Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2023-10-03/Concept

Concept

Wikipedia policies from other worlds: WP:NOANTLERS

Note: I trust you, dear reader, to be able to determine whether or not this is fact or fiction. If you cannot, please see the note at the end.1

Last week, we reported on the newly discovered Moony-Bazingers effect — researchers at CERN, performing routine experiments with the Super-Large Encabulator Array, discovered anomalous phenomena which appeared to permit the sending and receiving of encoded data packets from alternate worlds. As before, precise technical details are publicly available on arXiv (although some aspects, such as the pentametric turbine schematics, have been placed under export control and are not accessible).

While most of the data retrieved by Moony-Bazingers outlinks are strictly classified by a plethora of government bodies, a generous grant from the Speedwagon Foundation has enabled the Signpost to attend various scientific symposia, conferences and summits; consequently we are able to bring you limited samples of Wikipedia pages from other worlds (currently referred to, by loose consensus, as Provisional Bazingerzones). While the content of the articles themselves have been put under a strict informational quarantine by the United Nations Security Council, Signpost representatives were able to wikilawyer our way into an approval to disclose the contents of various informational pages. This issue, we bring you an excerpt from provisional Bazingerzone PB-284A000F, also known as the "Cervidian Earth"; specifically, their Wikipedia's policy regarding biographies of living persons.


[...]

Information about antlers is a highly sensitive subject that should be approached with great care. The level of detail and commentary regarding the antlers of living persons is to be kept to a minimum.

Reliable sources are essential, and any noteworthy allegations or incidents, even if negative and against the subject's wishes, must be documented. For instance, if a prominent figure is embroiled in a controversy regarding their antlers, it should be mentioned in their biography, citing the reputable sources that have reported on it. However, it should only state the details of the controversy, without delving into the specific attributes of their antlers. Measurements or estimates (size, shape, or durability) are not to be included.

If a subject denies allegations about their antlers, these denials should be reported as well. However, the discussion should remain confined to the existence of such allegations and the denial itself, rather than the particular characteristics of the antlers in question.

For lesser-known figures, who may not have attained the same level of prominence, the rules are even stricter. Material that could adversely affect their reputation is treated with extreme caution, following the principle that such discussions are both indecent and potentially harmful. In these instances, antler details are only included in Wikipedia articles if they have been widely published by reliable sources and are linked to the subject in a way that suggests consent for the information to be made public.

If a subject objects to the inclusion of specific antler details, or if the person's antler characteristics are on the borderline of notability, editors should err on the side of caution. Biographies should avoid divulging specific antler attributes, such as hardness, end-to-end span, or the number of points, unless it is of utmost importance and supported by multiple reputable sources. For example, if a biography subject has participated in antler duels, it may be necessary to describe the details of a duel by making general reference to their antler size, but it would be inappropriate to discuss the roughness or smoothness of their antlers.

In cases where multiple independent reliable sources provide differing accounts of an individual person's antler details, the consensus is to include all variations, clearly noting the discrepancies. Editors must refrain from speculating or selecting a single "most-likely" set of antler characteristics. The goal is to avoid any form of original research in determining antler attributes.

While Wikipedia is not censored, consensus (RfC 1, RfC 2, arbitration decision) is strongly against illustrating biographies using a photographs of a person with their antlers visible, even if it is the only freely available image. Some exceptions to this policy exist in situations where a person's notability is significantly tied to their antlers (such as the exhibitionist and outsider artist GG Antlin, or members of the Megaloceros giganteus reenactment subculture).


— Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons, provisional Bazingerzone PB-284A000F

1: The latter.