Wikipedia:Deletion review/Log/2011 August 3

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3 August 2011

The following is an archived debate of the deletion review of the page above. Please do not modify it.
User:Surturz/AdminWatch (talk|edit|history|logs|links|watch) (restore)

As a non-admin, I should be allowed to keep lists of admin actions that I think are questionable. The only tool that non-admins have to check admin behaviour is

]

EDIT: After a bit of research, I now also think the page is also exempt from deletion as per

]

Note that this page has been deleted twice; once by me when it looked like this, and once by Elen when it looked like this. ]
  • WP:User pages very clearly states "Negative evidence, laundry lists of wrongs, collations of diffs and criticisms related to problems, etc., should be removed, blanked, or kept privately (i.e., not on the wiki) if they will not be imminently used, and the same once no longer needed." (emphasis mine). It does not appear as though you are preparing this information for use in an iminent RFCU. You can easily keep this material locally on your computer. Parsecboy (talk) 14:17, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Overturn G10 and G4 because the deletion process was not correctly followed. G10 is for "libel, legal threats, material intended purely to harass or intimidate a person or biographical material about a living person that is entirely negative in tone and unsourced." This was not material intended purely to harass or intimidate, and the fact that it may have had that effect does not justify a speedy deletion. That would be for the community to decide, it's not a matter for one or two people to decide on their own personal judgment. G4 is for "a page deleted via a deletion discussion", which this was not. The two deleting admins clearly overstepped their authority and a
    clue-level adjustment is appropriate here. Of course, as always when DRV overturns a speedy, there should be no prejudice to a subsequent deletion discussion. If there's an actual consensus to delete this material then it certainly should be deleted. But not until.—S Marshall T/C 14:27, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
    ]
  • WP:BURO. But if you can convince me that the list the user was maintaining has at least some potential in making the encyclopedia better written, more accurate, or in some way a better product for the end user, I will change my vote. Again, I value your opinion in this matter, I just still hold a different one. --Jayron32 14:49, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
    ]
  • There was nothing about this page that required immediate speedy deletion without the courtesy of discussing the matter with the editor involved. Lists like that should be reserved for direct dispute resolution preparation, however there was no attack language, merely disagreement with admin actions. The heavy handed over the top reaction to this page should not be endorsed. As a practical matter unless I could be convinced that there was actual DR in the future I'd probably support deletion at an MFD. It would be advisable for
    Surturz to maintain this type of list offline. That does not diminish my disapproval of the process used here.--Cube lurker (talk) 14:35, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
    ]
Given Surturz's foolish comments today, I suspect that it's going to be much more difficult for editors to assume good faith here than it was when I originally posted this yesterday. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz (talk) 21:04, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
This is the first time (first two times) I've ever been disciplined by an admin, actually. How newbies navigate through the morass of policy I have no idea. I had trouble filling in the template thing for the DRV :-)--]
Hi Surturz. I wouldn't like you to feel you had been "disciplined" (makes me feel like
the block button is for. I have no problems if your intention is to examine admin powers and how these can be used in a way that causes problems - although do remember that admins are both human and volunteers. The problem is with your presentation. Elen of the Roads (talk) 15:08, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]
If your view is that the problem's just with his presentation, then wouldn't you agree that you had alternatives to pushing the "delete" button? Why didn't you use them, and what justified your decision to step outside the very specific criteria the community has given you for pushing the "delete" button on your own authority?—S Marshall T/C 16:49, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
With hindsight, yes. I re-deleted it because it's seldom a good idea to re-create deleted content, which is what the user had done. It's usually preferable to go through a deletion review. Given the subsequent conversation, I'm not sure why Surturz would want the page anyway, as he seems to have agreed that Wikipedia does have ways to achieve the outcome he's after, that won't cause this sort of trouble, but I would support putting it back if he's going to refactor it. Perhaps more conversation at the outset would have achieved a better result and less dramah. Elen of the Roads (talk) 13:15, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Endorse deletion - It's not anything resembling a set of RFC's, it's merely a laundry list of complaints with no purpose other than firing shots at other users. In short, it's an attack page, and is not allowed. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots15:01, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Take it to MFD - Changing my opinion (and now taking this page off my watch list) for reasoning similar to Jayron's. If the creator thinks he's been challenged here, he's got a chance to get seriously blistered from a broader set of eyes. The subject of "enemies lists" is rather sensitive to me, having been on a few. But note well: Every user I know who's had an "enemies list" is no longer with us. Creation of such a list is a step on the path to banishment. We'll soon see how badly the creator wants to edit wikipedia. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots21:11, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Endorse; this is a "these admin are bad" list, and those have no reason for being on-wiki outside of dispute resolution. If the intent is to document instances of problems for some future RfC, this can be achieved just as easily by storing this on the editor's own computer rather than to make a "wall of shame" on-wiki. — Coren (talk) 15:07, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Comment - I've seen several people claim this page was an attack page, but other than saying "it is an attack page", could you provide a quote or basis for this assertion? I've looked at the page history and from what I can tell, the last version of the page doesn't sound like an attack at all. Before ruling against Surturz, please actually provide a rationale for how this page constitutes an attack. Primarily this should include arguments that show how the content on this page can "disparage or threaten" a specific admin (per WP:ATTACK). -- Avanu (talk) 15:28, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Overturn - There is a clear difference between an actual attack page, and a page created to help someone in maintaining accountability for those in power.

