those authors don't get paid, amounts to self-published material. In effect, I see this sort of action as little different from pushing out paid advertising. The only difference being that those who read that particular issue don't know it is paid advertising. Those Chicago Kent articles were also printed in book form - http://www.amazon.com/Second-Amendment-Law-History-Constitutional/dp/1565846990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277933196&sr=1-1 Amazon lists the editors as Carl T. Bogus and the infamous Michael A. Bellesiles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_A._Bellesiles. Bellesiles got himself into trouble when it was found he "manufactured" his research. For instance he "purported to count nineteenth-century San Francisco County probate inventories, which had been destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire". One of the articles in that issuew is further authored by Bellesiles.

SaltyBoatr above is the only person editing the Second Amendment Article who wants to use this issue as backup. If the points raised in those articles are widespread then those points will show up in other articles or books. BTW: The Second Amendment article is currently frozen because SaltyBoatr was engaged in an edit war and to stop it the article was frozen. SaltyBoatr is now engaged in what amounts to an edit war in the discussion page of that article.71.184.184.238 (talk) 02:37, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

The standing of the publication as RS is not affected either way by the involvement of the Joyce Foundation. It is not a peer-reviewed academic journal anyway. Articles in it should be judged according to the reputation of the authors. Itsmejudith (talk) 08:27, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

I understand what you are saying but I feel my question has not been addressed. The question is whether this issue can be considered to be "self published". The Joyce Foundation had full editorial control and published only commissioned articles. Their control was similar to the of control of publications that they print themselves, instead of commissioning from third parties. From what I can see this issue is nothing more then "paid advertising". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Self-published_sources_.28online_and_paper.29

We can only make general comments on reliability if we aren't given the info about who wants to use the source, where and for what purpose. An article in this issue or any other issue of the Chicago-Kent Law review by a scholar who regularly publishes in the field can be regarded as a self-published source by an expert. Or slightly better because the article has gone through a selection process and is definitely finished, while the same scholar publishing on his/her own blog may include unfinished work. More details please if you want a fuller answer, and if you want more people to respond. Itsmejudith (talk) 14:16, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

There is an agreement by editors of the Second Amendment article not to use material printed by both anti and pro gun groups. That includes the NRA, the Brady Campaign and the Joyce Foundation. If this material falls into the "self-published" category then it falls under that agreement. There is already way too much bickering on that article, and the agreement reduces it somewhat. The material in those articles can be found in other places.71.184.184.238 (talk) 17:00, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

• I would not exclude the articles in this Chicago-Kent Law Review issue on the grounds that they are "self-published". There is no reason to think that the academics who contributed to the symposium didn't believe the views they were expounding, notwithstanding the fact that they were paid for their articles. (Also, it should be noted that the CKLR already had an all-symposium format, and having an outside editor select the articles for an issue is standard procedure at that law review.) HOWEVER, I would tend to think that these articles could be cited primarily for the fact that there were academics who held the view that the Second Amendment is a collective, not individual, right. That was their opinion, and it was a notable opinion that could be described as an opinion in a Wikipedia article. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, several years after the CKLR issue was published, that the Second Amendment protects an individual right. (See District of Columbia v. Heller; see also McDonald v. Chicago.) Consequently, if the contributors to the CKLR issue were to revisit the issue today, most of them would have to take that into account and probably have to at least reconsider their arguments and conclusions. (It would be desirable to avoid citing the Michael A. Bellesiles article at all, due to the problems that were found in his scholarship from around that period regarding gun-related issues, which led him to resign his professorship.) --Metropolitan90 (talk) 15:26, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

From what I can tell this was the only issue ever published under the control of an outside editor, so this issue was definitely not "normal". 71.184.184.238 (talk) 16:53, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Great that editors have agreed to keep material from advocacy groups out of the Second Amendment to the United States constitution article. But that doesn't extend to opinions of legal scholars, which are professional opinions, not just any old opinions. Take into account the arguments that User:Metropolitan90 makes about the way that legal interpretations and legal scholarship move on. Itsmejudith (talk) 17:30, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

See the Volokh.com link cited near the beginning of this section. Randy Barnett wrote in the Volokh.com blog posts that using an outside editor was standard procedure for most issues of the CKLR. What was not standard procedure was having a foundation with a specific point of view fund the issue and having the issue editor only accept articles that conformed to that particular viewpoint. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 18:04, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

I missed that comment - Barnett however also said that he offered to wrote a pro gun article and was rejected - When I saw an announcement for the Second Amendment symposium funded by the Joyce Foundation, what immediately struck me was the completely one-sided composition of the contributors. So I contacted a former colleague of mine at Chicago-Kent and offered to participate as a commentator, provided I was given the same remuneration as other presenters. I also offered to recruit some other scholars who would represent some diversity of opinion. My erstwhile colleague said this was not possible. The first reason he offered for this was the supposed lack of civility between pro- and anti-individual rights scholars. When I objected to this reason, it became clear that this was not the real rationale. Later, Carl Bogus told me (as he has subsequently written elsewhere) that the lack of balance was intentional and meant to counter the overwhelming dominance of the individual rights position. The idea, he said, was to work out the alternative paradigm with scholars who were dissenters from the individual rights position and provide fresh thinking: which again is my point. If the issue was free of outside influence Barnett offer would have been accepted - subject of course to space limitations on the issue itself. Obviously Joyce did not want to see its money go to pay for articles opposing its anti gun agenda. Also the outside editor who controlled what go into the article was on the payroll of a Joyce funded organization.71.184.184.238 (talk) 19:23, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you all for your time and effort. Assuming my last comment above won't change any views, I placed snippets of the above on the Second Amendment talk page. Please check and make any additional comments if you believe those snippets don't cover the above faithfully. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Chicago_Kent_problem_issue 71.184.184.238 (talk) 20:43, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Dita Von Teese

I am just following the guidelines here. WP:RS states -- Twitter, facebook. myspace "unless written or published by the subject of the biographical material." can be used., which is the case here. Countless celebs are quoted from their twitter here such as Courtney Love

based on information from her Twitter account. I reverted, but the IP editor says that WP:RS says that information from self-published material can be used as a reliable source. Is this correct? It was always my understanding that primary sources were not considered reliable sources. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 20:54, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Have you read WP:PRIMARY?Smallman12q (talk) 21:23, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Yes, and that seems to contradict the WP:RS section which says self-published material can be used. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 21:24, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

The specific question is whether Dita Von Teese's Twitter page saying she is part Armenian is a reliable source. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 21:25, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I think Wikipedia:SPS#Self-published_sources_.28online_and_paper.29 suggests that a Tweet isn't really a reliable source. I'm inclined to agree. P. D. Cook ^{Talk to me!} 21:43, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

There was recently a discussion about twitter usage at Wikipedia_talk:IRS#Verified_Twitter_Accounts. Consensus reached seemed to be that a verified twitter account can be used for information about a person themselfs. Yoenit (talk) 22:30, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This question comes up all the time. Yes, a verified tweet is usable as a primary source, but should be used with caution. See WP:TWITTER. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:41, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This is an important issue that is going to recur so can we please have more opinions. Summary:

• This edit at Dita Von Teese adds "Dita has stated via her Twitter page that is part Armenian[ref]".
• The reference is a Twitter post by Dita Von Teese verified account. The post says "At eurovision, The Armenians are killing me with their hair and especially the fierce cateye liner! LOVE! I am part Armenian, in fact."

My opinion is that such "by the way" Twitter posts should not be regarded as reliable because there is no way to judge whether the author is making some joke, or speaking in some metaphorical sense ("I am a Berliner"). Further, the statement could be simply wrong and might have been corrected a month later (for example, many celebrities would have a staffer write at least some of their public statements, and a stand-in staffer might have been confused). Also, if a fact can only be sourced to a tweet, that fact is probably not very significant and has no place in an encyclopedia. (BTW, the "WP:TWITTER" shortcut was recently removed, although the redirect is still there.) Johnuniq (talk) 22:48, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I disagree, she clearly is not making a joke or speaking in a metaphorical sense. Dlabtot (talk) 22:56, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

I don't know enough about the Dita Von Teese to know her sense of humor. I don't get the feeling that she's joking, though I could be wrong. You know, you could try e-mailing her and she might respond. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:14, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Huh? There's no point in conducting original research. Lets keep on the topic of the reliability of this source. Dlabtot (talk) 23:18, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Which part is original research? Concluding that she's joking or e-mailing Teese? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:32, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Now I'm having a hard time determining if you are joking. Are you seriously suggesting that editors should not exercise judgment and draw conclusions about sources? Or what exactly are you suggesting? Are you seriously questioning whether a private email exchange with the subject of an article would constitute original research? Again, this all seems decidedly off-topic to me. Dlabtot (talk) 23:46, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

No, I'm not joking. Was it wrong when Hipocrite contacted Newsweek to find out if their blogs fall under their full editorial control? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:49, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Questions of 'right' and 'wrong' are definitely off-topic here. But when editors conduct original research, such as personal email inquiries, it definitely is original research. This is self-evident. I have no more insights into the blatantly obvious to share, so I will have no further response to this thread. Dlabtot (talk) 22:46, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

I replaced the reference to Twitter with this article. However, this was reverted (back to the pre-Armenian text), stating that "web articles using twitter as source material are not reliable sources either." Can someone enlighten me as to why that article isn't reliable? I checked the about us part of their website, and they have writers and an editor, and I can't find anything to suggest they have a poor reputation. P. D. Cook ^{Talk to me!} 13:17, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Without commenting on the reliability of "ianyanma.com", no, that is not a valid reason to undue an edit. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 13:33, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

I would say that both the tweet and that article are reliable sources she made the statement. Without more information, I'm not really sure that it belongs in the article though. A one off tweet that doesn't do anything more than say that somewhere along the way in the history of her family, at least one person has been Armenian. --Onorem♠Dil 13:54, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

I agree it's not very useful, and it was just sort of plopped down into the article. I am more interested in the broader question of Twitter and secondary sources that quote Twitter. I've checked back in the Archives of this board and there seems to be a mild consensus that a Tweet is reliable if it's about the subject (just like other self-published sources), but certainly not reliable about a 3rd party. I guess my personal feeling is that a Tweet should not be the first choice as a source. As far as self-published sources go, at least with a personal website or even a blog someone is usually sitting at their computer thinking about what they're writing. Who know how much thoughtfulness goes into a Tweet. P. D. Cook ^{Talk to me!} 14:10, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

visionsofjoy.com at Bates Method

A FAQ from visionsofjoy.com ([57]) has been repeatedly reinserted at Bates Method (e.g. [58]). Given an incipient edit war, I'd like to solicit outside input on whether this is a suitable encyclopedic source. I am of the opinion that it is not, that the material being inserted is not particularly encyclopedic or relevant (if it were, we'd have better sources), and that the inserted text is both contrived and promotional. MastCell ^Talk 22:55, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Clearly, (pardon the pun), no content from or citation to visionsofjoy.com could be legitimately used in any way anywhere on Wikipedia, unless in a hypothetical visionsofjoy.com article. Dlabtot (talk)

