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BlackLight Power
Have you discussed this on a talk page?
Yes, I have discussed this issue on a talk page already.
Location of dispute
- BlackLight Power (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs)
Users involved
- Blippy (talk · contribs)
- Alexbrn (talk · contribs)
- Ronnotel (talk · contribs)
- LeadSongDog (talk · contribs)
- Bhny (talk · contribs)
- VQuakr (talk · contribs)
- Johnuniq (talk · contribs)
Dispute overview
There is discussion about whether an editorial in a well regarded physics journal is a secondary source, and whether it should be included in the article. For convenience, here is an extract from the editorial:
- Despite the reservations about the “hydrino” hypothesis expressed by some members of the scientific community, we decided that, after ensuring that the paper passed all necessary refereeing procedures (review by two independent senior members of the academic community), we should publish this paper rather than silence the discussion by rejecting it. We view this as the most effective way to stimulate scientific discourse, encourage debate, and engage in a meaningful dialogue about what is admittedly a controversial postulate.
The following draft sentence has been proposed, but no consensus reached thus far: In 2011 the editors-in-chief of a reputable physics journal characterised the hydrino hypothesis as being worthy of further scientific discussion and debate while acknowledging the "reservations...expressed by some members of the scientific community".
Have you tried to resolve this previously?
Engaged in discussions on my Talk page.
How do you think we can help?
Editors seem to be fairly polarised in their view of Blacklight Power on the talk page. It would be very helpful for people less interested in (or committed to) currently accepted physics to bring some dispassionate attention to the nature and quality of the source in dispute as such editors are less likely to be distracted by the implications of what BLP does in deciding on the issue of WP:RS.
Summary of dispute by Alexbrn
Trying to torture meaning out of a flimsy editorial comment in order to big up a fanstastical claim which would re-write the laws of science. I don't think so. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 06:36, 1 September 2014 (UTC)
Summary of dispute by Ronnotel
The article in question is from European Physical Journal D, a mid to high quality journal that consistently ranks in the top or second quartile related to other physics journals. It is unusual for a journal such as this to publish an editorial justifying a decision to publish a paper. The reason for doing so is that one potential interpretation of the results would have a profound impact on our understanding of quantum mechanics and the Standard Model. However, there could be other interpretations that would not be as impactful, but could still introduce new science. However, how will these interpretations be resolved if the results are summarily suppressed? How does it serve the scientific process to prohibit the mention of an article such as this? Ronnotel (talk) 13:43, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
Summary of dispute by LeadSongDog
One SPA disagreeing with all others]This argument about a source for a fringe free energy claim hardly deserves a serious response. Going fForum shopping when prospects at the article talk page dry up? Priceless. LeadSongDog come howl! 05:12, 1 September 2014 (UTC)
Summary of dispute by Bhny
If something is "worthy of further scientific discussion" it will be discussed and maybe then we will have something to add to the article. Let us wait for a discussion! Most wikipedia topics are worthy of discussion and obviously we don't state that in an article. Being "worthy of discussion" is not a notable thing, and also the quote is from a primary source. Bhny (talk) 03:34, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
Summary of dispute by VQuakr
- The source in question is the 1.1-paragraph editorial here, linked from here if the direct pdf hyperlink does not work. It does not mention the subject of the article in question, BlackLight Power (BLP).
