Jump to content

Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement/Archive56

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arbitration enforcement archives (index)

Monshuai

[edit]

Tothwolf

[edit]

Supreme Deliciousness

[edit]

Brews ohare

[edit]

David Tombe

[edit]

Arab Cowboy

[edit]

NickCT and Soledad22

[edit]

Formal request for removal of unauthorized personal information to be deleted from your website as outlined under U.S. laws.

[edit]
Resolved
 – Wrong forum, no action required

Dear Wikipedia editors, This is a formal request to have my personal information removed from your website. The information posted by user 'Jtir', is an infringement of my privacy rights. The user who posted them did so without my authority. I have persistently asked him to remove this information without any success or comment from him/her. I am having problems relating to the posting of my private, personal information.

Please attend to this matter at your earliest possible convenience, so that I can refrain from taking further action. Regards, Gerry McLoughlin Naples Florida

P.S. My Naples based information and name are posted 3/4 of the way down the page link below. His Username: Jtir The page in question: http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Wikipedia:Talk:Cellulosic_ethanol\ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.5.2.232 (talkcontribs)

Mr McLoughlin, this is not the proper forum for such requests; that would be WP:OVERSIGHT. However, to save you the trouble of making an oversight request: The information at issue appears to be publicly available WHOIS information ([50], [51]). As such, there is no basis, legal or otherwise, on which to request its removal from this site. Please be advised of our policy regarding legal threats.  Sandstein  15:29, 27 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Abd

[edit]

Interfase

[edit]

Tothwolf

[edit]

Gilabrand

[edit]
User requesting enforcement
Jayen466
User against whom enforcement is requested
Wispanow (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log)
Sanction or remedy that this user violated
Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Editing_environment_.28editors_cautioned.29 Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Editors_instructed (User has edit-warred, deleted sourced material, and made repeated accusations of anti-German "racism")
Diffs of edits that violate this sanction or remedy, and an explanation how these edits violate it
  • [129] Wispanow reverts User:Cirt, edit summary: "Undid revision 347913307 by Cirt (talk) This article is based on racism. And Scientology-Believers can source every racism. Removing this improves." Uncivil. Deleting sourced material. Inserting unsourced material. Cirt's edit was marked a "vandalism revert".
  • [130] Wispanow reverts User:Jayen466, edit summary: "Jayen466 is accused of writing an aggressive, highly biased text leading to a racist viewpoint. I therefore claimed to block him from any Scientology-text with relation to Germany. And stop reverting." As before.
  • [131] Personal accusation of racism: "The whole article is racism. There is nearly nothing giving a neutral point of view. And User:Jayen466 is by far the main reason ... US and British citizens and even newspapers easily believe and publish any mendacious Germany-Harassment." Wispanow includes this "Barack Obama is an asshole" link in his post to make his point. Uncivil.
  • [132] [133][134] Failure to comply with WP:V.
Diffs of notifications or of prior warnings against the conduct objected to
Enforcement action requested
Additional comments by editor filing complaint

Please note that Scientology in Germany (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views), an article for which I have been the main contributor, is currently classified as a Good Article.

  • It recently underwent lengthy Peer Review in preparation for FA candidacy. Three reviewers commented.
  • Feedback at Peer Review was that the article is, if anything, slanted in Germany's favor. See Wikipedia:Peer_review/Scientology_in_Germany/archive1. I have not done any significant work on the article since the Peer Review.
  • Following Wispanow's reverts of two different editors, deleting sourced material, the article is now locked for two weeks. (Wispanow made two reverts, Cirt and I made one revert each. The first edit that Cirt reverted was made by a German IP.)

For reference, Wispanow has made similar and equally far-fetched accusations of anti-German racism in other contexts:

  • Claims that a reliable source, an article in the German Law Journal, should not be believed because it contains "a lot of unproven, aggressive, prejudicing and even racist statements" (emphasis in original). "The main thing i personally worry about is that such an unreal, unscientific, racist text could be believed by americans. Imho Jimbo had founded Wikipedia to aid in that." Note that the German Law Journal has been honored by the German Minister of Justice, Brigitte Zypries, for being an "ambassador of German law".
  • Claims the Human Rights Reports issued by the United States Department of State represent "racist truth".

Note: This thread has been moved here from ANI. --JN466 19:21, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Notification of the user against whom enforcement is requested
User notified. --JN466 19:28, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion concerning Wispanow

[edit]

Statement by Wispanow

[edit]

Read the accusations and preparing an answer. Wispanow (talk) 00:16, 10 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]


I am sorry but i have a lot of work to do this week. Any detailed answer takes probably until sunday.

In the meantime these statements:


1. Stating reality in an appropriate manner is the main thing ANY encyclopedia and the discussion about it is for. Leaves to prove what is reality and appropriate.