Well, this is definitely not a reliable secondary source but given the context - that this is an article about the Bates method (which I've never heard of until now, apparently it's some minority or fringe theory), I think it's acceptable as a primary source with all the usual caveats and disclaimers about using primary sources. I mean, we're allowed to cite 911Truth.org in an article about 9/11 Conspiracy theories, right? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:28, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

This was previously discussed here, where it was rejected. --Ronz (talk) 23:52, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

A Quest For Knowledge has the right take on this. An alternative solution would be to delete from the article all reference to See Clearly Method, as it has no relevance to Bates Method. SamuelTheGhost (talk) 09:05, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

We're getting off topic here. Comments unrelated to the application of WP:RS should be made on the article talk page. --Ronz (talk) 19:35, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Crowley Broadcast Analysis

Im looking for opinions on if this chart should be included or not or if it has been previously discussed with a verdict reached. The main article is this; Crowley Broadcast Analysis. It was created today and i got into somewhat of an edit war with an editor who created the article claiming it has passed and/or is allowed but no reference was provided. Anywho what is you take on it. The only Brazilian Chart im aware of that is allowed in articles is the Singles with a specific magazine as a reference. Crowley Broadcast Analysis isnt discussed at WP:GOODCHARTS or WP:BADCHARTS. (CK)Lakeshade✽talk2me 00:20, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

IMDB lacking corroboration

These recent edits to the article Noley Thornton by 219.78.50.246 (talk · contribs) are only cited to the IMDb. I'm given to understand that, as a user-submitted resource (akin to Wikipedia itself) it's not a reliable source. Furthermore, I can't find any corroboration of these films (and their association with Ms. Thornton) at Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic, nor can Google find anything immediately reliable ([59], [60], [61], and [62]). Given the unreliability and uncorroboration of this information, I'm inclined to revert the IP, but I'd like to check myself first before doing so. — pd_THOR ^{| =/\=} | 03:49, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Well, here's the last time it came up.[63] It appears that opinions were mixed. You certainly won't be the first editor to revert something on the grounds that IMDB isn't reliable. OTOH, it's cited by as many as 100,000 articles,[64] so there's clearly wide-spread community support for it being reliable. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 04:36, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Actually, IMDB appears to cited by over 200,000 Wikipedia articles.[65]

Alternatively, you can watch the movie yourself and verify it by looking at the credits at the end. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 05:00, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Rule of thumb here - if you can only source something to IMDB, there's possibly a problem with that information. IMDB is an easy place for - especially novice - editors to find cites, but really any solid, notable, information there should probably be duplicated somewhere more reliable. At the end of the day a lot of IMDB is still user-generated info and it's not all checked reliably. Black Kite (t) (c) 05:44, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Completely reliable for this sort of content which is not user-generated. The frequency with this question is asked is almost as tedious as the inevitable and untrue responses that IMDB's content for cast and production credits is user-generated and not subject to rigorous editorial control. Dlabtot (talk) 22:41, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Can't find more reliable sources

The article section I'm composing is a fact, but I can't find a much more reliable source... Can this link be a good reference for Nina Girado#Voice??? - http://www.casttv.com/video/rxgk561/how-other-artists-describe-the-asia-s-soul-siren-nina-asap-sessionistas-at-the-araneta-video Kristelzorina (talk) 13:00, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Are the following blogs reliable sources?

This is not resolved, Atmoz i request you self revert mark nutley (talk) 17:31, 1 July 2010 (UTC) S Citizen and Stoat Both are blogs by William Connolley and are used to rebutt statements about Roger A. Pielke criticisms on the IPCC seen here [66] I had tagged them as unreliable but WMC reverted the tags out, i put them back but Count Iblis has now reverted them out, and has not bothered to go to the talk section, [67] so i figure i`d ask here mark nutley (talk) 14:55, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Here's the problem, Mark - I've argued that using sources like this is not acceptable - you can see such at Wikipedia:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Watts_up_with_that - where I argue that we can't just shove somebloggers opinion, even if someblogger is a notable person, into articles that are not directly about someblogger. As you may notice, you were on the other side of that discussion. However, it appears from those discussions that we can include somebloggers opinion, if someblogger is notable, as long as we say "Someblogger says." I don't agree with that, but it appears to be what you argued - "It is being used for Anthony Watts opinion on the video, there is no claim about a third party, just what he thought of the vid." In this case "It is being used for Dr. Connelley's opinion on the criticisms, there is no claim about a third party, just what he thought of the criticisms." Hipocrite (talk) 14:59, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Actually if you look at Hide the Decline you will see i reverted those blogs out based on what you said, but now you say that these blogs are ok, make your mind up. And yes WMC is making claims about a third party, he is saying Pielke is wrong in his assessment, that is making a claim about a third party mark nutley (talk) 15:12, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

No, I say they're not ok, but I realize that I lost the argument. I stopped editing Hide the Decline when I realized I couldn't evaluate it fairly, and was getting distracted by sockpuppets, so I don't know, nor will I check, what the state of that page is. Hipocrite (talk) 15:39, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

None of them are reliable sources in general - both of them can be reliable sources in context. In this particular context both are published scientists (as such) who are discussing a scientific topic, which matches the exceptions for self-published sources and since they are discussing a topic and not persons there is no BLP issue - the issue about whether we should include these or not, is one of WP:WEIGHT. If the WP:BLP issue is real, then both should be removed, since then it is very possible that no neutral point of view can be presented, as only one side of a blog-discussion can be presented. In general disagreement on a topic, is not a BLP issue. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 15:35, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

It is a blp issue if a blog source is being used to say another guy is wrong, we have Pielke giving his opinion on the IPCC, so no issue there with blp, however WMC`s blog is used to give an opinon on a person, so blp is an issue. mark nutley (talk) 15:45, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

No, Mark - he is not giving an opinion on a person. He is presenting his take on a particular view. But as said - if disagreement with a person about an issue automagically makes it a BLP problem - then no blogs should be included, since we are then, in most cases, unable to make a neutral presentation. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 16:03, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

No Kim, To this complaint I do have some sympathy, but RP loses that by ranting. In fact what his post is really complaining about is his failure to get his point of view given primacy in the CCSP report. That is not giving a take on on a view, that is making a statement about a person mark nutley (talk) 16:09, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Well, i disagree Mark. We would have had a problem if we used a sentence such as "X replied that Y was ranting about being a failure", but we aren't. (which btw. isn't what Connolley is saying - but shown here as an example of a clear BLP violation). --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 16:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Your wrong Kim, another part from the stoat blog RP then proceeds to pick up this strawman and run with it This is another statement of fact from a blog post about a living person, as is the one posted above. It would be nice to get some uninvolved editors to opinion on this as i do not see how a blog post ca nbe used to make statements of fact about a person mark nutley (talk) 17:18, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Stoat is a blog. Scitizen isn't.

Not also that the RP stuff being rebutted is... from exactly the same source: scitizen [In [[blog]] posts, [[Roger A. Pielke]] contends that the IPCC distorted the evidence by not including scientific results that questioned global warming.<ref name="PielkeIPCC">{{cite web|last=Pielke (sr.)|first=Roger A.|title=The 2007 IPCC Assessment Process - Its Obvious Conflict of Interest|url=http://scitizen.com/climate-change/the-2007-ipcc-assessment-process-its-obvious-conflict-of-interest_a-13-1108.html|publisher=Scitizen|accessdate=30 June 2010}} (also see links therein)</ref>]. I've pointed the inconsistency of this to MN, but he won't listen. Note also MN's attempts fake this as a BLP issue: the comments are not on RP but on RP's comments William M. Connolley (talk) 16:42, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Why is half the article a lengthy quote from a blog post? That's the real question here. Using SPSs to answer other SPSs is an appropriate use for them. But the real question is why? If Pielke hasn't bothered to convert this into a real publication in the last two years, why is it so notable that it dominates his bio? Guettarda (talk) 17:25, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

These are in use in Global Warming Controversy i have not looked at it`s use in Pielke`s blp mark nutley (talk) 17:27, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

AllAfrica Global Media

This website - http://allafrica.com/ - isn't used on any article I have edited. 'All Africa' mirrors African newspaper websites as well as digitising National newspapers from different African countries. I was wondering whether, considering the stability of the website, this mirror could be used when the site/web page that it mirrors isn't available online. Would there be an issue with this? Thanks. Ukabia...tark 19:36, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Stoat Blog

Is a blog post by William Connolley [68] a reliable source for statements about Roger A. Pielke. It is used here [69] Sorry to have to ask this again but the above discussion was closed before the issue with this blog was resolved mark nutley (talk) 19:57, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

It is a reliable source for statements made by William on Pielke. The question whether we want to have William's comment on Pielke in the article is another matter. Count Iblis (talk) 20:45, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

You can`t use a blog post as a source for statements on a living person, i`m going to ask on the blpn board as i am sure this is a blp issue mark nutley (talk) 20:48, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

It seems to me, Mark, that you have dropped yourself in something of a hole. You argued previously that personal blogs could be used as a source for statements about living people who you dislike (viz. Al Gore). Now you argue against using personal blogs as a source for statements about living people whose views you like. You can't have it both ways. -- ChrisO (talk) 20:57, 1 July 2010 (UTC

When did i say a blog post could be used to disparage al gore? mark nutley (talk) 20:59, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

• Its more of a conflict of interest and notability issues, imo WMC is not notable or qualified enough to warrant quoting in our Global Warming controversy article, also as the issues around WMC and skeptic scientists adding his blog and quoting him when there have been a fair degree of controversy surrounding his editing of such articles, this creates a COI issue. I also note that it was WMC himself that was the person that added the link to his blog and this comment "These criticisms have been described as "failed" by William Connolley" in this edit in August 2007. It is clearly not policy to add your own comments and your own blog to wikipedia articles and we would usually place restrictions on editors for such additions. I also notice that WMC's blog is almost at spam level around the wikipedia, there are 151 links to it on this wikipedia but there is only a few in actual articles. I would suggest removing it and the comment from him. Off2riorob (talk) 21:59, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

• There is also this edit where WMC again adds a link to his own blog in April this year in the Global cooling article. We also have 50 links to wmconnolley.org.uk Again adds link to own webspace wmconnolley.org.uk to Earths energy budget here 24 July 2008. Clearly adding multiple links to your own webspace and blogs is a serious conflict of interest issue. Off2riorob (talk) 01:55, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

No, we shouldn't link William's blog here. Incidentally, amidst all the concern for blogs and BLP, can anyone tell me why we should link Roger Pielke's blog in the same paragraph? After all, Pielke's blog post is used to disparage the integrity of individuals on the IPCC panel, which is also BLP material. I'd suggest removing the entire paragraph - both that sourced to Pielke's blog and that sourced to William's blog. MastCell ^Talk 03:50, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Hmm, no Pielke is commenting on the IPCC, an organization and as such BLP does not count does it? At least that is what i was told when i found exxonsecrets.org being used all over the shop mark nutley (talk) 12:54, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

IAE Magazine: Reliable source?