- The proposed edit badly misinterprets the source, which is much more a dry justification than an endorsement. That the editors felt the need to justify publishing one of Mills's papers is not relevant enough to BLP to merit inclusion in the article. VQuakr (talk) 04:52, 31 August 2014 (UTC)
Summary of dispute by Johnuniq
Talk:BlackLight Power shows a large amount of activity focused on attempts to find something that might be added to the article to boost the impression that the company may be on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that will provide endless energy at low cost. However, the talk page also has a large section at the top regarding "Arbitration Committee Decisions on Pseudoscience" showing that scientific consensus determines what appears in articles, and by that guideline a throw-away editorial should not be used to suggest a positive result regarding hypothetical hydrinos. Johnuniq (talk) 04:33, 1 September 2014 (UTC)
Comment by 2over0
I am uninvolved in this particular dispute but have edited the article in the past. EPJ D is a fine journal (not first tier, but top quartile sounds about right), but the editorial in question is a good reason to continue treating the issue of hydrinos as outside of mainstream physics. Using this source as proposed would be to severely misrepresent it. If post-publication peer review shows interest from the relevant community of physicists, then we can talk about new physics. As it stands, this remains a WP:FRINGE claim. - 2/0 (cont.) 14:45, 4 September 2014 (UTC)
BlackLight Power discussion
Hello. I am a dispute resolution volunteer here at the Wikipedia Dispute Resolution Noticeboard. This does not imply that I have any special authority or that my opinions should carry any extra weight; it just means that I have not been previously involved in this dispute and that I have some experience helping other people to resolve their disputes. Right now I am doing a bit of research, reading all of the talk page comments before opening this up for discussion. This should take less than a day. In the meantime, I encourage everyone involved to review our Wikipedia:Dispute resolution and Wikipedia:Consensus pages. Thanks! There is one thing that I need everyone involved to understand right from the start; DRN is not a place to keep doing the same things that did not work on the article talk page. In particular, we only discuss article content, never user conduct. Many times, solving the content dispute also solves the user conduct issue. Do not talk about other editors. If anyone has a problem with this, let me know and we can discuss whether I should turn the case over to another dispute resolution volunteer. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:17, 2 September 2014 (UTC)
- Relevant prior discussions:
- https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2003-September/006653.html
- Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard/Archive194#Blacklight Power
- Wikipedia:Fringe theories/Noticeboard/Archive 33#BlackLight Power
- Wikipedia:Fringe theories/Noticeboard/Archive 16#Blacklight Power#Published material
- Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Archive238#Eric mit 1992 Blacklight Power
- Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard/Archive 22#User:TStolper1W
- Talk:BlackLight Power/Archive 7#NPOV,
- ARBCOM user notification #1
- ARBCOM user notification #2
- Wikipedia:Reference desk archive/Science/February 1-7 2006#Black light power, Nuclear fission or Nuclear fusion
- Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement/Archive146#Blippy
- http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Cold_fusion/Theory/Hydrino_theory
- OK, I have carefully studied the article, references, and talk page discussion. Before I continue, I would like to address one minor issue: User:LeadSongDog, would you be so kind as to strike or delete your comment about forum shopping? Here at DRN we only discuss article content, never user conduct.
- Getting back to the case at hand, I am now opening it up for discussion. Please note that it is my duty as a DRN volunteer to remain neutral in matters of editorial judgement and consensus building, but to also take a stand if I believe that Wikipedia's core principles are being violated.
- As I hope everyone already knows, this page is under standard discretionary sanctions, according to the following arbcom ruling:
- Standard discretionary sanctions are authorised for all articles relating to pseudoscience and fringe science, broadly interpreted. Any uninvolved administrator may levy restrictions as an arbitration enforcement action on users editing in this topic area, after an initial warning.
- Passed 8 to 0 by motion, 22:35, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
- I encourage anyone who has not done so to at least read Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Pseudoscience#Final decision and if possible to read the details of the case. It has many parallels with what we are discussing here. Pseudoscience pages often devolve into one side wanting too turn Wikipedia into a public relations arm of a particular pseudoscience (arguably, many of User:Blippy's proposed changes over the 9 months he has been working almost exclusively on this page fit this description), while the other side tries to turn Wikipedia into The Skeptics Dictionary while a few lonely voices stand for Wikipedia's core values.
- I have looked over this page carefully, and it is my considered opinion that the editorial choices to include the terms "fraud" and especially "loser technology" show that the current article lacks WP:NPOV in spots, is unencyclopedic in spots, and may very well contain WP:BLP violations. I don't see anything that leads me to believe that Philip Warren Anderson is qualified to differentiate between someone who is committing scientific fraud and someone who truly believes a particular bit of pseudoscience. I see no reason why we aren't simply quoting IEEE Spectrum magazine as saying that "most experts don't believe such lower states exist, and they say the experiments don't present convincing evidence". Adding the "loser technology" is blatant editorializing and completely unencyclopedic.
- I also have not seen a good argument for excluding European Physical Journal D. Certainly Blippy's suggestion ("In 2011 the editors-in-chief of a reputable physics journal characterized the hydrino hypothesis as being worthy of further scientific discussion") goes way too far in the other direction into advocacy, but why can's we just neutrally describe the paper and then neutrally describe the accompanying comment and editorial? It really looks like we are applying a higher standard than used in other pseudoscience topics.
- Finally, the comments by User:Ronnotel -- an experienced editor and an administrator -- appear to have been dismissed with any real effort to seek consensus concerning the issues he brings up.