2. I propose to close this case, because this is not the optimum place to discuss if the article represents reality or a wrong or even racist viewpoint. And the adequacy depends on that, probably insulting a whole nation with over 80 million people.

3. Although it is clear that it offends especially Jayen466, it is not my intention and i have not done it, excluding my call to topic ban Jayen466 and stating reasons. Although this may be unpleasant to discuss for Jayen466, please recognize that it is even more unpleasant and insulting for me being wrongly accused. But it is necessary in such a procedure, as it was before for Jayen466 of being accused for providing a biased viewpoint of Scientology.

4. I am quite sure that the discussion will soon come to results and to my attempt to ban Jayen466 from Scientology topics (probably only with relation to Germany) as it was done before.

5. If i am wrong in main parts, i promise to leave any Scientology related topic. And apologize, begging for forgiveness.


In the meantime i am sorry for any use of upsetting but appropriate words.


Until now i haven't time to write a detailed answer, but can quickly state some facts.


Facts
[edit]
Sources with unbalanced, biased or wrong statements or viewpoints or wrongly cited
[edit]
  1. Consider that sources may not reflect reality. [140]
  2. Consider that anything i remember in this article about the recognition of Scientology and nearly anything about the violation of human rights in Germany is wrong. Scientology Gerichtsurteile Translation: Scientology Judgments: Recognition of 30 years Basic Law Article 4 Religious Freedom Church of Scientology in Germany 1978 to 2008 [141]

I accuse mainly time.com and partly bbc.co.uk (and others) for stating an unbalanced, wrong and/or even racist viewpoint of Germany and german people. Therefore it will not help adding additional sources just mentioning the same viewpoint, but check if its real or wrong or racist.

In case of human rights, this means mainly court judgments or VERY difficult to achieve balanced view of actions happened.


Listed sources are insufficient; search for more.


My definition of racism against Germany and German people is based on United Nations
[edit]
The UN does not define "racism", however it does define "racial discrimination": according to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,

the term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.[1]

This definition does not make any difference between prosecutions based on ethnicity and race, in part because the distinction between the two remains debatable among anthropologists.[2]
According to British law, racial group means "any group of people who are defined by reference to their race, colour, nationality (including citizenship) or ethnic or national origin".[3]


Leaves to define discrimination:

The United Nations uses the definition of racial discrimination laid out in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted in 1966:

...any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.(Part 1 of Article 1 of the U.N. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination)[4]


I prefer to add two more points:

  1. Because we are not perfect and it may offend somebody, use of the term "racism" needs a considerably amount of discrimination
  2. Statements have to differ from reality or include meanings that differ from reality.


To be proven.


If you need more to close this case without punishment or topic ban, i hope i can deliver sunday. Wispanow (talk) 14:56, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Thank you very much for your comments. Due to lack of time today i prepare an quick answer tomorrow. More details Sunday. Please notice that it takes a lot of effort and time because i clearly stated that MAIN PARTS of the article are inappropriate, unbalanced, biased or wrong. It is time enough to discuss, if you want to make it here, and the article is editprotected. Wispanow (talk) 15:47, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]


Strong and unbalanced accusations of Jayen466: Please wait for a detailed answer until sunday. In the meantime:

I accused Jayen466 first writing a biased, unbalanced viewpoint which can be seen as containing a racist view. Thats what i am accused here. And i claimed a topic-ban for Jayen466 first. If i am topic-banned, he increases his chances not to be topic-banned. Please consider therefore that Jayen466 may be biased in this case!

Details, more facts and why it is appropriate sunday. In the meantime consider his accusations as unbalanced. Wispanow (talk) 17:21, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]


I agree absolutely to discuss, and if moderated this can be improved. Thank you very much. That was the main thing i wanted.
In contrary to Jayen466 (update: he now wants to discuss too), i have nothing against it discussing with him. We will see, if he is able to learn.
The first things i will do is to expand the statements i made, giving a rough overview of human rights in Germany and related facts. Than its time to prove that some sources using balanced, wrong or even mendacious statements and why Germans can valuate this viewpoint as racism. Although german politicians like to give statements which can be seen as a violation of human rights, it is necessary to show why some of them are just screaming little monkeys (and money-grabbing), unimportant and nearly powerless in this case, just dancing to the music the courts play in the background. After that, giving a lot of primary sources which will outperform unreasonable statements in secondary sources, its time to edit the article, which then can be quick by just listing my primary sources and reasons. Again, thank you. Wispanow (talk) 14:46, 14 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by others about the request concerning Wispanow

[edit]