I happened to notice an editor removing a ton of references from articles [70], and while I have no doubt they're acting in good faith I'm questioning whether this really is not a reliable source. From appearances, it looks like a fairly run of the mill entertainment industry magazine that also has a website [71]. Here's their URL [72]. Opinions? Burpelson AFB (talk) 21:03, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Seems that the reason it was removed was not due to reliability, but because Newsfeeder (talk · contribs) was using Wiki for advertisement by spamming links to the site all over the place. — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 21:15, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Sure I saw that, but is that enough of a reason to revert what would otherwise be a reliable source? I could see removing them if they were just dumped in the external links section or placed indiscriminately, but based on the Statham ones these actually seemed to help support the material in the article. Burpelson AFB (talk) 21:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Honestly, it doesn't really strike me as reliable. It seems to be a self-published online magazine, and doesn't seem to have any claim of notability. As to using it for the text in the Gossip Girl article, there are other sources out there that could be used. — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 21:50, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

OK, fair enough. I don't feel especially strongly one way or the other but it seemed ok to me. That's why it's good to get other opinions before you go and put everything back. :-) - Burpelson AFB (talk) 22:42, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Part of the rationale for the removal was the spamming; the other was because the site itself does not appear to be a reliable source, and would likely not even be accepted as an externmal link even if the spamming wasn't an issue. --Ckatz^chat_spy 05:24, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

It looks like this is resolved, but I had a look at the first couple of edits and it is classic WP:REFSPAM: add an inconsequential or obvious factoid with a reference that just happens to be a link to your website. If these were not reverted, we would end up with ten fake references in every paragraph in every article. Johnuniq (talk) 02:13, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Warchronicle.com and CPRR wrt Stephen Ambrose

I didn't see any substantive resolution to 75.2.209.226's question on the subject prior to its archiving, so I'd like to pose the following followup questions in response to the defense presented for these sources:

1. Wrt someone's private, self-run non-peer-reviewed non-commercially-published website: Does documentation that a reliable source mentions the existence of the website, or repeats the fact that it made an allegation, prove that said website is now a reliable source?
2. When said website is the personal ad-funded property of a Wikipedia editor who argues for its continued inclusion, is that not a massive conflict of interest?
3. When numerous traditional reliable sources are available other than said website, why does WP:IAR demand its inclusion as if it were the only reliable source that can be found?

For the record, I'm not arguing that either "side" in the previous discussion was right or wrong about which nontraditional sources should be accepted as if they were reliable. I'm saying neither should be, absent a logical rationale. And for that matter, I would accept CPRR as a reliable source in a heartbeat for most questions on the Central Pacific Railroad, assuming a dearth of other reliable sources on a field that's mostly of interest only to collectors and buffs. But I don't understand why the website's owner wants to use it as a reliable source on Stephen Ambrose. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 21:37, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

CPRR.org is a non-commercial, not-for-profit site that does not charge anything to its users to access it or its content. While it has a few sponsored links on a very, very small number of the over 10,000 pages on the site, none of these were solicited and they produce miniscule amounts of revenue all of which goes to help cover a fraction of the operating expenses (i.e., webhosting) of the site. The paper linked to Ambrose article was not produced by CPRR.org, but is only hosted on the site for free because its topic relates directly to the CPRR. (The page also carries no sponsored links.) Also please see the AN/I discussion located here for a full accounting of the years of misconduct, disruptive editing, "sockpuppetry", and Wikiststalking practiced by anonymous IP User 75.2.209.226 on Wikipedia as well as his/her apparent motivation in "challenging" inclusion of the link to the paper in the Stephen Ambrose article in the first place. Centpacrr (talk) 22:24, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

1. By using the third person, are you asserting that you are not in fact the owner of the website, which uses ads for funding and therefore profits from increased traffic?
2. I would ask that you refrain from further false ad hominem insinuations that I'm a Wikistalker or a sockpuppet, whether or not 75.2 was. I'm about as provably innocent as you can get, given that I'm on the other side of the country and leave my IP open for everyone to see. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 23:02, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

• The above reference to wikistalking, etc, is not to 76.22.25.102, but is instead to 75.2.209.226, the anonymous user who posted the original "complaint" and who has stalked me and many other editors on Wikipedia since at least 2007 using many anonymous IPs (all of which resolve to SW Connecticut or adjacent areas) as well as several named accounts. My posting above is not meant to imply that there is any relationship or connection whatsoever between that user and 76.22.25.102 whose IP appears to resolve to Washington state. I am also not the owner of CPRR.org, but am instead only an unpaid contributor to it who derives no income or other pecuniary benefit whatsoever from the site. The very small amount of income derived from the few persons who asked to help sponsor the site is not based on traffic. Centpacrr (talk) 23:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

That doesn't seem to match the information located in the page source code (which contains links to akamai), or the site's about page cross-matched to your user page. However, the CoI question is turning into a derail massively out of proportion to its importance in this specific issue.

First and foremost: Why, in the presence of several other unquestionably-reliable sources, should WP:IAR necessitate using either the highly-questionable warchronicle site (a blog which reads like a collection of letters to the editor) or CPRR site (a nominal museum / amateur hobbyist blog with a specialization completely unrelated to Ambrose)? For the record, my primary objection is actually to warchronicle. But the CPRR site seems equally out-of-depth, albeit more properly attributed. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 00:35, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I have no connection whatsoever with the Warchronicle site nor am I expressing any opinion here one way or another as to its reliability. The only page on the CPRR site (a site with which I have fully disclosed my association on my userpage since registering on wikipedia in 2006) that is linked to the Ambrose article is to a December, 2000, paper that documents more than sixty factual errors in Ambrose's Nothing Like It in the World, his August, 2000, book about the building of the Pacific Railroad of which the CPRR constituted the Western portion built across California, Nevada, and Utah. (The corrections to the errors contained in the paper were all accepted and incorporated by the publisher in the book's paperback edition published in 2001.) By the way, the CPRR website (which has been online since February, 1999), is not an "amateur hobbyist blog" but a comprehensive compilation of period writings, scholarly papers, original source materials, Government and railroad company reports and documents, hundreds of maps, thousands of period photographs, and many other papers, articles, on-line exhibits of artifacts, etc, that relate to the CPRR, UPRR, and Western US railroad history. Altogether the site hosts more then 10,000 separate web pages. Centpacrr (talk) 01:59, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I appreciate your forthrightness, but the lack of connection between CPRR and the topic of Ambrose is exactly what disturbs me. If the CPRR site were being cited as a source for the history of the CPRR, I'd probably have no issue with it at all. I don't doubt that it's attracted a great deal of interest from the railroad history community. (Which does make it a hobbyist subject, at least according to these pages [73],[74],[75]. And if it's not being used as someone's main source of income, then it is amateur.) That makes it functionally close enough to peer-reviewed to make me think it's a great RS for non-controversial assertions about the CPRR. But it's not being used as a source for a CPRR article here. It's being used as a source for an article on a modern semi-historian.

Absent spending a ridiculous amount of time cross-checking the paper versions of the book, we have only your word that Ambrose or his publisher accepted and made all of the corrections in the essay cross-posted in CPRR, unless I missed seeing where you have a source which states that. If not, then that assertion needs to be struck from the article as unsourced. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 02:51, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

• Please refrain from using this noticeboard to attack other editors, praise other editors, or discuss other editors in any way whatsoever. Please limit your discussion to the reliability of specific sources for specific citations. Dlabtot (talk) 23:47, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

• My comment was not for the purpose of attacking other editors, only to point out that the original charges made by 75.2.209.226 against the reliability of the source in question contained misrepresentations and the reasons therefore. Centpacrr (talk) 00:24, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Hmmm...Regarding CCRP, their About page[76] says that this is a "family run" web site. I don't seem to see an editorial policy, or any credentials of the authors. However, it does seem to enjoy some sort of following within education circles. According to the National Education Association, Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum "features more than 10,000 files with a terrific online library of more than 2000 19th century pictures, maps and descriptions of railroad construction and travel. It tells the story of the Pacific Railroad in human terms with lots of exhibits and first person accounts. It also has a simulation game for elementary students called The Great Railroad Race."[77] History.com lists it as additional resource in this student handout.[78] PBS recommends it as further reading.[79] The Library of Congress says it has an "Extensive collection of photographs related to building the Central Pacific Railroad, as well as its early years of operation. Includes some now (1997) and then (1868) comparison photos."[80] I don't know. My initial thought is that it is probably an informative web site, but doesn't quite live up to the standards set forth by WP:RS. But I could be wrong. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 01:15, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the input, and for spending the time to look up more information on the subject. It definitely helps.