- Based upon the above observations, I am going to recommend that we have a discussion here and attempt to come to an agreement on the above issues, and if we cannot do that, to escalate this to a less-informal forum. --Guy Macon (talk) 00:07, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Thanks for your assessment, Guy. In particular, I appreciate you pointing out that my concerns on the page have never been adequately addressed, especially the use of the term "fraud" which is a continuing source of injustice. I believe this is a direct violation of WP:BLP, no where else on WP am I aware of this type of language being used on so flimsy a pretext. Ronnotel (talk) 14:09, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- It was discussed at BLP/N[3] which I believe led to the current wording. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 14:19, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- That discussion, as well as this comment, is similarly unresponsive. How does the language in the article meet the demands of WP:BLP? Ronnotel (talk) 14:37, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- A theory (the "it" of the phrase in question) is not a living person. Does BLP apply to ideas? (Add: the point is it's wrong to say this hasn't been discussed, it's been discussed at a noticeboard where editors with BLP expertise are assumed to be on hand.)Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 14:43, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- An interpretation of WP:BLP that relies on highly legalistic reasoning is a red flag. The intent of WP:BLP is to look for reasons to exclude possibly defamatory language rather than reasons to include it. Ronnotel (talk) 14:52, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- There is nothing legalistic in saying a criticism of a scientific hypothesis as being bogus (which is what fraud means in that context) does not fall under the remit of WP:BLP. It is you who is crying BLP. There is the hydrino hypothesis, it was criticized in robust terms by a eminent scientist, he was quoted and published (and is still published online) by the Village Voice – who as a professional outfit presumably take care in what they publish. Wikipedia cites that criticsm to give the mainstream view in line with our core policy. As Guy has wisely said, we need to paid heed to the core principles of Wikipedia. Neutrality is one of them. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 15:05, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I think we agree on the need to be skeptical regarding the theory. We can do that without using the word "fraud", which is poorly sourced and therefore must be removed per WP:BLP. Ronnotel (talk) 15:12, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Oh, I just noticed it was you who originated the BLPN discussion. I agree with others that only a bad misunderstanding of the word "fraud" in this context could lead to any suggestion of a BLP aspect to its use. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 15:48, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I've alluded to this a number of times, so now I'll make a direct request. Can you please address the specific language in WP:BLP that spells out the circumstances when poorly sourced, defamatory language is acceptable. I don't see an exception for "bad misunderstanding". Ronnotel (talk) 16:27, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Irrelevant. The point is BLP doesn't apply to criticism of ideas, as you cannot defame an idea. I have no particular attachment to this particular form of words being in the lede, but invoking the BLP aspect here is badly off-beam in my view (and, it seems, in the view of those who frequent BLPN). Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 16:37, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- So I'm afraid I have no idea how to proceed in a dispute resolution when told that referencing WP:BLP is irrelevant to a poorly sourced allegation of "fraud". Perhaps the moderator or some other uninvolved observer can provide guidance here. I certainly can't lend my support to this view - I don't believe that is how WP is meant to work. Ronnotel (talk) 16:54, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I don't know how many ways I can say it. Let me give it one more go. There is no allegation of fraud against Mills. That is a misreading (as I and other have said, yet I'm not seeing any acknowledgment.) The hydrino hypothesis was described as "a fraud". You are insisting that somehow this criticism of the idea is transitive to criticism of one of its proponents. I and others disagree. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 17:02, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I accept that you are making this claim in good faith. However, can you accept how a reasonable person might visit the page, fail to make this distinction and come away with the notion that the WP page has labeled Mills a fraud? Can you show me any other page on WP where a similar accusation is leveled at "an idea" on such flimsy evidence? Ronnotel (talk) 17:18, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- The WP page has not "labeled Mills a fraud", as we have belaboured at some length, and as has been repeatedly observed. People may infer what they will. We do not spin for a desired outcome, we neutrally report what is so. The evidence that the hydrino hypothesis is considered bogus is not flimsy: it's the unanimous consensus of all authorities. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 17:54, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- bogus is not a synonym for fraud. Ronnotel (talk) 18:06, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- As the DRN volunteer who is trying to help you folks resolve this case, I am going to ask the two of you to slow down, let someone else weight in, and try to avoid creating a "wall of text" with rapid-fire responses. If you desire, you can continue the back-and-forth discussion on the article talk page, but DRN needs to be more structured and deliberate. Thanks! --Guy Macon (talk) 21:40, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- bogus is not a synonym for fraud. Ronnotel (talk) 18:06, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- The WP page has not "labeled Mills a fraud", as we have belaboured at some length, and as has been repeatedly observed. People may infer what they will. We do not spin for a desired outcome, we neutrally report what is so. The evidence that the hydrino hypothesis is considered bogus is not flimsy: it's the unanimous consensus of all authorities. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 17:54, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I accept that you are making this claim in good faith. However, can you accept how a reasonable person might visit the page, fail to make this distinction and come away with the notion that the WP page has labeled Mills a fraud? Can you show me any other page on WP where a similar accusation is leveled at "an idea" on such flimsy evidence? Ronnotel (talk) 17:18, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I don't know how many ways I can say it. Let me give it one more go. There is no allegation of fraud against Mills. That is a misreading (as I and other have said, yet I'm not seeing any acknowledgment.) The hydrino hypothesis was described as "a fraud". You are insisting that somehow this criticism of the idea is transitive to criticism of one of its proponents. I and others disagree. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 17:02, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- So I'm afraid I have no idea how to proceed in a dispute resolution when told that referencing WP:BLP is irrelevant to a poorly sourced allegation of "fraud". Perhaps the moderator or some other uninvolved observer can provide guidance here. I certainly can't lend my support to this view - I don't believe that is how WP is meant to work. Ronnotel (talk) 16:54, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Irrelevant. The point is BLP doesn't apply to criticism of ideas, as you cannot defame an idea. I have no particular attachment to this particular form of words being in the lede, but invoking the BLP aspect here is badly off-beam in my view (and, it seems, in the view of those who frequent BLPN). Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 16:37, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I've alluded to this a number of times, so now I'll make a direct request. Can you please address the specific language in WP:BLP that spells out the circumstances when poorly sourced, defamatory language is acceptable. I don't see an exception for "bad misunderstanding". Ronnotel (talk) 16:27, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Oh, I just noticed it was you who originated the BLPN discussion. I agree with others that only a bad misunderstanding of the word "fraud" in this context could lead to any suggestion of a BLP aspect to its use. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 15:48, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- I think we agree on the need to be skeptical regarding the theory. We can do that without using the word "fraud", which is poorly sourced and therefore must be removed per WP:BLP. Ronnotel (talk) 15:12, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- There is nothing legalistic in saying a criticism of a scientific hypothesis as being bogus (which is what fraud means in that context) does not fall under the remit of WP:BLP. It is you who is crying BLP. There is the hydrino hypothesis, it was criticized in robust terms by a eminent scientist, he was quoted and published (and is still published online) by the Village Voice – who as a professional outfit presumably take care in what they publish. Wikipedia cites that criticsm to give the mainstream view in line with our core policy. As Guy has wisely said, we need to paid heed to the core principles of Wikipedia. Neutrality is one of them. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 15:05, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- An interpretation of WP:BLP that relies on highly legalistic reasoning is a red flag. The intent of WP:BLP is to look for reasons to exclude possibly defamatory language rather than reasons to include it. Ronnotel (talk) 14:52, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- A theory (the "it" of the phrase in question) is not a living person. Does BLP apply to ideas? (Add: the point is it's wrong to say this hasn't been discussed, it's been discussed at a noticeboard where editors with BLP expertise are assumed to be on hand.)Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 14:43, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- That discussion, as well as this comment, is similarly unresponsive. How does the language in the article meet the demands of WP:BLP? Ronnotel (talk) 14:37, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- It was discussed at BLP/N[3] which I believe led to the current wording. Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 14:19, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- Thanks for your assessment, Guy. In particular, I appreciate you pointing out that my concerns on the page have never been adequately addressed, especially the use of the term "fraud" which is a continuing source of injustice. I believe this is a direct violation of WP:BLP, no where else on WP am I aware of this type of language being used on so flimsy a pretext. Ronnotel (talk) 14:09, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
Arbitrary break 1
I would like to address one point brought up in the above discussion: the value and authority of prior discussions. Some prior discussions, such as arbcom rulings and warnings by uninvolved administrators, are authoritative. We can point at them and say that they settle a particular issue. Noticeboards such as Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard -- and indeed DRN itself -- can be good indications of consensus on a particular issue (if a bunch of uninvolved experienced editors say that something is or isn't a BLP violation, it is a good idea to listen to them), but the actual decision as to whether something is or is not a BLP violation must rest with an uninvolved administrator. It is, of course, far better for us to come to an agreement here rather than asking an admin to intervene, but BLP/N discussions -- especially ones with only a handful of participants -- are not authoritative. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:12, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
Here are a few working definitions (subject to debate, of course: DRN volunteers purposely have no authority):
- BLP Violation: Anything that violates WP:BLP, anywhere on wikipedia. Specifically not limited to actual biography pages, but must refer to a living person, not just a company or a theory. That being said, some companies and some theories are so closely associated with an individual that BLP protection extends to them.