This is hard to measure. Hot button words such as "racist" and "cult" are seldom appropriate and require careful contextualization in the few instances where no calmer substitute is available. Winspanow needs a caution in that regard. Regarding the rest, it would be useful if someone with good familiarity in the subject weighed in because what Winspanow appears to be asserting is that the article violates WP:UNDUE. In the context of WP:UNDUE it can be appropriate to remove reliably sourced information so that one section or topic or POV does not unduly dominate an article. I don't know this subject well enough to determine whether the undue weight clause properly applies. Would be more inclined to read Jayen466's report at face value if it had also disclosed that the Scientology decision passed a finding of fact that he had been "edit-warring apparently to advance an agenda", and had page banned Jayen466 from the biography of a prominent critic of new religious movements: see Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Jayen466, Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Jayen466_topic-banned_from_Rick_Ross_articles. Subsequently Jayen466 has contributed quality content on related material, so possibly his response is a fair one. Yet Wispanow has edited Wikipedia since 2007 without any blocks at all except for the brief recent one which was overturned procedurally. Is this primarily a content dispute? Could a content RfC or mediation be tried before invoking discretionary sanctions? Durova412 22:37, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for putting me in the invidious position of having to point out that you only quoted one-half of that arbcom finding of fact. The other half was, "Jayen466 has made many constructive edits in the Scientology topic". You have an editor here in Wispanow who is not bringing sources to the table, says the German Law Journal does not qualify as a reliable source (because it is anti-German and racist), and says the US Department of States Human Rights Reports are racist, as well. You want me to go to mediation with such an editor? Please have a look at WP:RANDY, have a look at the article history, and have a look at the article's recent peer review. --JN466 22:58, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes; it speaks more strongly in your favor to mention the quality content since you hadn't written any GAs yet when that case decision was finalized. On the whole, content RfC has a better track record than mediation at resolving content disputes. We're in agreement that the word "racist" is unhelpful: it means different things to different people and tends to shut down discussion. Yet it seems premature to seek a topic ban on an editor of three years' good standing. 23:37, 8 March 2010 (UTC)
When I first saw this AE request, I wondered if Wispanow might be inexperienced and just need to calm his rhetorical excesses about such terms as 'racism.' I also perceived that there could be a language barrier. But a look at User_talk:Wispanow#Scientology_in_Germany shows that he was making inappropriate edits to the article without proper sources as long ago as February 2009. In the above thread, Jayen466 took the time to explain Wikipedia policies to him very thoroughly in German. Though his edits are POV, they don't seem like those of a well-organized partisan. Some of his edits are frankly puzzling. (After you think about the racism charge in the edit summary, try to figure out why he is also removing a source, and try to determine if his changes to the article text make any sense at all). Perhaps he feels a need to defend the honor of Germany by keeping things out of the Scientology in Germany article that sound too harsh to him. The above mention of WP:RANDY is not without reason. A topic ban from Scientology in Germany would not (in my opinion) cause the loss of meaningful future contributions to this article. Wispanow has contributed elsewhere, for instance at Nikon D5000, without incident and without any obvious lapses in logic. EdJohnston (talk) 00:16, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Wispanow engaged in similar disruption at another Scientology/Germany article, here, [142]], [143], December last. He changed the wording, while leaving the source reference unchanged. The source cited was published by the Scientific Services Division of the German Parliament. As in this case, he edit-warred against two editors (John Carter and me), implementing a wording that directly contradicted the cited source. The result was that an admin stepped in and locked the article (in Wispanow's version) for a fortnight, just as has just happened here. --JN466 00:49, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks to EdJohnston for the evaluation. Photography is a subject that's much more familiar to me than Scientology; Winspanow's edits seem reasonable there. Probably the only other useful thing I could add to this discussion regards German sourcing. Jayen, I'm rusty in that language but used to be fluent. You say that Winspanow altered an article statement without changing a citation. If you believe he has actually misrepresented a German language source, feel free to give an example or two. I could give it a look or possibly if you prefer we could locate a native speaker. Durova412 04:57, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Dear Durova, I have just given such an example in the post directly above yours. This was Wispanow's edit. This is the cited source. I am sure your German will be adequate. At the top of page 2 the cited source says, "Umstritten ist, ob es sich bei den scientologischen Lehren um Glauben, Religion bzw. Weltanschauung handelt. Und fraglich ist, ob die Scientology-Lehren von der Organisation nur als Vorwand für eine ausschließlich wirtschaftliche Zielsetzung benutzt werden. Dies würde nach überwiegender Auffassung zum Ausschluss des Schutzes durch Art. 4 GG führen." ("What is disputed is whether the scientological teachings represent a belief, religion or worldview. And the question is whether Scientology's teachings are only used by the organisation as a pretext for an exclusively economical aim. According to majority legal opinion, this would result in the exclusion of protection by Article 4 of the Grundgesetz (German Constitution)."
Wispanow's edit made it say the exact opposite: that Scientology's protection under Article 4 was guaranteed in any case. It is not. When questioned about the edit, he said, "Read the constitution"! The admin who'd locked the article refused to accede to John Carter's and my [[[144]|editprotected request]]. There was no project benefit whatsoever, except that our article was wrong on that point for two weeks. We have the exact same position now, where the current article wording has been altered to claim, for example, that "the courts" (rather than the German government) published information leaflets on Scientology. There is a difference between "the courts" and "the government", but that difference appears to escape User:Wispanow. Yet his version is what around 100 people will be reading today and every day for the next two weeks, while we are here talking about Godot. --JN466 05:18, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Another sentence Wispanow removed in his edit is the one referring to "hysteria": "German fears and concerns about new religious movements reached a level resembling hysteria in the mid-nineties, becoming focused mainly on the Church of Scientology." There are three separate sources that emphatically use the word "hysteria" in this precise context. One of them, available in google books, points out that this was also the word the Lutheran churches (Fincke and Nüchtern are from the Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen, i.e. the Lutherans' apologetics department) used to describe the situation. I have no reason to believe Wispanow bothered to check any of these sources. --JN466 05:43, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the swift followup, Jayen. I'll have a look at this now. It'll either be the last post for the evening or the first for tomorrow. See below: you were right about a source last year February. Durova412 05:46, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for looking into it. --JN466 05:58, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, checking the PDF about the court case: that text is right at the top of page two. Jayen's translation is correct. The alteration misrepresented the source, and what's especially strange is that although the edit summary accused the Wikipedia article of being too pro-Scientology, the alteration not only contradicted the source but made the text more pro-Scientology: the article had said that Scientology could be exempted from legal religious protection if its ideology could be proven to be a pretext for commercial activity; the edit altered the Wikipedia article to assert that Scientology definitely would be protected as a religion under German law, regardless of that. Jayen's summary was an accurate paraphrase and there isn't any way to justify that edit without locating a different source. Durova412 06:02, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Comment by Sandstein
[edit]

