Forum:Disclaimer template for controversy sections on smasher articles

Forums: Index → Proposals → Disclaimer template for controversy sections on smasher articles

This discussion is in regards to a proposed change on SmashWiki. The discussion must first meet with a consensus before it is implemented.

After having read through the concerns raised by user Xaltis, regarding the controversy section of her smasher article, I believe that we need to take some action against the potential harm that the Wiki may be inadvertently causing to certain smashers. That is, by including a controversy section for allegations made against these smashers, without a clear disclaimer mentioning that unless stated otherwise these allegations are unsupported, we may be being complicit in the wrongful shunning and exclusion of innocent smashers.

While I don't know much about this particular case, and can't comment on the accuracy of the allegations, I have no doubt that there are at least a few instances of false allegations made against smashers who don't have the platform or support to defend themselves in a way that is satisfactory to be included as a reference on the Wiki. In the case of Xaltis specifically, after a fairly long string of text effectively condemning her, our representation of her response to the allegations amounts to "Xaltis denies the allegations".

My main issue with this is that, when presented with a list of allegations made against an individual, regardless of their quality or validity, the typical reader's impression of that individual will be permanently tainted, regardless of whether the reader has been presented with anything of substance to back up these claims. Granted, the Wiki is not responsible for the actions of unscrupulous accusers, but the fact is that many people view the Wiki as an authoritative source of information on smashers, and thus when we brazenly list any allegation, made against a smasher, that has garnered any sort of notability, with no formal disclaimer being displayed alongside them, we are absolutely being complicit in the propagation of these malicious allegations, even if we don't explicitly endorse their credibility.

With this in mind, it is very understandable that certain smashers will be very unhappy with the way the Wiki has portrayed them, and the allegations made against them. I would argue that we have indeed been irresponsible by not including such a disclaimer, and I believe we have a responsibility to rectify this.

I propose that we create a template, in a similar style to other notice templates, which makes it clear that the Wiki's inclusion of these allegations is for completion, and is in no way an indication of the validity of the allegations. I'm thinking of wording somewhere along the lines of "The following section lists allegations made against an individual, which are included for completeness. The inclusion of these allegations is not an endorsement of their validity, and unless stated otherwise, the allegations should be assumed to be unsupported." The design of the template would be very simple, perhaps with a gray colour scheme and a typical !-warning sign, or something to that effect.

Please let me know what you think of this, and if anyone can come up with possible designs for the template, that would be much appreciated. Note also that the wording I provided is not final, and suggested improvements are also welcome and encouraged. Alex the Weeb 10:43, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

Support

1. As stated above. Alex the Weeb 10:43, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

Oppose

1. Oppose. We already have a general disclaimer. I don't think we need to specify this and in fact I think it would serve to empower those who have allegations against them to flag them this way rather than leaving things at the baseline we currently do: "we report the factual existence of the allegations and don't pass judgment ourselves". Miles (talk) 10:51, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

   There is absolutely no way that general disclaimer is sufficient here. And in what capacity are we empowering those with allegations made against them by placing a disclaimer at the top of their section before going on to provide a list of allegations that have been made against them? I really don't understand how you can look at something like this, and say that we are not contributing to this very real issue? Alex the Weeb 10:57, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

   The Xaltis situation is, to my knowledge, in the process of being rewritten right now to encompass additional details about her behavior that are currently not there, so that's not in a stable place to use as a reference point. More generally, I don't see why we should have to hedge our reporting further when we can simply list the allegations and any response from the player, list any bans/consequences that have resulted, cite our sources, and not attempt to say anything that isn't neutral, factual reporting. Stating that the assumption is that allegations are "unsupported" would only serve to imply that accusers' claims shouldn't be taken seriously. Besides, if the claim isn't supported by citations, it shouldn't be here in the first place to need such a disclaimer anyway. Miles (talk) 11:03, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

   We're not saying they're unsupported, we're saying that if we don't provide supporting evidence, the reader can assume they are unsupported, which is consistent with the principle of innocent unless found to be guilty. In other words, we're saying that we will list allegations that aren't necessarily supported, which is what we are currently doing on multiple smasher articles. If you take issue with the specific wording used, feel free to provide an improved wording. Also note that showing that the allegation was made is not the same as stating that the allegation is supported. Currently, pretty much any allegation made is being listed in controversy sections with minimal vetting, and the only source is the accuser's word. Without a disclaimer, we are being irresponsible with our reporting. Alex the Weeb 11:10, March 18, 2021 (EDT)

Neutral

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