Separately, my apologies - I should have made it clearer, but it's being used as a source for Stephen Ambrose's bio page, not the history of the Central Pacific Railroad. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear from the beginning, given that RS-iness often hinges on who knows the most about a specific topic. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I would suggest that the whole matter as to relevance would be completely answered in the affirmative for anyone questioning it simply by looking at the one page on CPRR.org that is linked to the Ambrose article which is exactly on the point of the section of the article in which it appears, i.e., inaccuracies in Ambrose's book on the history of the CPRR and the Pacific Railroad. Centpacrr (talk) 02:29, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

As noted above, the very fact that this is the only area where CPRR presumes authority on Ambrose is exactly the problem. If a railfan tells me that Reading Railroad should be pronounced "redding", you can bet I'll take their word for it. But if they tell me that reading aptitude scores in the United States have dropped 37% as a direct result of Obama's presidency, I'll take it with a grain of salt because they're speaking well out of their field of expertise. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 03:00, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

With respect, that's just a straw man argument about giving arbitrary process precedence over provable substance. Read the paper and you will find that is an objective, well sourced, and carefully documented exposition of more than sixty demonstrably inaccurate "facts" in the text on Ambrose's book on the subject of the CPRR, and this is exactly the topic of the section of the Ambrose article ("Inaccuracies and falsifications") in which it appears as a source. Whether or not the authors of this particular fact checking paper were paid or not to compile it has absolutely no relevance as to its reliability, it is the documentation and sources upon which the paper is based that does. The three "railfans" (as you call them) that prepared this paper all have decades of experience in researching and writing about the history of the CPRR and western railroads, and even if they have not done so "professionally", an objective review of their paper demonstrates that they are far more reliable sources on the subject as "amateur" historians than Stephen Ambrose proved to be in this case as a "professional" one. And that's exactly the point that the paper demonstrates. Centpacrr (talk) 04:20, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Collapsing off-topic discussion A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 02:01, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

This is the third time this IP has brought up this issue, to two different noticeboards. Each time, it's led to a rather lengthy debate. I would not object to the IP having the discussion once. Three seems excessive.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:26, 2 July 2010 (UTC) Wehwalt, I am not the IP you're accusing me of being. Please note that even CentPacRR has conceded this, and feel free to verify it for yourself as he did. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC) Further, please note that the IP you're accusing me of being was arguing for the inclusion of warchronicle (if I understand correctly), against CentPacRR's quite true arguments that it wasn't any more of a reliable source than cprr.org. I don't think either of them is a reliable source for this topic. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:38, 2 July 2010 (UTC) I'll accept the assertion re identity, though I would feel more comfortable if your user contributions showed either an interest in Ambrose, the Central Pacific RR, or reliable sources in general.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:39, 2 July 2010 (UTC) If you have an accusation to make, make it. If not, I would ask that you not find cute ways to insinuate it and pretend you didn't. Yes, I know this is practically an invitation for you to get me checkusered, but I don't have anything to hide. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:53, 2 July 2010 (UTC) (checks own browsing history) If it makes you more "comfortable", I ran into the discussion at NPOV Noticeboard while checking on my own question there about Chernobyl. After digging a little, I thought that the NPOV allegation was on shaky ground, but not the RS question. While looking up more information on the topic, I discovered that it had been brought here but wound up ignored due to TLDR-ing. (Possibly also due to the absence of the originating editor; I didn't look into the timeline of exactly when he got banned for socking.) I suspect that if almost any editor went through their own contribution history, they'd find material just as likely to get them accused of being a sock when they wiki-walked into a new topic area. Given only one degree of separation, I'd hope for a little more AGF from someone who's tool-enabled. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 02:51, 2 July 2010 (UTC) A Quest For Knowledge, thank you very much for the collapse. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 02:51, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

• Back to the actual topic: Are Warchronicle.com and CPRR reliable sources on Stephen Ambrose? 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:55, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I do think the historical context for this question warrants some consideration in how it is handled. It was raised by editor 75.2.209.226, who has now been indefinitely blocked (i.e. see his Techwriter2B ID). 75.2.209.226 engaged in severe wikihounding of several editors, including Centpacrr. One aspect of this harassment involved starting threads on multiple forums (I believe at least 16 threads primarily directed at Centpacrr), for which 75.2.209.226 apparently received a forum shopping warning (and he received other warnings as well). This is one of those threads. To further perpetuate this process (which was designed to harass an editor) is, I think, rather problematic. Incidentally, I should mention that I was pretty much a neutral observer in this (never had direct conflict with 75.2.209.226 myself, though several days ago I posted about the situation at AN/I, which resulted in the indefinite block being placed).

On the merits of the question. Centpacrr is neither an author of the paper nor an owner of the website, nor does he derive financial benefits from the website (nor has Centpacrr ever been harmed by Stephen Ambrose). So there doesn’t appear to be a reasonable case for COI here. The contents of the paper appear to be straightforward factual information and quotations of text from Ambrose, with primary sources cited for the material included in the paper (i.e. high verifiability). Importantly, the contents of the paper are limited to the intersection of Ambrose and railroad history, with rail history constituting a topic on which the paper authors (and website) have clear expertise. Your “reading score” analogy is thus entirely flawed. The authors of the paper don’t presume to make inferences regarding Ambrose in other ways (e.g. his health, his political beliefs, his writing style, etc.). They only speak to the accuracy of his statements writing about rail history (i.e. their area of expertise), and the paper is only cited in the WP article in this regard. Eurytemora (talk) 04:39, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

P.S. Minor point - I also would tend to disagree with the characterization that the topic "wound up ignored" here when originally posted, since looking at the archived thread I see an intensive discussion lasting over three days (00:58 May 12 - 09:27 May 15) and involving five editors (with 75.2.209.226 commenting heavily for the duration). Also, regarding the speculation that it might have gotten dropped "due to the absence of the originating editor" 75.2.209.226 - he was only blocked on June 23. Eurytemora (talk) 09:56, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Eurytemora, could you explain why the fact 75.2 brought up the question makes my bringing up the question suspect, unless you're claiming that I'm 75.2? This is getting increasingly reminiscent of the "Hitler was a vegetarian, therefore all vegetarians are wrong" argument, a guilt-by-association variant on ad hominem. And it's particularly tiresome because I'm not 75.2, and I'm tired of answering for his/her behavior as if all IPs are alike. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 13:20, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

(Struck because I was probably being hypersensitive [after repeated insinuations by other editors] about why Eurytemora brought up the point. I'm glad Eurytemora's present, and wish I'd known to contact him/her via talk page notice or via cross-posting a notice to the Stephen Ambrose discussion board. Speaking of which, I'll go do so - better late than never.) 76.22.25.102 (talk) 16:06, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

To answer the question "Are Warchronicle.com and CPRR reliable sources on Stephen Ambrose?" I see that another editor said "The paper linked to Ambrose article was not produced by CPRR.org, but is only hosted on the site for free because its topic relates directly to the CPRR." If this is true (and it appears to be) then shouldn't the scrutiny be on the authors of the content? ɳorɑfʈ ^Talk! 10:41, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Publication at CPRR is tangentially relevant (e.g. the paper is not self-published). I should also point out that one of the authors of the paper (Edson Strobridge) has a commentary (on the precise topic of this paper) published at HNN. The various authors appear to have multiple publications concerning railroad history and their work/expertise appears to be cited by others in the field. Eurytemora (talk) 11:53, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I would tend to agree. This discussion, in common with the previous ones, is framed as "the expertise of this website about the Central Pacific Railroad when it talks about Stephen Ambrose". In fact, it is "the expertise of this website about the Central Pacific Railroad when it talks about Stephen Ambrose talking about the Central Pacific Railroad". It is no different than a website about Nixon pointing out errors in Ambrose's bio of Nixon. Self publication, editorial oversight, yes, these are factors we consider pursuant to WP:RS, but those are not the only factors. It is in my view a reliable source on the railroad. Thus, to the extent that Ambrose stuck his nose into the area of expertise, it's a reliable source for that as well. I do not think it would be a reliable source, on an unconnected aspect of Ambrose's life or work.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:05, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

The scrutiny in this case should be on the demonstrable reliability of the facts and their sources that were cited in the paper, not on whether or not the paper's authors are "professional" historians or not. The whole point being demonstrated by the section of the Ambrose article in which the paper is cited is the abject fallacy of blindly accepting statements made in Ambrose's writings as always reliable simply because he was paid to make them and they were then published in a book. Whether or not those who were able to objectively prove that many statements of "fact" Ambrose made in the subject book were false were then paid by a third party to do so -- or, for that matter, whether or not they have the same academic "credentials" as the late Dr. Ambrose -- just has no baring on that question. Demonstrably false "facts" do not suddenly become reliable simply because they were stated, written, and commercially published by an academically credentialed professional, nor does their debunking become unreliable because those who demonstrated them to be false are "amateurs" who did so without without seeking monetary compensation for their efforts. Centpacrr (talk) 12:52, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

There's clear consensus to use CPRR as a reliable source in this case, and no hard feelings. However, part of my question still stands - is warchronicle also a reliable source in this case? 76.22.25.102 (talk) 13:20, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

In my view, the warchronicles.com case is very analogous. It’s not self-published, and it appears to be written by a military historian with relevant expertise (specifically USAAF Troop Carrier Historian Randy Hils), whose work is cited by others in this field, and who appears to have articles published in other reliable sources (including HNN). In both cases under discussion, the respective authors did not come through the usual academic route (i.e. doctorate in history), but have gained and demonstrated extensive specialized knowledge in their respective areas (railroad history and military history), have placed a premium on accuracy, and appear well regarded by other historians. Eurytemora (talk) 13:57, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I tend to agree. In addition, they accept "submissions" so there seems to be some sort of oversight going on. And I agree, Mr. Hils's credential, while they wouldn't get him in the door at a lot of history departments, are adequate for our purposes. Are there additional questions unresolved? No matter what the outcome, and exhibiting the same neutrality that the IP has professed, I'd like to drive a stake through the heart of this topic.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:02, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Could you link exactly where they assert that they reviewed his "submission" (or any other), titled "An Open Letter to the Airborne Community on the History of OPERATION NEPTUNE" for accuracy? By its very title, it suggests it was subject to no review whatsoever.

With all due respect, your "No matter what the outcome... I'd like to drive a stake through the heart of this", your simple reiteration of Eurytemora's characterization, and your pejorative description of me, suggests that you've simply decided to automatically "vote" against anything I say and that you've shot neutrality out the window. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 14:15, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

No, sorry, not true in the least. I call them as I see them.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:17, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Then would you mind providing the requested basis for the rationale you assert, since it wasn't simply a knee-jerk response? 76.22.25.102 (talk) 14:27, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Sure, per WP:IRS, "the word "source" as used on Wikipedia has three related meanings: the piece of work itself (the article, paper, document, book), the creator of the work (for example, the writer), and the publisher of the work (for example, The New York Times or Cambridge University Press). All three can affect reliability. Reliable sources may therefore be published materials with a reliable publication process; they may be authors who are regarded as authoritative in relation to the subject in question; or they may be both." This discussion has really only focused on the website, and discussion above has convinced me that it is run by an authoritative person in the field. The fact that it accepts submissions is at least surface indication that it conducts a review process. As in common with many website, that process is not spelled out in detail, but neither does The New York Times. I therefore feel that the website is reliable enough not to disqualify it, though I feel that close-in analysis of the article and author should take place at the affected article talk page itself.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:35, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

"run by an authoritative person in the field" - I'm pretty sure Hils doesn't run it, whether you think he's authoritative or not. Your lack of comprehension of the arguments you're trying to paraphrase, again, suggests that you're "voting". If I'm wrong and you do know who runs it and have evidence that they're "authoritative", I would welcome the information and the correction.