Could you please format this request in the standard format ({{Sanction enforcement request}})?  Sandstein  19:38, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'll add the relevant subheadings. --JN466 19:40, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Also, the remedy you cite, "Editing environment (editors cautioned)", appears to be a caution and as such not directly enforceable; it has no corresponding enforcement provision. Could you please cite an enforceable remedy that you think might apply here?  Sandstein  19:56, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The remedy is cited under "action requested", i.e. Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Discretionary_topic_ban: "Any uninvolved administrator may, on his or her own discretion, ban any editor from editing within the Scientology topic". I know you unblocked him once before, but do you see any desire on his part to contribute meaningfully? And do you endorse his accusations of racism levelled at the US State Department, the German Law Journal, and me personally? I am German myself. --JN466 20:05, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I've added Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Editors_instructed. Point C applies. --JN466 20:09, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. I am not amused, however, that you accuse me of endorsing racism of any sort and will not continue evaluating this request.  Sandstein  20:20, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You haven't been accused of endorsing racism. Please refactor your uncivil accusation and exercise better judgment in future. Your behavior is unacceptable and quite nasty. Please cease these uncivil, antagonistic and belligerent statements and actions. ChildofMidnight (talk) 20:47, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
That is fine, Sandstein. For the record though, I did not accuse you of endorsing racism. I asked you whether you endorsed Wispanow's accusation that the US State Department, the German Law Journal, and I personally are anti-German racists. Personally, I think these accusations are quite beyond the pale, and I am surprised that you did not find it in you to condemn them when asked about them. --JN466 21:03, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, sorry, I misread that. I am also not amused of being charged with endorsing accusations of racism, especially accusations that I have not even read yet, let alone commented on.  Sandstein  21:26, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
For the record, I did not charge you with endorsing accusations of racism either. I asked you your opinion about these accusations. I assumed you would read them before replying. --JN466 22:45, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Observations by SilkTork
[edit]
  • Wispanow has made 54 edits to Scientology in Germany, amounting to an involvement of 5.8% - this is the second largest involvement after Jayen466 (686 edits -73.8%).
  • The article was failed as a GA on 17 Feb 2009 due to POV issues. It passed as a GA in November.
  • Wispanow's first edit was this on 21 February 2009. Two of the links are dead, but the one that is still live checks out. The edit appears to be constructive, and is cited. That first edit was reversed two days later by Jayen466 with this edit and refers to a talkpage discussion that I have not yet found.
  • Also on 21 Feb Wispanow removed some text with this edit with the rationale that the source had been misread. There was a discussion in which Jayen466 explained how the source had been read, and the text was restored.
  • There follow in Feb 2009 a series of tags, edits and discussions involving Wispanow, in which they are expressing concerns about potential bias in the article. Wispanow appears concerned that the article is describing a total anti-scientology stance in Germany which Wispanow feels is not balanced by information regarding either pro or neutral scientology attitudes in Germany. Jayen466 invited Wispanow to supply reliable sources to support Germany having positive attitudes towards Scientology.
  • Wispanow occasionally edited the article in line with the concerns raised. Following this edit, Wispanow was given a block warning by Moni3 - [145]. Wispanow's involvement became quite minimal, but still raised POV concerns. Placing this POV tag got Wispanow another comment from Moni3. Wispanow added some more tags - [146] - and gave reasons on the talkpage for their actions - [147]. Moni3, Jayen466 and John Carter responded to Wispanow's concerns, Jayen466 explaining that "If it is accurate and sourcable, then it doesn't violate neutrality." Wispanow was then blocked by moni3 and unblocked by Sandstein - [148].
  • Wispanow made one more edit in June, then nothing more until these three edits in the past few days which prompted a lock down of the article and this Arb request.