- Financial Fraud: What most people think of when they see the word "fraud". Source must be reliable on the subject, such as a prosecutor or grand jury for accusations of financial fraud, and a conviction in a court of law for financial fraud.
- Scientific Fraud: Purposeful falsification of data or results. Source must be reliable on whether the scientist was purposely lying as opposed to being mistaken or even being a crackpot who believes his own pseudoscience. An example would be a university making an official finding of scientific fraud by one of its researchers. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:48, 5 September 2014 (UTC)
- "some companies and some theories are so closely associated with an individual that BLP protection extends to them" ← I don't believe that's in the policy, which reads to me as being tightly circumscribed to "living persons". Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 03:51, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- By your own analysis Alexbrn, a theory is not a living person and so cannot commit or be a fraud of any kind. Only a natural or corporate person can do that, so there is unfortunate ambiguity built into the use of this quote in the lede - compounded by the fact that the article is about Mills and Blacklight Power - not the hydrino theory - so a reader could be forgiven for thinking that the it being referred to is one of those things which can commit fraud. This is completely avoidable, and to my knowledge there has been no proof of any fraud in the intervening 15 years - if anything Mill's case has gotten stronger (e.g. the editorial in question) - so it isn't clear to me what NPOV or WEIGHT benefit accrues from such an extreme and old quote being used so prominently in the lede. Cheers, Blippy (talk) 13:03, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- Right, a theory is not a living person. So the word "fraud" applied to it must have one of that word's meanings that apply to things (e.g. "something false or spurious"). Anybody who thinks the "it" here is anything other than the hydrino hypothesis would lack basic reading skills; we don't write for such people, but assume at least basic competence in reading. As I have said, I have no particular attachment to this particular word. But the point is that the hypotheis has long been dismissed by reputed scientists as tosh: if some way could be found to convey that by paraphrasing I'd not argue with it. (And I'm not entirely sure why this is being raised now anyway, since it was not a matter included in the DR request). Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 13:46, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- Well that isn't how the word is predominantly used - the usage you suggest is more akin to fake, not fraud. Here's a quick definition from the web where you'll note the tone is decidely one of deceit:
- fraud frɔːd/ noun: fraud; plural noun: frauds
- wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain. "he was convicted of fraud"
- synonyms: fraudulence, sharp practice, cheating, swindling, trickery, artifice, deceit, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, treachery, chicanery, skulduggery, imposture, embezzlement; informal monkey business, funny business, crookedness, hanky-panky, shenanigans, flimflam; informal jiggery-pokery; informal monkeyshines; archaic management, knavery a person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities. "mediums exposed as tricksters and frauds"
- I would suggest that since at least three editors here consider it to be ambiguous, then perhaps - by definition - it is. Cheers, Blippy (talk) 14:09, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- Well that isn't how the word is predominantly used - the usage you suggest is more akin to fake, not fraud. Here's a quick definition from the web where you'll note the tone is decidely one of deceit:
- Right, a theory is not a living person. So the word "fraud" applied to it must have one of that word's meanings that apply to things (e.g. "something false or spurious"). Anybody who thinks the "it" here is anything other than the hydrino hypothesis would lack basic reading skills; we don't write for such people, but assume at least basic competence in reading. As I have said, I have no particular attachment to this particular word. But the point is that the hypotheis has long been dismissed by reputed scientists as tosh: if some way could be found to convey that by paraphrasing I'd not argue with it. (And I'm not entirely sure why this is being raised now anyway, since it was not a matter included in the DR request). Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 13:46, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- By your own analysis Alexbrn, a theory is not a living person and so cannot commit or be a fraud of any kind. Only a natural or corporate person can do that, so there is unfortunate ambiguity built into the use of this quote in the lede - compounded by the fact that the article is about Mills and Blacklight Power - not the hydrino theory - so a reader could be forgiven for thinking that the it being referred to is one of those things which can commit fraud. This is completely avoidable, and to my knowledge there has been no proof of any fraud in the intervening 15 years - if anything Mill's case has gotten stronger (e.g. the editorial in question) - so it isn't clear to me what NPOV or WEIGHT benefit accrues from such an extreme and old quote being used so prominently in the lede. Cheers, Blippy (talk) 13:03, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
Re: "some companies and some theories are so closely associated with an individual that BLP protection extends to them" ← I don't believe that's in the policy, which reads to me as being tightly circumscribed to "living persons"
My reasoning is at as follows: Consider the following extreme case: A company consists of one person and the person and the company are intertwined in the public eye. Would Wikipedia really be allowed to say things about the company that would be BLP violations if said about the person? I think not.
