Forum:Disclaimer template for controversy sections on smasher articles
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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)
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