"The fact that it accepts submissions is at least surface indication that it conducts a review process." - I believe you have that backwards. If it rejects submissions, that would indicate it conducts a review process. There are a number of ill-regarded "journals" that accept every submission that includes the "publication costs". And for that matter, on the same page where it says it accepts submissions, it goes on to say "General comments, questions, raspberries, criticism, corrections, and additional information are also all welcome." 76.22.25.102 (talk) 15:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

P.S. I will add though – when I get a chance, I plan to add a couple of additional references for this section in the Ambrose article (e.g. Philadelphia Inquirer piece in regards to the military material). Eurytemora (talk) 14:01, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

That would be most welcome. I'm personally of the opinion that the best cure for theoretically-questionable material is to reinforce it. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 15:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

(Note - this was written without seeing Eurytemora's response) Qualification: They appear to have consensus for their acceptance for their assertions about Ambrose's accuracy. Is there also consensus for "Note: G.J. Graves comments that "The paper back edition has all of our corrections, but we are not given credit."" being repeated as fact, given that even they don't appear to be endorsing Graves' comment, just attributing it to him?

Also, if if it helps, this is the tenor of the writing in the warchronicle "articles", which read much more like letters to the editor: "Would General Eisenhower have expected US Army officers to pull a gun to the heads of British sailors on D-Day? Should American officers be portrayed as thugs, and should British sailors be portrayed as cowards? Are these the type of men who put their lives at risk on D-Day? The reputation of Captain Ettore V. Zappacosta of B Company 116th Infantry Regiment has been besmirched. British sailors from 551 Assault Flotilla, Combined Operations, Royal Navy have been dishonoured. This bad reporting and blatantly poor research has caused great bitterness and resentment amongst American and British veterans. Popular history it may be, but accurate certainly not!" Full links. Supported text, which also includes an incredibly dubious "I saw it on C-Span" cite (23).

Personally, my gut feeling is that they're probably correct, although they're both describing the same incident - but Stephen Colbert's wisdom aside, my gut is not an RS. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 14:01, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

The strong wording you note (i.e. with which Hils closes his piece on the coxwains) – in many ways , that’s not terribly different from many good (i.e. reliable source) Gawker or Village Voice articles. The accuracy/verifiability/reliability of the underlying information in the article is the relevant thing here. Also, just to make it clear - the C-SPAN cite is in the WP article (not in Hils).Eurytemora (talk) 14:56, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for reading the articles in question and for the possible correction - I was aware that the C-SPAN cite was distinct from Hils, but I think it's a lot better to hear a correction I already knew than to not hear a correction I needed. My apologies for the ambiguity of saying "Supported text, which includes" - I was trying to draw a distinction between the supporting cite and the section it supported, but it obviously didn't work.

Not a particularly critical distinction, but the strong wording was actually in Elsby's piece. (I'm a lot more glad that you read it and were aware of it than I am concerned by mistaking which piece it was from.)

I've only found the one article by Hils on HNN, and a reference to him in another article written by someone else. Could you point me toward other RS's he was published in? That would go a long way. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 15:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes - thanks for correcting me also; should have referenced Elsby (on coxswains).

I looked into much of this a while ago, and found other references to Hils, etc. at that point. Don’t have time to dig into this again right now (perhaps tonight or tomorrow if I can find the time). Eurytemora (talk) 17:35, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

My point above was that the website qualifies but individual articles might not. Obviously articles which are speculative, editorial, or downright alternate history would not. Source has several distinct meanings, as I quoted. Among these are both the publisher (website) and the article (page). My view is the website is reliable but not everything in there is necessarily reliable. Not everything in The New York Times, a reliable source, may be used on Wikipedia, for example certain opinion columns and letters to the editor.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:43, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Then you might want to look more closely at the articles you're endorsing. That's a quote from one of them. And Hils' piece (the more reliable one) is actually titled, "An Open Letter", while the Elsby piece (the one with the unfortunate wording) is called an article. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 15:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I don’t know how to ideally deal with the WP Ambrose article ref 23. Looking back into the Ambrose article’s history, it seems that the current composition of the sentence and ref 23 placement reflects the removal of substantive details (in interim edits), which rather muddied the content. Ambrose was using oral histories in his writing, and ref 23 refers to one such recorded oral history (of a Sgt Slaughter) that was discrepant with other information and that was explicitly used by Ambrose. The Slaughter recording was apparently once broadcast on C-SPAN. Eurytemora (talk) 14:42, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for taking a look at that one, despite its not being in the original subject. If you saw anything which included verifiable/refutable information at some point in the history (i.e. "broadcast on July 13, 1987 at 1:35 pm"), I'd be much less leery of it. As it is, it comes across as suffering from the same flaw Ambrose seemed to have - if you get called out on giving specific dates that don't match, stop giving specific dates. (For all I know, the editor may have been copying Ambrose's attribution verbatim.) 76.22.25.102 (talk) 15:33, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I actually found the C-SPAN recording online, and listened to the whole damn thing (it’s the American Eyewitness D-Day Accounts Forum 05/17/1994). And I dug further into the whole coxswain controversy this morning. As written, the current WP text on the coxswains is not technically “inaccurate”, but a rewrite of the coxswain material might be preferable – not sure. Will share more thoughts when I have a chance. Eurytemora (talk) 17:35, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

"I actually found the C-SPAN recording online, and listened to the whole damn thing" - Wow. That's what I'd call "taking one for the team".

I don't know if we have the same issue with the coxswain controversy; I'll toss mine out.

1. Hils and Elsby are not each describing an incident. Elsby describes both; Hils only mentions the incidents in passing.
2. To elaborate, Hils says this in a list of Ambrose's and Marshall's other sins: "Marshall's credibility has been severely damaged by the discovery of fabrications related to his accusations of cowardice by British coxswains at Omaha Beach." That's all he says about it. To me, a) that doesn't sound like he researched or verified it himself at all, and b) he doesn't actually say anything about Ambrose's involvement in the coxswain controversy, much less that he copied Marshall. It's likely that he did, but to attribute this to Hils is a synthesis that's missing a few pieces.
3. Elsby not only appears too emotionally invested in the subject (the quotes I gave actually feature some of the less histrionic terms he uses), he quotes this debriefing as if it proved him right: "Four hundred yards from the shore the British coxswain insisted that he could take the craft no further. He started to lower the ramp but the platoon sergeant Willard R. Northfleet blocked the mechanism and insisted that the boat was going in farther". That's neither an endorsement nor a denial of either the "Nothing of the sort happened" that Elsby infers or Slaughter's gun to the head.

Honestly, it sounds like men under the intense stress of imminent death later embellished their fragmented memories to the story they wanted to remember, and weren't consciously aware that they might have been amalgamating details from other people's stories. There still exists controversy that should be properly documented, but not in terms of which side "claimed" or "denied" anything - I think it needs to be recounted without prejudice as a he-said-she-said (in which Ambrose unwisely took sides).

My suggestions:

1. Hils needs to be dropped from this paragraph. He doesn't make the claim he's represented as making, and the claim he does make isn't germane to the article.
2. I'll defer to you about whether Slaughter is verifiably (not synthetically) talking about the Northfleet incident; Elsby omits any mention of Slaughter so I can't say.
3. I have extreme doubts about Elsby's reliability as a source, and about warchronicle's reliability in general (in the absence of outside qualifications like Hils'). But assuming that the consensus will be to include him:
4. If Slaughter can be brought in, it needs to be noted that the debriefing Elsby mentions is ambiguous, or simply quote the debriefing - the unsourced "other veterans of the landing have denied that the incident took place" should be struck.
5. Sales' account of the Zappacotta incident absolutely deserves inclusion, as does the fact that Sales was on the boat in question. Terms that explicitly pass judgment on who's right would be inappropriate, but the witness's qualifications aren't inappropriate in the slightest. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 22:39, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

I've continued digging into this. Will try to post something tomorrow. Eurytemora (talk) 10:40, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Trying to synopsize it for you until you get back (these are my own conclusions which are open to challenge, not final group conclusions):

1. Warchronicle appears to have little reliability of its own, as a self-published website that posts submissions (or general comments, questions, raspberries, etc) without any apparent editorial review. No one has shown otherwise, only asserted that they "accept submissions" and insinuated that they might therefore review or reject unreliable material, which are the true tests. Warchronicle does not confer reliability, but it does not negate it either in the case of individuals (i.e. Hils) who have unique qualifications that make them RS's independent of warchronicle.
2. Hils is likely an RS, taking on faith that you've seen other instances of him being published besides the one HNN piece. But it seems to be moot at this point, because he doesn't actually make any claims about Ambrose's role in the coxswain controversy, or about Ambrose repeating Marshall in that matter.
3. I personally believe Elsby is nigh-worthless as a source in terms of his conclusions. He hasn't been shown to be published or respected as an expert. He omits contradictory accounts, misrepresents sources, and inflates Ambrose from a flawed historian to a Monster who Desecrates the Graves of Servicemen. But he at least appears to give accurate quotes from his sources, given that he's quoting them in language that contradicts the conclusions he draws from them. It would be far better to have original sourcing for Sales and for the debriefing, but I don't think that's possible. What are your thoughts on whether an unreliable source can be trusted to accurately quote a reliable source (such as Sales or the debriefing)?
4. Reiterating a point, strong consensus appears to be that CPRR is a reliable source wrt their essay, since a majority of the assertions they make therein are directly about or tangential to railroad history. But CPRR does not put their reliability behind Graves' assertion (that their corrections were incorporated), or call it accurate. They're simply repeating what someone told them, and it doesn't touch on railroad history. I didn't see any contradiction to this, but it's worth repeating to allow challenge before dropping it as not reliably-sourced. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 00:08, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

• The point regarding all corrections to the errors documented in the paper having been incorporated in some later editions of the book is now moot as, in an abundance of caution, I deleted it from the article on my own on July 2nd as not currently independently verified. Centpacrr (talk) 03:52, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Thank you, I didn't realize you had. Doing so suggests that I was in error in casting aspersions on your principles - I apologize. I should have AGFed rather than being as cynical as I'm wont to be in cases of apparent economic benefit. Economic benefit and high principles are not mutually exclusive. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 01:52, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm suspecting that now that the discussion has gotten down to brass tacks, it ought to move to Talk:Stephen Ambrose.--Wehwalt (talk) 02:18, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

I've posted followup at Talk:Stephen Ambrose. Eurytemora (talk) 14:31, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

pogo.org

1. Is http://www.POGO.org a reliable source? Seems notable - it is cited in LOTS of news sources as contributing to exposure of gov't and contractor misdeeds. Is it a good enough source to include, for an announcement of an award given by POGO Project On Government Oversight to a politician Darrell Issa as seen here?
2. Is the politician's website a reliable source to cite that the award took place?