Lèse majesté is a crime that hopefully we won't see arrive at Wikipedia. Between the extra leeway that we grant users in their own userspace, and the fact that merely recording the acts of those in power that a person finds questionable, this seems like something that would exempted from the WP:ATTACK page, or at least given a wide berth. And in this specific case, I see nothing rising to the level of an actual attack aka to "disparage or threaten". Is there an admin that feels this is a threat? Or do they feel disparaged? If so, that might be something to discuss personally with Surturz, but as far as I can see, this page is unbelievably mild, and mainly consists of a few diffs. -- Avanu (talk) 15:28, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]

So the only two options are advance or retreat? What about simply letting things go and see how things work out? Essentially this editor chose to stand pat and see rather than pushing something that they didn't see as being a big enough deal. This idea that we must confront a person on every small offense or shut up and forget it is a bit unrealistic. Since it was only done in userspace, there is no flinging feces about, just a personal commentary. -- Avanu (talk) 16:42, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Disputes and complains must ALWAYS either move towards resolution or be forgotten. The third option you are arguing for is one of keeping scores, remembering grievances, and nursing complaints, or worse attempting to sully someone's name, with no intention to resolve the issues. In any analysis, the third option is unproductive and serves only to cause harm. It is unacceptable.--Scott Mac 16:46, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I completely and unequivocally agree with Scott Mac here. And this comes from someone who just participated in an admin complaint that went nowhere on ANI. You either have to move forward and talk out the issue, or drop it. If you decide it's important enough to pursue, then you must take responsibility for the community at large by bringing that behavior to the attention of everyone. Even if a particular discussion doesn't uphold your particular viewpoint, a lot of people are made aware of the offending behavior - a behavior that may be perfectly reasonable in isolation, but is a problem if done habitually. By lodging your complaint, you establish a record of the conflict, and most importantly, you and the offending admin each get to understand the community perspective on the conflict. Keeping your conflict festering on a user page does NONE of those things, and deprives the community of the opportunity to develop understanding, and yourself the opportunity to grow. I completely and absolutely Support the deletion of all attack pages, laundry lists, and score keeping user pages as fundamentally poisonous to the community. VanIsaacWS 22:50, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
You cannot claim ]
POLEMIC applies in situations where the parties have equal power. People with admin rights are a special case, and speech against admin actions MUST be considered protected and valid speech and outside the purview of both POLEMIC and ATTACK. Admins acting as editors, of course, the AGF and ATTACK policies should apply, but Admins acting as Admins is a different case entirely. Having the ability to speak against percieved abuses of power; this is the essence of retaining the ability to function as a free society. Again, WP:POLEMIC and WP:ATTACK shouldn't apply to those actions taken in an administrative capacity. The mop shouldn't make a person immune to criticism, especially private criticism as we see in this case. -- Avanu (talk) 16:51, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
You are still allowed to seek redresses for misconduct by admins. No one is saying that people cannot bring up bona fide complaints about admin misconduct, or that admins are "immune to criticism" as you claim. Saying that over and over again doesn't make it true, no matter how often you assert it. No one is trying to silence criticism about admins. As I have told you over and over and over again, and which you keep ignoring me when I say it, admins should be criticised. But this method is not a valid way to do that. Instead of keeping this out of the public scrutiny, bond fide and genuine accusations of misconduct should be placed open to review and comment by the community. This page does not do that. Yes, the admin corps and culture at Wikipedia needs a major overhaul. Yes, admins who abuse their tools must be held accountable in a more systematic manner than is being done. Yes, admins should be held to a higher standard of behavior. This page does none of that. If you Avenu really want to change the admin culture at Wikipedia, (which is a noble cause, and one you should be commended for) you should really focus your effort in a way which is actually likely to work, rather than trying to "save" this page which, even if this DRV get's overturned, will just be deleted in 7 days via MFD. Seriously, see the forest for the trees man: I want to see your voice be heard on this issue, and you Avenu have important things to say, but you are wasting the important things you have to say by fighting the wrong battles. Saving this page isn't going to fix the problems with the admin corps. --Jayron32 18:18, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
If the user were using that page to construct a proper set of RFC's, that would be allowed. But that's not what it's for. It's just a "protest sign", based on a false premise as you've indicated before... i.e. it's il garbagio and needs to be disposed of as such. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots18:23, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
You know where is a great place to make this sort of argument?
WP:MFD. It is common to tell parties appealing the close of an XFD that DRV is not just a rehash of the XFD. Similarly, it is not a place to conduct the XFD that never happened because there was an out-of-process speedy. --RL0919 (talk) 18:31, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]
Wrong. It's a blatant rules violation. No consensus needed. No compromise. IT MUST GO. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots19:52, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
If we're going to follow the rules, it should have gone to MFD to begin with, because
WP:UP#POLEMIC is not a speedy deletion criterion. And Wikipedia:Consensus was a policy the last time I checked. "No consensus needed. No compromise." is about as far from Wikipedia's "rules" as you can get. --RL0919 (talk) 20:46, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]