  • From these observations I would say that Wispanow has concerns about the POV of the article and is frustrated at developments. Wispanow has used inappropriate wording in edit summaries and in talkpage comments. Wispanow has not made best use of negotiation tactics, or of the resources available on Wikipedia for inexperienced editors who are concerned about content - such as Wikipedia:Editor assistance or Wikipedia:Third opinion. While editors have been civilly and calmly engaging with Wispanow, there has perhaps not been enough assistance offered to Wispanow, or to direct Wispanow to areas such as Wikipedia:Editor assistance or Wikipedia:Third opinion. Wispanow has perhaps been alienated and dismissed, and then blocked, which may have increased that person's feelings of frustration.
  • I do not know enough about the issues to judge how appropriate are Wispanow's concerns, though I would share Jayen466's view that appropriate sources are the best way forward.
  • I feel that while Wispanow has been unwise in the use of language, and slightly difficult, Wispanow has not been disruptive enough for a topic ban.
  • I would suggest, time-consuming though it may be, that a moderated discussion between Wispanow and Jayen466 may be of more benefit to future harmony, and the development of the article, than a topic ban. I would be willing to moderate the discussion if both parties are willing. SilkTork *YES! 01:33, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
    • Thanks. I appreciate your goodwill and your kind offer. Two small corrections:
      1. The first "constructive" edit by Wispanow cited by you above duplicated content and sources that were already present in the main part of the article. (One of the sources may have been new.)
      2. The quote "If it is accurate and sourcable, then it doesn't violate neutrality." was by John Carter rather than myself.
    • I understand what you are saying about Wispanow's editing experience. However, I do not have unlimited time at my disposal, and certainly no time to waste. I will not enter mediated discussions with Wispanow until he:
      1. apologises for his comments,
      2. acknowledges that he cannot assert in Wikipedia that the German Law Journal is a racist and unreliable source and expect to be taken seriously here, and
      3. gives clear signs of understanding that the way he edited and argued here is absolutely unacceptable for content work.
    • I am afraid I have to insist on some minimum standards of ability; I do have a day job, and the amount of time I have spent on this is already out of all proportion to any benefit to this project. --JN466 03:47, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
      • Have checked out one of the instances SilkTork has raised. Jayen's translation is correct regarding the text Kritik an Filmen von bekennenden Scientologen, wie Cruise und John Travolta, und an Auftritten des Jazz-Musikers Chick Korea, ebenfalls Scientology-Anhänger, ist in Deutschland nicht neu: 1996 hatte die Junge Union zum Boykott gegen den Thriller "Mission: Impossible" mit Cruise als Hauptdarsteller aufgerufen. For non-German speakers this is a bit hard to confirm: Google Translate didn't parse the page and Yahoo's Babel Fish didn't handle the passage well. The en:wiki article Junge Union jibes with Jayen's statement. For a single instance over a year ago I can extend good faith (perhaps the editor skimmed and missed that passage). It's a bit worrisome that he didn't follow up in agreement after Jayen's explanation at the talk page. If other instances like this form a pattern, though, then I would endorse Jayen's request. Durova412 05:23, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
        • Thanks. I've added two more above, under your earlier post. --JN466 05:57, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
          • Changing "courts backed the publication" to "courts published" is less serious but unhelpful. What was the other thing you wanted me to look at, exactly? Durova412 06:08, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
            • The thing about "hysteria", above, and about how this came to focus on Scientology in the late nineties. It was sourced. He took it out, leaving the sources in place. Although it is not such a big deal. --JN466 06:17, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
              • (ec) The last edit regarding "hysteria" could be reasonable, since the edit changed the text to a shorter summary. The difference in emphasis and POV is tangible and I don't know which version is more balanced. That particular alteration didn't make the citation inaccurate, though. These two more recent examples don't carry the weight of the first two I read (both of which were quite stark). But for someone to come in and make those two stark examples, then defend one of them at talk with claims of being a native speaker, is not acceptable. Am curious what Wispanow's response here will be, because as of this juncture it looks like a final warning would be appropriate. German speakers are not too hard to find; please don't wait a year, Jayen, if this occurs again. Durova412 06:19, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'll know where to go next time. ;) Here is another Wispanow edit from earlier on.