Or it the whole thing a house of cards? --Lexein (talk) 08:40, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Reputable advocacy organizations are generally citable with attribution. WP:SPS is the controlling policy concerning a politician's website. WP:UNDUE is a different question. Dlabtot (talk) 16:15, 2 July 2010 (UTC)

Rasmussen Reports

A number of editors are battling to keep a version of the article that relies heavily on self-published group blogs to make a claim about the political partisanship of the subject. Are group blogs like Daily Kos and MyDD reliable sources in this instance? WP:RS and WP:V seem to say very clearly that they are not, but it appears there are a number of people who don't see it that way. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 15:16, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

It would be helpful if, one at a time, you told us: What is the exact url of the source in question? In which article is the source being used? What is the exact statement in the article that the source is supporting? Where is the relevant talk page discussion, if any? Dlabtot (talk) 15:46, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

The relevant talk page is here. The section is relying almost entirely on blog sources to make a political statement, causing significant undue weight issues anyway. All the points can be made using reliable, non-blog sources. The section of the article that keeps being restored with the bad sources is here, with the inline references in place to ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, MyDD, Media Matters, HotAir.com, and Right Wing News.com, none of which are appropriate. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 15:49, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

The most important thing, if you want to have a constructive discussion of this, would be to point to one specific citation for us to discuss. After we reach consensus about the first citation, we can move onto the second, and so on. If you don't want to discuss specifics, you're just wasting your time and everyone else's. Dlabtot (talk) 16:06, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

It's all the blog citations. It's not simply one - are you saying that some self-published blogs are okay? I have pointed you to where they are and who they are, the policy appears clear in this instance. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 18:00, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Since you aren't willing to discuss any specific citation, I'm marking this as resolved. Feel free to re-open the discussion if you wish to discuss anything specific. Dlabtot (talk) 18:29, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm unresolving it since you somehow think this is about one source. It's not. Did you look at the article and discussion in question? If you're unwilling to do so, leave it to someone who is. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 18:33, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

This noticeboard is for asking questions about sources and citations. It isn't for general discussion of the sourcing guideline or the verifiability policy. It isn't for making blanket pronouncements about the reliability of any one source or category of sources. And it definitely isn't for rallying support for your 'side' in a dispute. But if you have questions about the applicability of a specific source for a specific citation, this is the place. Dlabtot (talk) 21:11, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

It's the specific use of Daily Kos, MyDD, Hot Air, et al. Are you actually patrolling this board to help out, or what? I am asking you questions about those sources, and you seem to be stonewalling me in terms of responding. It's a yes or no. If you can't answer, tell me so I can find someone who can. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 21:49, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I can't attempt to answer a question that hasn't been asked. Do you have any specific question about any specific source or citation?

What is the url of the source in question?

What is the exact statement in the article that the source is supporting?

Dlabtot (talk) 22:30, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

There are 9 of them. I'll go to RfC instead, clearly this is not a place that can help the situation out. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 22:38, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, some self-published blogs are okay. Now can you please provide specific examples as requested? Thanks! ElKevbo (talk) 19:48, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I've linked the section already. Please take a look. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 21:49, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Unless you have a specific concern you want to address here in the manner Dlabtot has repeatedly tried to solicit from you (which I think shows an admirable level of politeness and restraint), coming to a board and making general assertions of wrongdoing then asking editors to come join you at the board in question could be perceived as canvassing. This is true whether you're at this board, RfC, or anywhere else.

While canvassing is not inherently "wrong" per se, it doesn't often improve quality of discussion unless the editors you're trying to canvass have useful, specialized knowledge of the topic in question. By asking editors to go into a discussion such as you've described above blind, you've almost negated that possibility.

And if I may speak bluntly? Trying to fight consensus, whether you consider it to be fair or unfair, is almost always a losing battle that few people would charge into without strong motivation. Unless you have the experience and knowledge for how to show diffs that give people reason to believe you, I personally believe you would be far better off letting this go, no matter who's "Right" or "Wrong".

There are plenty of useful, low-stress tasks you can work on, like adding information for a favorite hobby or contributing to a reference desk where you have specialized knowledge or... well, just look around. Fighting a battle you're not equipped for will usually only end in frustration and stress to the point of grief, followed by abandoning the project. That doesn't do anyone any good. 76.22.25.102 (talk) 23:10, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Funny, I did exactly what I'm supposed to do. It's fine, I've moved along to a dispute resolution process that might resolve the issue one way or the other, since no one here is willing to do so. Ed Wood's Wig (talk) 23:15, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Self-published sources

WP policy on self-published sources (WP:SELFPUBLISH) seems vague as to what qualifies as a self-published source and what does not. Apart from academic papers, books by established publishers, magazines, and newspapers, please give several examples of what is and what isn't self-published. I am particularly interested in the work product of organizations and websites which don't clearly qualify as news organizations. Drrll (talk) 19:12, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

You might want to start by searching for "self-published" in the archives of this page. Then, if you still have questions, feel free to come back. Itsmejudith (talk) 19:38, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

I looked at "self-published" entries in the archive, but that didn't help. Does the self-published designation only apply to self-published books, press releases, and personal websites, or can it also apply to non-news organizations? Examples I had in mind were The Heritage Foundation, the Center for American Progress, the Media Research Center, and Media Matters for America. Drrll (talk) 21:08, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Odd that you couldn't find this discussion of your question in the archives, considering that you precipitated it and participated in it. Dlabtot (talk) 21:16, 4 July 2010 (UTC)

Of course I found that. The question of whether that one specific source was self-published was not decisively determined. Drrll (talk) 04:02, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

The simple answer is that material that we do not regard as properly published, i.e. it has gone through no process of peer review or fact checking, can in general be regarded as self-published. If that isn't clear in the policy and guideline you might want to suggest an improved wording. "Non-news organisations" is such a broad category that we wouldn't be able to make a general ruling on them. Itsmejudith (talk) 09:02, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

If a single individual produces and has control over all content, without other editorial oversight, then it's self-published. Jayjg ^(talk) 03:26, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Opinion of climatologist Judith Curry re a pop-science climate book

Recently, I posted the following information at The Hockey Stick Illusion, a popular-science book, at the "Reception" section (diff):

Climatologist Judith Curry, chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, wrote: "I recommend that you read the “Hockey Stick Illusion” by Andrew Montford. ... The book is well documented, it obviously has a certain spin to it, but it is a very good book." Source: Who Started this Ruckus, Anyway?, posted by Keith Kloor, June 18, 2010. [edited since it's not quite clear what the format is, Pete Tillman (talk) 20:04, 5 July 2010 (UTC)]

The quote is taken from an interview of exchange between Curry and another scientist at a discussion hosted by Keith Kloor, a well-known environmental journalist and former editor at Audubon Magazine. His resume is here, and he would easily qualify as an "expert journalist," I believe.

Editor Kim D. Petersen removed the quote, commenting "While i am 99% convinced that this is Curry - WP:BLP states categorically that we cannot use this as a reference, since the medium isn't reliable for this." Discussion at Talk:The_Hockey_Stick_Illusion#rm_Curry seems unlikely to reach a conclusion. On advice of another editor, I'm moving the discussiion of whether to use this source and quote here.

While a strict interpretation of WP:RS and WP:BLP might disallow the source, this would appear to be a gray area, "best treated with common sense" per the regs. I'd be happy to contact Curry and confirm that Kloor did indeed convey her remarks accurately. I think we would be unnecessarily depriving readers of (so far) the only published climatologist's opinion of an interesting book. --Pete Tillman (talk) 18:50, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Leaving aside for the moment the sps questions, which I agree are in the gray area, your quote seems entirely inappropriate, the ellipsis removes necessary context, and the reader is left with an impression quite different from what Curry meant to convey, imho. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dlabtot (talk • contribs)

Collide-a-scape.com appears [81] to be a personal blog by Keith Kloor. As such, I think its use would collide (apologies for the pun) with WP:BLP#Avoid self-published sources, which seems quite definitive on that topic: "Never use self-published sources—including but not limited to books, zines, websites, blogs, or tweets—as sources of material about a living person, unless written or published by the subject (see below)." This blog is clearly not written or published by the subject. There appears to be no exemption for blogs by "expert journalists". The only exemption is for "online columns" hosted by news organizations, which clearly doesn't cover personal blogs, "so long as the writers are professionals and the blog is subject to the newspaper's full editorial control", which again clearly isn't the case with a personal blog. I can't see any wriggle room in BLPSPS that would allow the use of this blog. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:11, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

If everybody agrees that the source is actually Curry and the only resistance is due to policy, just invoke WP:IAR. That being said, I agree with Dlabtots sentiment that you are misquoting him. Curry was recommending the book to Bart Verheggen specifically, not making a general statement people should read the book. Yoenit (talk) 19:16, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Well, it seems to me that the problem with using a personal blog - which is the reason why BLPSPS exists in the first place - is that you have no editorial oversight. The basic principle of reliable sourcing is that whatever we cite must have gone through an editorial process. That guarantees that at least one other person has seen, hopefully reviewed and approved the material. A personal blog lacks the editorial oversight that reliable sourcing requires. Particularly when it comes to material about living persons, you need that oversight to be in place. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:24, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)

There is no doubt that it is Dr Judith Curry The above comments from her were a follow on from an interview with her on Kloors site mark nutley (talk) 19:26, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Mark, it is not an interview. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 19:28, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

I did not say it was an interview mark nutley (talk) 19:49, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict)The context is that Curry (who is a she, if it is indeed her) is recommending the book to understand the climate sceptic view (specifically the one surrounding climateaudit.org), she also points out that the book has been completely ignored by mainstream scientists. It is not an interview - but rather a cut/paste from another comment thread[82]. Elevating this to a reliable source is to my eyes rather problematic. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 19:27, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

If Curry's comments are notable, then you should be able to find them reported in a reliable source. TFD (talk) 19:30, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing that out, Kim - it changes the situation substantially. WP:BLPSPS and WP:NEWSBLOG both state: "Posts left by readers are never acceptable as sources." That seems pretty conclusive to me. -- ChrisO (talk) 19:31, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Good points from Dlabtot and Yoenit. As for ChrisO's point about citing a blog, we need not cite the blog. Instead, we can cite Curry herself.[83] In this case, it falls under WP:SPS: she's an established expert who has been published in the relevant field. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:34, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