hey what happened to that village pump idea and restore vote? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.89.54.246 (talk) 16:32, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

  • Overturn - This clearly does not meet the threshold for
    WP:MFD is the proper place to discuss potential deletion of this page. Administrators need to have think enough skins to follow the process here and not just delete because they feel that some of their ranks are being criticized. --After Midnight 0001 16:42, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
    ]
Evening Pedro. Just to let you know I was fully competent - I hadn't taken drink, and I even hit the right button first time. I may have been wrong, but that's a different argument. --Elen of the Roads (talk) 13:10, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Evening Pedro - (redacted comment as Pedro very reasonably redacted his one above)--Elen of the Roads (talk) 13:10, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Overturn and list at MfD Quite possibly the MfD will say delete - but - there are times when decorum calls for following the process. This out of process deletion has done more harm than that page would have done collecting dust for the next 100 years. P.S. I will not comment on said future MfD Agathoclea (talk) 22:02, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • spartaz is right: "go to mfd, & I would think the same if it I were included. IAR speedies can only be done if it is such an obvious situation that essentially every uninvolved person would agree,and if anyone thought that, they weren't seeing the community as it as, and they've now learned otherwise. It is not G10, which takes a lot more than this. As for the first part
"Admins, in general, are not accountable for their actions to non-admins. Admins are appointed for life, and are generally not disciplined with blocks and deletions in the same way non-admins are. For a non-admin to seek recourse for poor admin behaviour, they must first establish consensus. However, it is virtually impossible to establish this consensus without being accused of violating WP:AGF, WP:ATP, WP:CIVIL or WP:NPA. I believe it is reasonable to subject admins to a higher level of scrutiny than non-admins. I think it helps the project to keep admins accountable for their actions. This page attempts to do that."
I agree with this , more or less, though I'd word it a little less generally, (e.g. long-established admins) and have said the similar, on and off wiki. Anyone who thinks that long established admins are as much accountable for their actions as non-admins, needs to look at AN/I a little more. I wouldn't have said "virtually impossible to establish consensus" for poor admin behavior to "very often impossible ..." As for the second part, I agree with the first criticism, the second is reasonably debatable--and was much debated--, the third similarly, the 4th also reasonably debatable. To say that one disagrees with some XfD or DelRev closures is something I've said from time to time, and so has almost everyone else who pays attention to those processes. It does even violate the provision in WP:?User, for it is in close relation to a single ongoing debate, and so is for current use. Having seen the history, I didn't look at this again thinking I'd actually support the page, but I would, except that I personally think its purpose was to annoy. Annoy, not harass, or anything stronger. But I think those bringing an mfd against it also had the same purpose. This is something where the best rule is live and let live. Every active admin has heard a lot nastier about themselves, and is none the worse for it. Elen was rather foolish to speedy it, for that action could reasonably be used to ask her to recuse from every arb com case involving improper use of deletion, on the grounds that she doesn't know the proper use of speedy herself. Any arb should have the sense not to personally take an admin action that would likely be open to good faith challenges. DGG ( talk ) 22:05, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Send to MfD. While I feel rather strongly that such pages are not appropriate and should be removed, speedying them does more harm than good and they are better dealt with through MfD. Eluchil404 (talk) 06:41, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(a) the deleting admin apologising to the author of the page for not taking a more collegiate approach.
(b) the author of the page graciously accepting the apology and consenting to the deletion.
(Exits stage left, holding breath.) Ben MacDui