  • In that diff, Wispanow rewrote a sentence as follows: "Between 2007 and 2008, there was a discussion to ban Scientology in Germany which was within 3 days considered senseless and quickly dropped because insufficient evidence of unconstitutional activity was found by German Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz.{{Lopsided}}" The "within 3 days" he inserted is unsourced and wrong. It took a year, from 2007 to 2008. And he added a "lopsided" tag to his own sentence.
  • Under "Legal status", he inserted "Its believers enjoy full protection of the german constitution. Because Scientology or its members or believers did not call the courts, the actual status wether the organisation is a religious organisation or a commercial enterprise and the not directly according tax-exemption is unresolved." No new source is cited to verify that. It is in fact completely made up, and still cites the same 2-page pdf from the German Parliament, which, as you've already verified, says something quite different.
  • Further down in the US criticism section, the article cites Richard Cohen saying in the Washington Post, "Scientology might be one weird religion, but the German reaction to it is weirder still – not to mention disturbing." This is cited to both the Washington Post and a German scholar, Schön, who quotes Cohen to illustrate American opinion, affirming the notability of the quote. Wispanow adds {{POV-statement}}. Of course it is a POV statement – that was the point, to illustrate the American POV. Almost all the tags he placed in that edit are equally unfathomable. For example, "{{verify credibility}}{{Lopsided}}" for a poll in Der Spiegel saying that 67% of Germans are in favour of banning Scientology. An opinion poll in Der Spiegel lacks credibility and is lopsided? And there is a "fact" tag for "Scientology is generally viewed with more suspicion in Europe," when page 2 of the cited article says: "Europeans in general bear more suspicion toward Scientology than Americans do, but Germans are considered particularly antagonistic". Whatever it is he was doing there, it was not encyclopedia writing. --JN466 08:26, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Deletions of sourced material: [149][150][151][152] --JN466 09:02, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Two more observations:
    • Browsing through Wispanow's edit history, it appears that Wispanow makes positive contributions, and while at times a bit brusque, does work through issues on talkpages, such as on Talk:Luminous efficacy.
    • Doing some quick and dirty research into Scientology in Germany I found these sources: [153], [154], [155], [156], [157], [158], [159], [160], [161], [162], [163], which all support the approach taken by Jayen466 in building the article. From from I have found I feel that it is clear that Jayen466 has taken pains to research carefully in order to build a neutral article on a difficult subject, and has consulted with the community via GA reviews and a Peer Review to ensure that the article is going in the right direction.
  • Comment: Articles on contentious topics will attract challenges to POV. It would be inappropriate to suppress all such challenges, and is against the spirit of Wikipedia. However, we do have sanctions to use when challenges get out of hand and disrupt the development of an article. When to employ those sanctions will always be a question of judgement. Wispanow has made several strong challenges on the talkpage, and in the article itself, which can be tiresome, and having been there myself more than once I do sympathise with an editor having to deal with challenges. However, in my experience, such challenges can harden an article and make it better, and I note that Moni3 took some of Wispanow's content and incorporated it into a new lead that Jayen466 found acceptable. Wispanow has been willing to engage in discussion, albeit in a sometimes hostile manner, and has left the article alone for many months. Given the circumstances I feel that sanctions at this point would be inappropriate, and I would still urge that the parties attempt to work together. SilkTork *YES! 12:37, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • You are a kind person. :) I don't rule out working with Wispanow. Anyway, per ARBSCI he is entitled to one warning before any sanctions are pronounced. BUT I will note here that I tried this. When I approached him in a friendly manner last time, and addressed him in German on his talk page, seeing that the language barrier was getting in the way, his first response was to ask me where exactly I lived and whether I was a Scientologist, followed by reams of WP:OR with lots of ALLCAPS. He's implied I'm a Scientologist in multiple edit summaries since. I cannot be expected to start at ABC with every angry German editor, explaining the most basic aspects of sourcing, and let myself be called names. Right now I have a GA review to finish, one of my own articles is undergoing GA review, I've promised to help Auntieruth55 get Siege of Godesberg (1583) ready for FAC, having shelled out $100 for a specialist source, and I'm supposed to finish copyediting War of the Bavarian Succession in preparation for ACR, as well as respond to a few other requests on my talk page. At the same time, I have two work deadlines for tomorrow, another two for the end of the week, a book to finish proofreading for a scholar friend, and I have slept three hours. Talking to Wispanow and taking further insults from him, combined with insinuations that I am a Scientologist, is not high on my list of priorities right now, nor is explaining to him why "read the constitution" is not an adequate edit summary. I would like him warned, per Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Discretionary_topic_ban, and if you want to mediate discussions between him and me some time next week, then fine. But I will not put up with any further abuse either of me personally, or of the article. --JN466 16:44, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • The newest posts go beyond straightforward translation. A note to non-German speakers: Der Spiegel is a newsmagazine that has a better reputation than any comparable English language newsmagazine; imagine a much thicker version of Newsweek with content equivalent to the national edition of The New York Times. If there's a reason a Spiegel poll lacks credibility it really ought to be specified on the article talk page. Durova412 17:46, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Regarding the "read the constitution" edit summary, the Basic Law of Germany does guarantee freedom of religion. But one can't open a sports bar and get tax exempt status by naming it Temple of Bacchus. That's a very simple analogy for the issue Winspanow overlooked in the recent German court case about Scientology. The Time article uses hot button terms ("Nazi" and "fascist"), and the general background is that German law and society are very concerned about implementing safeguards that their democracy didn't have in the 1920s: a minor