Re: I don't believe that's in the policy, which reads to me as being tightly circumscribed to "living persons"
The very first sentence of WP:BLP is "Editors must take particular care when adding information about living persons to any Wikipedia page" (emphasis in original). If we cannot accuse Randell L. Mills of fraud directly, we cannot call his theory a fraud either. And, as I pointed out before, Philip Warren Anderson is not a reliable source on the question of whether Randell L. Mills has committed scientific or financial fraud. WP:BLPGROUP specifically says: "The extent to which the BLP policy applies to edits about groups is complex and must be judged on a case-by-case basis. A harmful statement about a small group or organization comes closer to being a BLP problem than a similar statement about a larger group; and when the group is very small, it may be impossible to draw a distinction between the group and the individuals that make up the group."
I think that we have heard all the arguments on both sides of this issue, I am going to give it a bit more time for discussion, (I am really hoping for something from someone who has not already weighed in) and if we cannot arrive at a compromise that everyone agrees with I am going to close the DRN case and put out a call for a couple of uninvolved administrators to deal with what some experienced editors believe to be a BLP violation while other experience editors think it is not. --Guy Macon (talk) 20:16, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- (Could you please sign that, Guy.) I consider myself very uninvolved here. (I semiprotected the article once for a couple of weeks, that's all.) Just to place me in general, even if it does involve mentioning a user: I most often find myself in agreement with Alexbrn on fringe and pseudoscience pages. Not on the question of talking about "fraud" in this article, though. Fraud means "an act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved and/or unlawful gain". It implies dishonesty on the part of the person(s) perpetrating the fraud. Compare the quotes above. Bogus means "Counterfeit or fake; not genuine". "Not genuine" can, depending on context, sometimes imply deception (that would be the fake/counterfeit aspect), but doesn't necessarily do so. (I'm quoting the wiktionary definitions.) Fraud and bogus just aren't synonyms, to my sense. I feel strongly that the word "fraud" is a BLP violation, and shouldn't be used in the article. Shouldn't be used anywhere on Wikipedia unless deliberate deception has been proved, preferably in a court of law.
- On the other hand, the quoted editorial from the European Physical Journal shouldn't be used either. The phrasing can't bear the weight put on it. Especially, it doesn't support any conclusion that the hydrino hypothesis is worthy of further scientific discussion, in my opinion. Saying so would be drawing a conclusion that the journal doesn't itself draw. Bishonen | talk 17:21, 6 September 2014 (UTC).