I'm not trying to trick anyone here, so I'd like to get this on the record. At the moment it looks as if the likely outcome is that the speedy will be overturned, and then a proper MFD will be raised to delete the page. I strongly recommend that no admin vote in favour of deletion in that MFD. To do so would be to undermine their own position, and create a far more effective "shit list" than the page under discussion. As per

]

As a non-admin, may I say that this is ridiculous? Admins are neither better nor worse than any other editor, and their opinion is as valid as anybody else's in any discussion. This threat should be retracted immediately. ]
Yeah, this is just bizarre. Surturz, the fact that editors don't approve of the speedy deletion of your page does not necessarily mean they agree with you. I've argued hard that your page belongs at MFD, but when it gets there, I'll be voting "delete".—S Marshall T/C 18:31, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
So admins are no longer part of the community, then? At least I thought I still was; or at least I still work on articles in the mainspace. –MuZemike 18:35, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Utterly ridiculous. I'm not an admin, but that just smells like you're being
disruptive to prove a point. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you've been given so much time by the community over this. (Note I agree with the deletion but also agree it was out of process and !voted to list at MFD.) This has all the hallmarks of a page used to stalk/hound admins, and there's no way you can say "admins shouldn't vote delete" on such an MFD. That is purely disruptive. Strange Passerby (talkcont) 03:50, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]
My preferred outcome (and arbitrary section break)

Thanks Ben MacDui for a very constructive suggestion. My "fair warning" was not meant to intimidate, I was just trying to show that going straight to an MFD and everyone piling in shouting "delete!" wasn't going to help anyone. My preferred outcome is:

  • the speedy deletes by User:The ed17 and User:Elen of the Roads overturned
  • User:The ed17 and User:Elen of the Roads to apologise on my talkpage for the incorrect speedy deletions
  • being allowed to keep the page name, the lantern image and its caption
  • being allowed to link to admin decisions and (politely) give comments as to why I disagree with them.
  • for the links and comments to be allowed to exist indefinitely
  • that I be given a reasonable amount of time to "clean up" the page before an MFD is raised. I have thus far been denied that opportunity.
  • I undertake to re-sort the information based on incident, rather than username.
  • I will make best efforts to focus on the decisions themselves rather than particular admins
  • I will allow the supposed "shit list" revisions to be deleted under CSD U1
  • I would like further complaints about the page to be raised on the talkpage of AdminWatch first, before formal processes are invoked
  • if talkpage agreement cannot be reached, that admins edit/lock the page (as in article space) before Speedy delete/MFD/ANI etc

I make the further observation that an admin deleting a user page feels a bit like the cops coming into your home and taking the playstation. I know we don't "own" our userspace, but you don't have to own a house for it to be a home. I would recommend that admins ensure they have strong consensus before deleting user pages. Finally, I believe

]