fringe party came to power with disastrous results. Later generations live in the shadow of that. Hushed silence falls over a room when certain subjects arise, even obliquely, in a way I've observed in the English speaking world only when someone mentions "KKK" below the Mason-Dixon line. It looks like the subject of Scientology somehow touched the third rail in Germany where anti-fascist arguments exist both for and against its acceptance. Perhaps that's a cultural divide here? The two instances of misused sourcing look like skimming and seeing red rather than deliberate misattribution. Without underplaying the seriousness of that or the difficulty of collaborating with someone who's seeing red, a little latitude may be appropriate: a straightforward communication about what the expectations are here and no nonsense if the problem continues. Durova412 19:46, 9 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Durova has described a key aspect of the cultural divide very well here. It is a point that the article is trying to get across as well, and which it touches upon several times. Another aspect is a very differently situated "comfort zone" between the two poles of individual rights vs. collective rights, with the States emphasising the former, and Germany emphasising the latter (i.e. focusing more on individual duties, or protecting the community from the dangerous individual). A third difference is the centuries-long existence of two main state churches in Germany, compared to much more fragmented religious demographics in the States. (Those latter two points still need to be brought out more in the article; I've acquired a useful journal article that addresses this.) --JN466 02:48, 10 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • SilkTork, you referred above to this edit of mine, mentioning in the edit summary a talk page discussion you had been unable to find. This diff contains the relevant talk page discussions. I proposed returning to the Feb 19 version on the talk page at 00:30, 23 February 2009 (UTC), and the GA reviewer replied at 01:21, 23 February 2009 (UTC), The unreliable sources need to be removed, as well as any information that they are sourcing that is not sopported by other sources. I agree if the "originals" can be found, that would be fine. The SP Times article seem good. It seems to mostly quote what the German official said, as I recall, without commenting on the veracity of much of it. I have had no problem with your judgment nor your willingness to cooperate with other editors, so I trust you judgment in restoring the articles sources to a reliable condition. I made the edit at 13:26, 23 February 2009. In case you were wondering, I restored the deleted information about Antje Victore's allegedly fraudulent asylum case later that same day, in this edit, but now sourced wholly to reliable sources. The GA reviewer had objected to the source whyaretheydead.net, which had been inserted by an IP in this edit. --JN466 00:33, 14 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Comment on Wispanow's statement by Jayen466
[edit]
  • It is hard to know where to begin. In his statement, Wispanow cites Scientology's own propaganda blog and a press release by the Bavarian branch of the Church of Scientology as evidence that Scientology has been recognised as a religion by the German courts. A Scientology blog is not a reliable source. Scientology's own statements on the matter are, to say the least, disputed, and certainly selective, listing only judgments in Scientology's favour. For example, there is no listing for the 1995 Federal Labour Court ruling that explicitly said Scientology is NOT a religion. Having said that, there certainly have been court decisions in Scientology's favour, and this is mentioned in the article. Wispanow fails to realise that the focus of criticism from abroad is not the German court system, which is generally held to be fairly impartial, but the German government.
  • The Scientology blog, as a selective review listing court decisions in Scientology's favour, lacks any reference to statements by the German government that call Scientology's status as a religion in doubt. For example, see "Understanding the German view of Scientology", a document put up by the German Embassy in Washington D.C., which said, among other things: "The German government considers the Scientology organization a commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism. [...] Given this background, Germany, as well as Belgium, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Israel and Mexico, remain unconvinced that Scientology is a religion." This continues to be the German government's position today, as affirmed in the document prepared by the German Parliament's Scientific Services Division, and widely reported in the international media. I respectfully submit that statements by the German Embassy are a more reliable indicator of the degree of acceptance Scientology has as a religion in Germany than Scientology's propaganda.
  • Failing to find his views reflected in mainstream sources like Time Magazine and the BBC, Wispanow concludes that Time and the BBC are "wrong or racist" and should be excluded as sources. He says, "I accuse mainly time.com and partly bbc.co.uk (and others) for stating an unbalanced, wrong and/or even racist viewpoint of Germany and german people. Therefore it will not help adding additional sources just mentioning the same viewpoint, but check if its real or wrong or racist." So all these reliable sources are wrong, and Wispanow is right, and feels he is entitled to edit-war so the article says what he thinks it should say and doesn't say what he thinks all those reliable sources should not have said. This is not how we write this encyclopedia. Time Magazine and the BBC are valued and trusted sources, and the fact that Wispanow does not understand or accept this makes him unfit to contribute to this topic area.
  • I should also mention that while Wispanow rejects Time Magazine and the BBC as reliable sources, he saw fit to edit-war to include the following unreliable sources in the article:
  • It is impossible to write a good, encyclopedic article when edits like this come along and need to be haggled over.
  • Wispanow has been warned by three different admins for edit-warring, personal attacks, deleting sourced material and adding poorly sourced material in Scientology in Germany. [164][165][166][167] The third of these warnings made explicit reference to Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Discretionary_topic_ban. --JN466 11:25, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • I have started a discussion thread at Talk:Scientology_in_Germany#Protection_under_Article_4_of_the_German_Constitution. This was the point that Wispanow sought to change several times, without adding a source in support, [168][169][170][171] and without removing the existing German Parliament source which contradicted his text. --JN466 18:46, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Result concerning Wispanow