See the comment right above, how do you justify citing a blog-comment - which isn't allowable by policy (with no exceptions given). As i read policy, it is specifically to ensure that people aren't taking things out of context that you can't cite commentary - and that is ignoring that we have no verification that this is Curry. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 19:41, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

(ec) We are never allowed to cite comments to a blog post, as stated above. Besides, there is no proof that Curry made that post She doesn't appear to have an account, so anybody could have posted using her name. Yoenit (talk) 19:42, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

You're looking at this the wrong way. We're not citing a post made by a reader per se. Instead we're citing Curry herself as an SPS. Posting a comment to a blog is simply the way she choose to publish herself. (Sorry to use bold face, but this is the key point I am trying to make and don't want anyone to miss it.) A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:48, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Yoenit it is her, she has been interviewed by Kloor on the site [84] mark nutley (talk) 19:51, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Policy is quite clear on this, it is not allowed. Posting a comment on a blog is not a way to publish yourself as a respectable climate scientist. I have no doubt it was her, but there is no way to prove it. Anybody could have made that post under her name (in fact I just posted as Judith Curry on the site). Why do you think this sort of stuff is not allowed? Yoenit (talk) 19:59, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

It's not her blog, so not exactly a SPS, and if she wants her views presented for publication she has plenty of other options for publishing them. Also, she's not a subject expert on the topic of the book, which is not about hurricanes, and has professed ignorance about the claims in the book. . dave souza, talk 20:02, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

---

(edit conflict)"Posting a comment on a blog is not a way to publish yourself as a respectable climate scientist." Perhaps, but this has no basis in policy. It's not up to us as Wikipedia editors to say how scientists should behave. OTOH, I am sympathetic to the argument that we should verify that this indeed was Curry. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:04, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

It is explicitly set in policy that we cannot use such commentary - so your "its not up to us.." statement is rather far-fetched. --Kim D. Petersen (talk) 20:44, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

• Why don't we cut the Gordian knot, ask Dr. Curry for a quotable opinion on the book & a free CC license, archive it under the OTRS files, and cite that? Would that satisfy the objectors? Or should I just do it, & see what happens? I've corresponded with Dr. Curry in the past & found her pleasant & cooperative. Thoughts? TIA, Pete Tillman (talk) 19:55, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

A perfect solution, and one i did not know existed, well done pete mark nutley (talk) 19:59, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

The reason we don't conduct original research of the type you are proposing is that it is as against our bedrock policies. Dlabtot (talk) 20:02, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Please read the "Citing an email" section on this noticeboard for a similar case and some reasons why it is not allowed Yoenit (talk) 20:10, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

[e/c]Well, I don't think that's OR -- but what if we just ask her to confirm she wrote the bit at Kloor's, & that it's OK to use it here? Pete Tillman (talk) 20:13, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

No. We have to base our editorial decisions on material that is verifiable to reliable sources. Not on original research we conduct (for example, our own personal correspondence.) Dlabtot (talk) 20:18, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

I've seen this issue ("can I use my own personal correspondence as a reliable source?") before, and the consensus has always been that it should not be used. I suggest taking a look at the archives of this page. -- ChrisO (talk) 20:28, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

No one said anything about citing an e-mail as a source for article content. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:30, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

That is effectively what is being proposed, albeit at one remove: using a personal email to convert a unreliable source into a reliable one. But since the personal email is itself an unreliable source, that can't be done. -- ChrisO (talk) 20:38, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

It's original research no matter how it's used. Dlabtot (talk) 20:39, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

ChrisO, so when Hipocrite sent a personal e-mail to Newsweek, was he wrong? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:44, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

That is definitely and obviously conducting original research. I'm not sure what you mean by 'wrong' or why you keep bringing this up. Dlabtot (talk) 20:56, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

I assume you're referring to the discussion above at #Newsweek's "The gaggle" blog. He gained some useful though uncitable information that way, but we had a reliable third party source (the New York Observer) describing Newsweek's editorial arrangements and confirming that the blog is under senior editorial supervision. Hipocrite's email was not needed to confirm that and it would not have sufficed by itself if we had not had that reliable third party source. But that case was fundamentally different - it concerned a piece written by a journalist working for a major news magazine and published on its website under editorial supervision. The presumption was always in favour of "The Gaggle" being a reliable source. None of those circumstances apply in this case. -- ChrisO (talk) 21:01, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Dlabtot: I bring it up because a Newsweek blog is being cited by our Climategate article even though Newsweek makes no claim that the blog falls under their full editorial. So Hipocrite e-mailed Newsweek who said that it does and cited that e-mail as evidence that the blog falls under their full editorial. If it is original research for us to e-mail Curry, then it is original research for us to e-mail Newsweek.

Yes, that is original research which was unnecessary anyway because the blog obviously is an official blog under their editorial control, spurious and disruptive claims to the contrary notwithstanding. Dlabtot (talk) 21:32, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

ChrisO: Can you please tell us where in the New York Observer article where it says that this blog falls under their full editorial control? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 21:11, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Since you apparently haven't checked what I wrote in the earlier discussion, let me repeat it: "The New York Observer article clearly states that (1) "The Gaggle" was established by Newsweek's editorial staff; (2) it is written by the weekly's reporters; and (3) it is edited by the senior editors". Hipocrite's email merely confirms that. -- ChrisO (talk) 21:20, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

No one's disputing the fact that the blog is written by Newsweek's staff. The question is whether it falls under their full editorial control. Can you please tell us where in the New York Observer article where it says that this blog falls under their full editorial control? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 21:36, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Please keep the newsweek discussion in the newsweek section and keep this for the comment Curry made. Yoenit (talk) 21:38, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

---

---

Time to reboot the discussion, I think.

First, Yoenit remarks above, "in fact I just posted as Judith Curry" (19:59, 5 July 2010 (UTC)), at Keith Kloor's site here (last comment). He was apparently unaware that this is a moderated forum. His imposture was promptly detected and removed. Yoenits' concern that "anybody could have posted using her name" (19:42, 5 July 2010 (UTC)) has been answered: "EDITOR: Removed test comment by imposter.//KK"

Second, from the discussion so far, it's clear that we need a publicly verifiable confirmation that Dr. Curry indeed wrote what (we almost all agree) she wrote. She has been an invited guest at the Kloor forum; for instance, Kloor interviews her here. My proposal is to contact Kloor and ask him to verify Curry's contribution regarding the Montford book (perhaps for him to emaill Curry to confirm this), then add a public editorial note to that discussion.

Assuming Kloor is willing to do this, would this satisfy the objections to using Curry's comments on the book? --putting aside (for the moment) what exactly should be quoted. Thanks, Pete Tillman (talk) 04:05, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Clearly, NO. Dlabtot (talk) 04:09, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Would you care to say why? --Pete Tillman (talk) 18:55, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

You mean, repeat what I and many others said in the discussion above? No, there is no need, just as there was no need to 'reboot' the discussion. Dlabtot (talk) 19:06, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Dlabot, you appear to be a regular here and I'm trying to work with you (and other such editors) to see if there's a way to make Curry's remarks verifiable, and thus usable here. I've proposed asking Kloor, the moderator, to publish an editorial statement at his blog saying "Curry wrote this stuff". Public & verifiable. Now tell me what's wrong, please. Thanks, Pete Tillman (talk) 21:29, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

You can't 'make' something verifiable; it's either verifiable by way of being previously published in a reliable source, or not. Dlabtot (talk) 21:42, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Tillman: Because you're using a third-party blog to verify that that the blog is reliable. A better approach might be to contact Curry herself to see if she would post something on her site verifying the account is hers. I think SPS will be satisfied then. However, given the 'imposter experiment', now might not be the best time. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 21:47, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Which would be irrelevant to the question of whether http://www.collide-a-scape.com/ is a reliable source in this instance, which is the actual question we have before us. Dlabtot (talk) 21:50, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Yeah, I doubt she'd go out of her way for Wikipedia right now. Sigh. Pete Tillman (talk) 21:52, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

To be honest, I think this source is fairly iffy. As someone else said above, if prestigious scientists like Curry are starting to talk about this book, then it won't be long before their opinions are mentioned in more reliable sources. One thing her statement does do in the meantime, however, is bely the comments by a couple of editors that this book is being ignored by non-skeptics. Cla68 (talk) 05:43, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Curry is the only "prestigious scientist" who has talked about the book, pro or con. Otherwise it has been completely ignored by the scientific community. That's hardly surprising given that it's not a "popular science" book (as misleadingly described above) but a collage of already-falsified claims written by a fringe non-scientist for a section of the public that is hostile to climate science. It's merely one of dozens of similar works of politically driven pseudoscience. There's nothing I know of that makes it stand out from the rest. -- ChrisO (talk) 06:51, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Is it fair to conclude from your statement that you personally don't appreciate Montford's book, the conclusions that he draws, or the fact that Curry thought the book was worthy of recommendation? Cla68 (talk) 07:06, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm simply pointing out the obvious flaw in your statement that "prestigious scientists like Curry are starting to talk about this book". They're not "starting to talk about this book". Curry is the only "prestigious scientist" to have done so, and your statement merely speculates about what other scientists might do in the future. There is certainly no indication that they will take any greater notice of the book. It has been out for, I think, about six months. In that time it has received zero reviews from scientists (including Curry, who didn't review it). It is not cited anywhere that I can find and has been ignored in print by all but a handful of right-wing columnists who have generally only mentioned it in passing. So Curry's comments certainly can't be taken as indicative of any trend in opinion. But I think we are in danger of straying off-topic here - getting back to the issue at hand, it's clear from this discussion that there's a fairly strong consensus that Curry's comments are not a reliable source and the policy prohibition on citing posts left by readers is clear. Unless anyone has any new points to make, I suggest closing this discussion as resolved. -- ChrisO (talk) 10:49, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I have one last remark, about my posting as Judith Curry: the comment in question was "testing whether it is possible to post under a false identity" + a link to the current discussion, so it is no surprise that my comment was detected and removed by a moderator. However, what if my comment had been a serious reply to other comments? Would the moderator have known I was not Judith Curry? Yoenit (talk) 11:06, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

[outdent] Dr. Curry herself noticed your impersonation, and posted a warning at Kloor's blog that any posts allegedly by her at other blogs would be imposters.