I've been requested for my response, so here's my two penn'orth. I do not know whether your new page will be acceptable - the community would have to see it. It sounds less problematic, but I imagine the talkpage will swiftly descend into disgruntled editors sounding off about their particular admin, which would be a problem you would have to manage. I can see no way that you would get special dispensations for your page.
If the page is restored, the community has indicated that it will immediately list it for MFD, so that's the amount of time you would have to change it sufficiently to avoid deletion or take a copy offline.
I would note that the page wasn't speedied under IAR but under
G10 - attack pages can exist in userspace as well as article space. If there is a disagreement, it is around whether it is an attack page. You have said that your intention is not to single out admins but identify problems caused by Wikipedia's approach to enforcement, in which case it would be fair to say that it was not intended as an attack page even though it unfortunately had all the surface hallmarks of one. The second deletion was G4, which was a mistake as this only applies to pages deleted after a deletion discussion. It should have been G10 again - as the text to G4 points out This criterion also excludes content ... which was deleted via proposed deletion
or speedy deletion (although in that case the previous speedy criterion, or other speedy criteria, may apply). This is why it is a bad idea to respond to a speedy deletion by recreating the article.
I appreciate that this probably doesn't go as far as you want, but at the time, it did appear to fall into the G10 category, following previous discussions about what have come to be vulgarly known as shitlists. Had the conversation we have had occurred first, I would not have deleted the article, but the existence of the thing made one less predisposed to have the discussion about its creation. Most of these pages are created by multiply sanctioned editors with long running grievances, which rather colours one's opinion, making it harder to
WP:AGF. I am certainly sorry that we did not avoid this drama by conversing, as a result of that. --Elen of the Roads (talk) 00:55, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
]
I was solicited to comment here as well. I second the thoughts on conversing, but otherwise don't have much to add. A list of disagreements will almost certainly be seen as another attack page. I don't see why you need a list of poor admin actions, as that's what we have ANI and other noticeboards for. Finally, the page is going to be brought to MfD by someone here simply based on the consensus of this DRV; I don't know if your preferred outcome is viable on that point.
With regards to the note above... you might want to try a different explanation. When you say "I strongly recommend that no admin vote in favour of deletion in that MFD.", you quite obviously aren't "just trying to show that going straight to an MFD and everyone piling in shouting "delete!" wasn't going to help anyone." ]
Thank-you all (- and for the record I have undertaken no soliciting). I hope some of the above remarks go some way towards repairing any ill-feeling relating to the process even if and of themselves they do not resolve the issue. I for one am now better able to understand the motivations of those involved and as a result sympathise with them, even if I can't agree with everything that is said or requested. Ben MacDui 18:24, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • strong overturn Improper use of CSD on a page that does not meet the (narrow) criteria. I would personally say this should just be kept, there's enough support here, obviously. At the very least it should be overturn and list. HominidMachinae (talk) 07:39, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Overturn G10 and send to MfD. G10 applies only to pages that "disparage, threaten, intimidate or harass" somebody. Reasoned criticism of admin actions, such as one might find on any noticeboard, is not disparagement (which a dictionary defines as "to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle"), nor is it threatening, intimidating or harrassing. The page therefore fails to meet the G10 criteria. It might still be deleted on other grounds, such as the prohibition against having certain material in userspace, but that's for MfD to decide.  Sandstein  11:21, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I don't know whether this will be overturned, and I don't have enough of an opinion of the merits to express a view. However, we don't make people apologize here. This isn't fourth grade. If Ed and Elen have something to apologize for—I have no idea whether they have—it's up to them.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:15, 5 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Second offer

In the interests of trying to avoid an MFD which will only re-hash the arguments here, can I suggest the following:

  • the speedy deletes by User:The ed17 and User:Elen of the Roads are overturned, and the page delete log makes it clear that both speedies were overturned. (It is important to me, even if to noone else, that I keep my "clean record")
  • the page, as it exists now, is speedied under CSD U1 - user request. This is not an admission of guilt. I don't think I have done anything wrong, this is merely to avoid an unconstructive MFD
  • I recreate the page as described above. Interested admins can watch the page and give talk page comment and/or raise a subsequent MFD as they see fit (or even speedy it if they can find a CSD).

Sorry if I gave the impression I was demanding an apology. I would still like

]