- Just to be clear, I also don't think that the quoted editorial from the European Physical Journal bears the weight put on it or supports any conclusion that the hydrino hypothesis is worthy of further scientific discussion. I think that it should be referenced (and possibly *appropriately* quoted -- that's an editorial decision and not something a DRN volunteer should try to influence) in such a way that we end up with a purely neutral description of what the paper actually claims and a neutral description of the editorial and the notes pages, mentioning how uncommon such additional comments are. Nothing added, nothing implied, just a straight NPOV description. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:49, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- You might like to rewrite WP:SYNTH before promoting that idea. DRN volunteers should not inflame cases such as this article where a company promises to revolutionize physics and provide inexhaustible and cheap energy. Such topics do not warrant grasping-at-straws editorial comments on why a particular paper was published (are the journal editors experts on hydrinos?). It is reasonable to discuss whether "fraud" should be mentioned in the lead, but conflating an article on a company with BLP is not going to fly because the article does not assert than an individual committed fraud. Note that the "sure that it's a fraud" comment is attributed to an American physicist who won a Nobel Prize in Physics—that's not your average smear, and a very good reason would be need to omit it. Johnuniq (talk) 01:34, 7 September 2014 (UTC)
- Everything in the article is correctly sourced and Blacklight is a company not a person. Nothing more needs to be said. Bhny (talk) 17:53, 7 September 2014 (UTC)
- I have carefully considered all of the above arguments, and it is my considered opinion that the article in its present state clearly violates WP:IMPARTIAL. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:40, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- Guy, many thanks for taking the time to review the article and provide your feedback. I agree that there are many problems with the article as I have mentioned above. However, given that ArbComm has placed the article under discretionary sanctions, many editors are reluctant to edit the page and risk falling under these sanctions. For instance, User:Blippy has been cautioned for his behavior for simply trying to raise these issues. Do you have any guidance on how we can move forward? Ronnotel (talk) 13:07, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- So on the stated matter for which resolution was sought (the use of an editorial), the conclusion is ... ? Alexbrn talk|contribs|COI 13:17, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- DRN cases don't actually have any "conclusions" other than the participants coming to an agreement or a compromise. In particular, the opinions of DRN volunteers like myself are, by design, non-authoritative and may be ignored without any consequences. That being said, DRN volunteers may make suggestions and administrators and users who have worked with us in the past often pay close attention to those suggestions.
- If I had to close this case right now, I would draft up a recommendation that it be sent to ANI with a call for two or three uninvolved admins to look into this and possibly a few other pages involving some of the same editors. Fortunately, I don't have to make that decision now, and I am still holding on to the hope that with further discussion we can arrive at some compromise that is agreeable to all involved. --Guy Macon (talk) 15:18, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- I have carefully considered all of the above arguments, and it is my considered opinion that the article in its present state clearly violates WP:IMPARTIAL. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:40, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- Everything in the article is correctly sourced and Blacklight is a company not a person. Nothing more needs to be said. Bhny (talk) 17:53, 7 September 2014 (UTC)
- You might like to rewrite WP:SYNTH before promoting that idea. DRN volunteers should not inflame cases such as this article where a company promises to revolutionize physics and provide inexhaustible and cheap energy. Such topics do not warrant grasping-at-straws editorial comments on why a particular paper was published (are the journal editors experts on hydrinos?). It is reasonable to discuss whether "fraud" should be mentioned in the lead, but conflating an article on a company with BLP is not going to fly because the article does not assert than an individual committed fraud. Note that the "sure that it's a fraud" comment is attributed to an American physicist who won a Nobel Prize in Physics—that's not your average smear, and a very good reason would be need to omit it. Johnuniq (talk) 01:34, 7 September 2014 (UTC)
- Just to be clear, I also don't think that the quoted editorial from the European Physical Journal bears the weight put on it or supports any conclusion that the hydrino hypothesis is worthy of further scientific discussion. I think that it should be referenced (and possibly *appropriately* quoted -- that's an editorial decision and not something a DRN volunteer should try to influence) in such a way that we end up with a purely neutral description of what the paper actually claims and a neutral description of the editorial and the notes pages, mentioning how uncommon such additional comments are. Nothing added, nothing implied, just a straight NPOV description. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:49, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- Please note that Guy, the "uninvolved" volunteer has previously edited this article, and specifically has made edits in line with his recommendations here. For example, he states "I have looked over this page carefully, and it is my considered opinion that the editorial choices to include the terms "fraud" and especially "loser technology" show that ...". Well, of course he thinks that, because that's an edit he made before on the wikipedia article under discussion. [4]. His last edits on the talk page where June 2013 [5], and May 2013 [6]. Second Quantization (talk) 22:25, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- Before the above was pointed out, I honestly did not recall having edited that page two years ago. If I had, I would not have taken this case. Now that it has been pointed out, I am recusing myself and asking for another DRN volunteer to take over the case. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:37, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
Arbitrary break 2
- Considering there is an WP:RSN thread on the core issue, this DRN discussion is redundant. If there was to be another DRN, it should take place at a later stage once reliability has been discussed at RSN. Second Quantization (talk) 23:10, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
- Please note that the RSN discussion was started during an ongoing DRN case by one of the parties in the case. Do we want to set a precedent that says that anybody can shut down a DRN case by WP:FORUMSHOPING if they don't like the way things are going for them? --Guy Macon (talk) 16:12, 9 September 2014 (UTC)
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