[edit]
This section is to be edited only by uninvolved administrators. Comments by others will be moved to the section above.
  • Please provide a link to where an uninvolved administrator has previously left a message on the editor's talk page, linking to Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Discretionary_topic_ban, warning the editor that a topic ban is contemplated and outlining the behaviours for which it is contemplated, as required by Wikipedia:ARBSCI#Discretionary_topic_ban, or if no such message has been left, please say so, and I will then leave one and this AE report will be closed. Stifle (talk) 13:49, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
    • [172] --JN466 20:45, 11 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
      • I tend to support SilkTork's suggestion of a moderated discussion. Topic-banning users isn't conducive to happy editing. Stifle (talk) 19:38, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
        • Fine by me. If the discussion can lead to reliably sourced improvements, I am all for it. The article is still locked for another 10 days or so; this will give us a window of opportunity to see whether anything worthwhile will result from these discussions. (Feel free to move this reply.) --JN466 21:31, 12 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
          • OK; I'll close this shortly. Please feel free to return here if SilkTork's moderated discussion falls through. Stifle (talk) 11:29, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
            • Wispanow seems to believe that it offends the national honor of Germany to report in our article some of the things that the government has done, or to report what reliable sources have had to say about German public opinion. He doesn't seem to realize that it is POV editing for him to present himself as a would-be defender of national honor, since his complaints about 'racism' are merely his own personal opinion, and are inappropriate per WP:SOAP. (He can offer no published source that uses the term 'racism' in connection with the Scientology controversy in Germany). Stifle may close this for now, but I myself will consider the basic issue unresolved until Wispanow agrees to follow Wikipedia policy. EdJohnston (talk) 13:58, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
              • My impression is the Wispanow has legitimate concerns which he expresses very poorly, perhaps due to language difficulties. Vague, broad generalizations about an entire people, such as, "...German fears and concerns about new religious movements reached a level resembling hysteria in the mid-nineties..." should not be stated as fact in Wikipedia's voice no matter how many sources use the word hysteria. When we are dealing with a major controversy in a large country there will always be numerous commentators taking strong rhetorical positions. I would think a moderated discourse could come up with language that was more appropriate without ignoring critics of Germany's response to this matter.--agr (talk) 21:38, 14 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  1. ^ UN International Convention on the Elimination of All of Racial Discrimination, NEW YORK 7 March 1966
  2. ^ A. Metraux (1950) "United nations Economic and Security Council Statement by Experts on Problems of Race" in American Anthropologist 53(1): 142-145)
  3. ^ The CPS : Racist and Religious Crime - CPS Prosecution Policy
  4. ^ Text of the Convention, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1966