As I said above, the consensus in this DRV is to overturn but bring to MfD, so it's going to go there no matter what you do. It won't rehash much from here because the arguments hinge on whether proper process was followed, which happens to be a rather resounding "no". I'm not going to apologize for speedying an attack page, even if it was out of process, as the consensus here also demonstrates that the page in its most recent form would be deleted at MfD. I'll apologize for not being willing to offer an apology, though. :-) That's meant seriously, not patronizingly. Kind regards, ]
If you want to recreate the page, then what's the point of doing the first two? The page was created ON WIKI (in my opinion) to provoke controversy (or at least that was the result). You achieved your goal. You've had your ]
I assume "salt" means that I cannot re-use the page name. It sounds like everyone wants to make an example of me by bringing me to MFD. Who is trying to intimidate whom here? I'll reiterate that at no time have I been able to fix up the page. It got speedied, and then locked for DRV. Its talkpage is empty and I was not given any warning of the speedy, or even informed that "shit lists" are against policy. If it's an attack page it is the mildest attack page in WP history. As my home userpage says, my userspace is not really intended for other people to look at, and other editors are free to edit my pages to remove content they do not like. My offer of U1 is conditional that I can re-use the page name. I wish to avoid an MFD because it would be humiliating to me (I have a clean 5(?) year record so far), and I think the spectacle of a dozen or so admins voting to delete a page purporting to keep them accountable is a very bad look. On the technical side I think I have a plausible case that the policy ]
On the one hand, this sounds like a good idea. An MfD just for the sake of the drama helps nobody (though some commenters above appear to relish the thought), but I don't think that it's avoidable at this point. Even if the page is deleted via U1 any similar or successor page is going to be nominated because of "taint" of its origin. This is not fair, but given the tenor of the commentary above I think it's inevitable. That said, a new page that does really address the concerns people have will probably be kept at MfD. But that's a question that will heavily depend on the exact nature of any new page. Eluchil404 (talk) 09:08, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]


Motion to close and MFD

Even though I tossed an endorse into the ring, consensus to take it to MfD is overwhelming. Can we wrap this up 4 days short and just get on with it? Tarc (talk) 11:56, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No problem here. --]
The above is an archive of the deletion review of the page listed in the heading. Please do not modify it.
The following is an archived debate of the deletion review of the page above. Please do not modify it.
File:Tin-Pei-Ling-Kate-Spade.jpg (talk|edit|history|logs|links|watch) (article|XfD|restore)

Per discussion here, I would like to Overturn or Speedy relist because of concerns over the circumstances of the original nomination. I am the uploader, but I was never informed (which is the standard protocol listed at

WP:FFD) by the nominator user:202.156.13.11
, a suspected sockpuppet and currently blocked for edit warring and disruptive behaviour.

Problems with the original process.

The IP used by the nominator is part of a wide string of IPs that have been wikihounding me and could possibly be linked to the Singaporean government and/or People's Action Party: see Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Geneva2011, as well as the edit war it attempted to conduct there. The nominator also appeared to making a bad-faith nom out of revenge, because the nomination date coincides with the same date government-copyrighted photos were removed and deleted from the article Vivian Balakrishnan for copyright problems. The licensing given for the photos on the Vivian Balakrishnan article was "own work", but the uploader would not explain how he or she gained the privileged perspectives or high resolutions used in the photos, use the OTRS system, or address any copyright issues beyond blanket reverts, violating the 3RR rule in the process; in the end the user used webmaster privileges to change licencing for the image on a politicians' website (before the incident, copyright on that website was "all rights reserved"), which seems to be strong evidence that "public relations management" was involved. On the same day of the dispute, the nominator listed this image that I uploaded for deletion.

Problems not addressed by the original discussion.

Now, on to the discussion. Ultimately, the image was deleted not because of the original grounds of the nominator, but because of the BLP concern of "recentism", but I was never allowed to respond to that discussion, having never been informed. The perspective was a very famous photo distributed for Tin Pei Ling and shaped the public impression of Tin Pei Ling, to the extent that a nonpolitical, television magazine effectively commented on the image. To the extent that the image was widely-seen and distributed, I believe it deserves to be commented upon in the article. I have temporarily undeleted the image in the meanwhile, so the community can judge its merit.

elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 01:13, 3 August 2011 (UTC) }}[reply]