Impersonating someone is a pretty drastic way of making a point -- it gets you banned here, and isn't appreciated anywhere. In RL, it's known as "fraud". I urge you not to undertake more of such "tests". --Pete Tillman (talk) 18:52, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Link? Did she confirm that the comment we're discussing is hers or that the account we're discussing is hers? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:03, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

wow, it is actually true [85]. It was never my intention to seriously impersonate her, but it seems it would have been discovered anyway. Yoenit (talk) 19:50, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Oh dear, what should we do? Should we send her a polite note explaining that Yoenit intended no harm? Should we contact an admin or Jimbo on how to proceed? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:27, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

You have to do nothing. I did it, so it is my responsibility. I assume a mail from me to her will be enough to deal with the issue. I strongly suggest that you do not attempt to contact Jimbo. If you want to report me for it, do so at ANI. I have no idea which policy might be relevant here though. Yoenit (talk) 20:46, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm sure Yoenit meant no harm, and he has apologized, so that should end the matter. I think his impersonation was a bad idea, though. Pete Tillman (talk) 20:53, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I've decided to notify Jimbo of the situation. This may reflect poorly on the project itself and think that Jimbo's diplomatic skills may prove useful. I suggest we wait until we get some feedback. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:56, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Court Documents

Can we use court documents as a source to determine a legal outcome? I ask this because there is a dispute over at Prem Rawat in which court documentation seems to be the only source to determine if Mr. Rawat was emancipated by a Colorado court. Essentially we are not looking to gather facts from the documents, just the judge's ruling. However there is an editor who insists that this source would need a secondary source to prove its validity. Thus the matter is "Are court documents reliable sources for determination of a judicial ruling." As ridiculous as it is, this argument actually exists. Ronk01 talk, 02:31, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

How could a random Wikipedia reader verify that the court document actually says what the article says it does? As long as that's possible, and there truly is no interpretation involved, it would be usable as a primary source, I think. Dlabtot (talk) 02:35, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Here in the US all court docs are avalible after a certian period of time, an editor with time on their hands could find them. Ronk01 talk, 02:42, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

If that flippant response is meant to be an answer to my question about how could a reader verify it?, then no, such a document would not be usable on Wikipedia. Dlabtot (talk) 02:53, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Court documents need to be verifiable. If the documents aren't available yet, then they are not verifiable. Also, caution should be used when using primary sources. If the information is worth including, a secondary reliable source will most likely have reported the information. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 03:03, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

No. Per Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Misuse of primary sources:

Do not use trial transcripts, other court records, or other public documents to support assertions about a living person, unless a reliable secondary source has published the material.

Please find a secondary source. Jayjg ^(talk) 03:21, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

There is in fact a secondary source available that we are currently using in deference to the court documents, but the same editor who opposes the court documentation is opposing the secondary source which seems to be rather reliable. Ronk01 talk, 12:19, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I think we need to differentiate exactly what is meant by "court document" here. A judge's final verdict/decision is a reliable primary source of fact as to the outcome of the trial. A complaint or indictment is a reliable primary source for the fact that wrongdoing has been alleged, but it is NOT a reliable source for the fact that any wrongdoing actually occurred (and, as others have noted, extreme caution is needed here - especially in a BLP). A trial transcript is not a reliable source for fact... it might be an acceptable primary source for a quoted statement of opinion in limited situations.

But Jayjg has it right... if something from a trial is worth mentioning in an article, it is likely that a more reliable, secondary source will have noted it... and, if so, we can and should cite that secondary source instead. Blueboar (talk) 12:56, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Agreed, all court documents are primary sources and should be used with extreme caution. Note that it is not true that all court documents become public after a period of time; in many states lowest-level court records are often destroyed, except for information as to the outcome. I know juvenile court documents are destroyed in many cases after a period of time, as an attorney.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:09, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Youtube

Resolved

 – Material cited without using copyvio link

Can somebody confirm to me whether the use of youtube as a source is acceptable? The source in question is not from an official channel, and is copyrighted. I've have been warned for reverting the addition of this source, and would like confirmation on whether this is an accepted source. As an aside, the article in question is a BLP. Thanks, ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥ 03:25, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

You Tube has been used to prove TV content in the past IIRC. Copyright issues don't even come into it under those circumstances. In this case it has been used to prove a wrestler's billing (where they come from) which appears to be the subject of the dispute. Under these circumstances I would consider it reliable enough to disprove the accuracy of the previous source. Podgy Stuffn (talk) 04:16, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Can you provide a link to any of these previous circumstances please? In addition, what happens if the video gets removed? WWE regularly has videos of their television shows taken down from youtube. What happens then? ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥ 04:20, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Why not post the link, the article, the diffs, the talk page dispute, etc? That would sure make it a lot easier for editors to discuss the issue. Dlabtot (talk) 04:22, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I thought the general question would have explained enough, but of course.

• Editors: myself, User:Justa Punk
• Article: Eve Torres
• Diffs: me re-adding sourced info (not sourced by youtube), Justa Punk adding youtube source, while removing sourced ifnormation in the article, me saying youtube shouldn't be use as it illegally hosts copyrighted info, Justa Punk reverts.
• I decided to being it up here instead of breaking 3RR, in the hopes that this will resolve the matter. ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥ 04:33, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

The first thing about youtube is that a lot of their content are copy vios, and we have a rule against linking to copy vios. Some stuff is published there by the copyright holder, and it's reliability will depend on whether the publisher is reliable outside of youtube. - Peregrine Fisher (talk) 04:25, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

As far as I can tell, it's just a regular uploader. This is the uploader of the video in question. It's not one of the official WWE channels. ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥ 04:33, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I actually recently proposed this based off of the numerous related guidelines and policies Wikipedia:Video links.Cptnono (talk) 04:29, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

This particular instance is certainly contributory copyright infringement since the uploader put it up without permission. It looks like some of his other videos have been pulled based on doing that. You are tottaly correct to remove it.Cptnono (talk) 04:59, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for your help and opinions everyone. ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥ 07:17, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Purported Hepatitis C Virus Image

This posting is about an image and whether the editor who posted it can be considered a reliable source.

This image can be found both here and here, and also here, all from the same source, a former Wikipedia editor who's parting remark to readers is "Goodbye forever."

That's it. No other source is indicated anywhere.

The question, then, is How do we know this is the Hepatitis C virus? The answer, without some kind of reliable documentation, is We don't know that this is Hepatitis C virus. Conclusion: the image should either be deleted or its caption modified to reflect its uncertain source.

Discussion of this issue can be found here. In the course of that discussion I changed the caption of the image, as indicated here. That edit was immediately reverted, here.

To me it's perfectly obvious that the image has no reliable source. Assumed good faith is no reason to accept it. Looking for consensus on this. BruceSwanson (talk) 05:10, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

uhm, your rationale seems to be: user submitted => not reliable source => delete/modifier of uncertainty. We might as well close down wikicommons if we start doing that, as any picture can be faked. I have to admit I don't know much about about the policies surrounding pictures on wikicommons, but my gut feeling says leave it as it is. The only case where this is not HCV is if the editor was acting with the intention to deceive everyone and I see nothing to support that in his contributions. What is the reason you doubt this picture is HCV? Yoenit (talk) 10:04, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

What is the reason I doubt this pictures is HCV? Its lack of a verifiable source, that's what. Your personal gut feeling is no substitute. As for the fact that "all pictures can be faked", that would seem to be a cause for greater vigilance, not a total lack of it -- and by that I mean that you seem to oppose inserting the word purported into the caption. Or don't you? BruceSwanson (talk) 19:00, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I could try to explain it again, but several other editor have already tried to do so. You are wrong, they are right. Yoenit (talk) 19:54, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

That image is far too ambiguous to determine a viral identity, though it looks like a hepatitis virus in my professional opinion (can't tell if it's C though). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ronk01 (talk • contribs) 08:23, July 6, 2010

So I take it you support my position in favor of removal. BruceSwanson (talk) 19:00, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

This again? This was, I believe, dealt with weeks if not months ago at Talk:Hepatitis C virus#HCV picture (and here and here) to everyone's satisfaction but BS'. The threshold for the use of images is fair use or copyleft, and whether it looks like what it is supposed to, not reliability, which governs sources. This looks very much like forum shopping when numerous editors have already commented on the inappropriateness of the edits. WLU (t) (c) Wikipedia's rules:^simple/_complex 13:39, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Regarding the comments by WLU immediately above, I urge readers to follow the three links (particularly the last one) he provided and judge for themselves whether the issue was dealt with "to everyone's satisfaction" except mine, thus warranting a charge of "forum shopping". BruceSwanson (talk) 19:00, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Ronk01's comment seems very much in line with Graham Colm's comment here, clarified here as stating we can't be sure that it's a hep C virus, but is acceptable since that's reasonably what a hep C virus is expected to look like. I don't believe Ronk01 is endorsing a removal, just like WhatamIdoing didn't either here; nor did TimVickers, or Scientizzle ever remove the image, or revert to BS' preferred version. The only person who thinks this image is problematic is BS, and the policies and guidelines he has used to support his advocacy for removal on this page and others look more like a mis-application than an interpretation in line with the community norms. So far, Bruce, the image is acceptable to everyone else and people seem to agree that WP:RS does not apply for images - WP:IMAGE does. WLU (t) (c) Wikipedia's rules:^simple/_complex 19:27, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

Images don't require a reliable source. If you think the image isn't what it purports to be then you need to gain to consensus on that issue. - Peregrine Fisher (talk) 19:35, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't see any exception in WP:V for images. It says, pretty clearly and plainly, " All material in Wikipedia articles must be attributable to a reliable published source to show that it is not original research." Dlabtot (talk) 20:02, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

That discounts pretty much any pictures taken by any editor, the molecular diagrams of proteins, medicines and chemicals, and how could an image be original research? The account uploading the image has left, but there is no evidence it was ever used to upload false information. Also, the next line is "This is strictly applied to all material in the mainspace—articles, lists, sections of articles, and captions" - which doeesn't mention images, and images have their own policy at WP:IUP that doesn't mention reliability as a criteria. There was never consensus for the removal of the image, and BS has a history of idiosyncratic interpretations of the P&G and pointy edits against consensus, mostly in relation to his belief that HIV does not cause AIDS. WLU (t) (c) Wikipedia's rules:^simple/_complex 20:22, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I thought that there's a policy or guideline that images generated by editors are preferred because they avoid copyright issues. I'm not sure where I remember reading it. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:15, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

WP:IMAGE talks about the copyright issues. However, it doesn't negate the verifiability policy. Dlabtot (talk) 20:17, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I've posted a Request for Comments on the issue at WT:V. Dlabtot (talk)

Advanced Media Network RS?

Is Advanced Media Network RS? 211.30.103.37 (talk) 05:13, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

not inherently unreliable, but I would say it depends on what you are using it for. Article? statement it supports? Yoenit (talk) 08:10, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I think of using it for reviews and interviews for WP:ANIME. 211.30.103.37 (talk) 09:24, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I would say it is a reliable source for that. Yoenit (talk) 11:19, 6 July 2010 (UTC)