  • Endorse deletion, while acknowledging the concerns about the bad-faith nomination and lack of notification. Being one of the delete voters in the original discussion, I can now state that I would have upheld that vote even in the knowledge of Elle's counterarguments presented above, so I think the outcome should be upheld. Fut.Perf. 06:02, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • If the outcome here is to restore there are various other issues which would need to be resolved. Making a collage of images in this way shouldn't be done. In the sense of NFCC requirement of minimal use it would be unlikely that we'd permit three images, we can't get around that by pasting the images together into one image, it is still three separate images. The licensing claim of it being distributed for the publicity use seems false/not evidenced - appearing in a magazine doesn't equal distributed to all manner of press for broad usage. In fact the text states one of the images was "leaked", so hardly something deliberately distributed for publicity. --82.19.4.7 (talk) 06:24, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
    • Well, the magazine is merely the symptom of the fact that the image was already widely known, i.e. the magazine was parodying the pose, which was already well-known to the extent that it almost deserves to be covered on Wikipedia (see
      Read my lips, no new taxes). In the very least I can go back to the revision of two images, but the topic is that of the famous "pose" (which was widely circulated to support certain claims about Tin Pei Ling's attitude to life -- a quick google search will show this, since it was covered in a wide variety of press sources), and the pose was spoofed in a television magazine. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 06:31, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply
      ]
    • Btw, I used "promotional" since it was the freely-seen cover to a magazine that would have been sold on the street and in the stores. The leaked photo is not the promotional image; the spoof is. The leaked photo is a "historic" photo. I argue the photo is sufficiently notable and historic in and of itself, to the extent that the government commented on it repeatedly over the course of two months, such that we can claim fair use. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 06:33, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
      • Yes that's my point, you misunderstand what promotional means in the context of that tag. It doesn't mean merely has been used to promote something. Adverts printed in magazines are promotional, they aren't however released as part of a press pack and distributed widely... The idea within that tag is that an image is promotional something along the lines of - "I" send it out to lots of people and say, hey there's this image of my "product"/whatever It's my copyright but you can use it in your magazine/book/tv show etc. to show what my "product"/whatever is like, illustrate a review, etc. If we take your interpretation, it's the cover of a magazine used to attract people to want to buy it, then many many commercial images would suddenly fall under that banner, book covers, album covers, perhaps works of art hung in a gallery to promote the artist...
        That fact that you are claiming a different basis for inclusion of the "leaked" photo, demonstrates the problem of your self constructed collage. They should be included as individual images, with the appropriate claim made for the individual images. --82.19.4.7 (talk) 19:43, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
      • I made an individual fair use claim for each of the images. I merely put them in one image for formatting purposes only. I used that rationale to show why use in this case does not compete with 8 Days' market share and to strengthen the fair use claim (along with critical commentary). elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 21:13, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
        • Yes and making the individual claims in that way is problematic, I'm not sure how many times I can say that. How can a reuser understand this? Someone automatically scraping will likely look at the templates to decide on inclusion/exclusion of an image. We have discussions on inidividual images, there's often criticism of multiple articles listed in debates, this is forcing that. How does the closing admin read a debate where person 1 says keep the outer 2, remove the middle as it fails NFCC#x, whilst someone else gives a blanket keep rationale, and another a blanket delete, and another wants to keep the left hand 2, yet another delete the right hand 2 etc. As for formatting purposes? You can place the images next to each other on the page without having to do that, you might not understand how to do it (I'm sure there is a template somewhere) but that doesn't make it impossible. However this is a bit of a sideline, if the result here is endorse of the deletion, then it's moot for these images, if the result is to restore then they need to split out into separate images and each given it's own rationale. --82.19.4.7 (talk) 06:16, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
          • I don't think you realise what will happen if each of the images are transcluded separately. The textwrapping will be awful. The pictures aligning themselves will be unpredictable (and be dependent on the width of a user's window). To align them in a single image is trivial, and I believe this is valid, if the individual claims are valid. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 15:05, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
            • As said, you not knowing how doesn't make it impossible. A quick google search comes back with Template:Multiple_image with doesn't have your problems. Nicely side step all the other problems, of course looking pretty is a far more important concern than anything else... Collages of differently "licensed" images is always a problem. --82.19.4.7 (talk) 17:25, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Endorse" deletion. La goutte de pluie is engaged in a political campaign against the PAP, a political party in Singapore. Her edit wars, and the uploading of an image which she does not have the copyright for a part of her campaign. She alleges bad faith, but a review of her own edits reveals her own bias. 220.255.1.162 (talk) 07:41, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Our main job at DRV is to see that the deletion process is correctly followed, and in this case it clearly wasn't. Clearly. A tit-for-tat nomination by a sockpuppeteer using an IP address who failed to notify the original uploader and therefore denied them the opportunity to participate in the debate. We can't possibly endorse this. Speedy overturn and restore, but without prejudice to a fresh nomination by a good faith user.—S Marshall T/C 11:09, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

overturn relist if anyone can be bothered. Agathoclea (talk) 14:59, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Endose deletion. S Marshall's process analysis is convincing, and ordinarily I would agree with it. But the NFCC violation is so clear that I think it would justify summary removal of the collaged image. The copyrighted parody images can so easily be adequately reported in text that there's no basis for including them. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz (talk) 15:04, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can you list the NFCC violation? Because that was discounted in the original deletion debate. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 16:50, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The original image was widely reported in the press; the parody by a popular television newsmagazine was also covered in the press -- see here for an example, which even used the image -- not from 8 Days directly, but via The New Paper, which used it here. Both are government-linked press sources. You also have to note the special political climate in Singapore, which celebrities refrain from touching even with a stick. Simply reporting the parody by text would be insufficient. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 17:18, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't object to it being relisted as a procedural matter since the original uploader wasn't notified, but deleting the thing was clearly the right decision. This BLP reads more like a tabloid than an encyclopedia article. Half of the article is about online controversies ... there is very little biography here. --B (talk) 00:57, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
They are mostly based on government press sources, not tabloids. elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 01:48, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Relist If the NFCC argument for deletion is strong, the FFD is the place to discuss it. I don 't want to judge it myself, partly because I have so little awareness of the events that I can not judge their importance. I do think a set of three pictures would be admissible if there were no other objection than that it was a set, because they certainly do seem related and essential to understand each other. But it is time we stopped ever accepting blatantly bad-faith deletion nominations, just as with articles. An attempt from the same source to delete a political article would have, I hope, been rejected out of hand, & this is just the same. Adding an article for political propaganda is wrong-- it being accepted that a user doing so would be indefinitely blocked, and the article speedied as G11, without prejudice toa n article by a good faith editor if the subject justified it. . The same goes for an attempt to delete for political reason. Reject out of hand, block the editor, and no prejudice to further action for a good faith deletion if the deletion is justified. A sufficient allowance for the possibility that the article, or deletion might be justified is to let it be done over under proper conditions. Deny,Block,Ignore is the standard treatment for vandalism. DGG ( talk ) 02:01, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Endorse. There was a prior FFD on this that I believe closed as no consensus, which I had started and other neutral observers had commented on. We were not notified of the new discussion either (in either way, for/against), and I believe that bad-faith nomination or not, had this had more people "familiar with the subject", to use Penwhale's words, it would probably still have closed as delete. I see no reason to overturn this. Strange Passerby (talkcont) 06:10, 4 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Question: While this discussion is ongoing, shouldn't the image be removed from the article? ]
SPA notice: Likely a related sockpuppet/meatpuppet of User:220.255.1.162.
Perhaps you should try reading fair use, and the circumstances in which it can be used? Can I ask for a clearer grounds on which you object, and the particular claims in which you contest? elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 15:02, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Endorse deletion, the different images should be evaluated on individual basis rather than composited, the magazine images are most likely copyrighted even with the fair use argument (see misconceptions of Fair use: Noncommercial use is invariably fair), and as another above commented, the comparison can easily be reported with a text description, which voids any potential rights issue on the image. DanS76 (talk) 17:51, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The Uploader seems to have a more than passing understanding of what is and is not allowed with respect to copyright and fair use with respect to images[1] and copyvio content[2], so I don't understand why she is unable to accept her own arguement now.
The issues are different:
  • The image I uploaded is commentary on the image itself, and there is no doubt that the image involved played a significant part in the election campaign (the PAP's traditional win-share for that constituency was >70%, but it fell to 55%); for this the image can be used (as with all notable images). Case law supports the use of an image when the work directly comments or criticises the image.
  • The uploaded image demonstrates the significance and notability of the image in a way text cannot; many press sources commented upon the image.
  • I ask you to take a look at V-J Day in Times Square. Of course, America is a nation of 300 million rather than 5 million, but the fair use issues are similar. Also, take a look at the fair use rationale for File:Vietnam Kim Phúc.jpg.
I do not know why you compare this with the IPs' constant use of government-copyrighted content. This is much different. They were using it verbatim; they were not commenting upon the copyrighted text directly; there were free alternatives (i.e. rewriting the text). elle vécut heureuse à jamais (be free) 20:32, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Endorse deletion, relist as individual images so they and be critiqued separately. Also the suitability of the image for deletion should be judged separately from the rationale for the deletion request action. Elle, you do realize that by your "commentary on the image" point that you are practically admitting that you are attempting to introduce OR into the article via the image. Also in any case there is no hard evidence that the original image affected poll results (feel free to provide a valid reliable source if you feel I am in error), so I don't see how that contributes to the debate. As mentioned above, one can include the fact that the image had been parodied in prose without needing to include a potentially copyrighted image. Zhanzhao (talk) 21:28, 6 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The above is an archive of the deletion review of the page listed in the heading. Please do not modify it.