Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons: Difference between revisions

Editors must take particular care when adding '''information about living persons''' to {{em|any}} [[Wikipedia]] page, including but not limited to articles, talk pages, and project pages, and drafts.{{efn|People are presumed to be living unless there is reason to believe otherwise. This policy does not apply to people [[declared death in absentia|declared dead {{lang|la|in absentia}}]].}} Such material requires a high degree of sensitivity, and must adhere {{em|strictly}} to all applicable laws in the United States, to this policy, and to Wikipedia's three core content policies:

{{Policy shortcut|WP:AVOIDVICTIM|WP:VICTIMIZE}}

In the case of [[public figure]]s, there will be a multitude of reliable published sources, and BLPs should simply document what these sources say. If an allegation or incident is noteworthy, relevant, and well documented, it belongs in the article—even if it is negative and the subject dislikes all mention of it. If you cannot find {{em|multiple}} reliable [[Wikipedia:Third-party sources|third-party sources]] documenting the allegation or incident, leave it out.

If multiple independent [[WP:RS|reliable sources]] state differing years or dates of birth in conflict, include all birth dates/years for which a reliable source exists, clearly noting discrepancies. In this situation, editors must not include only one date/year which they consider "most likely", or include merely a single date from one of two or more reliable sources. [[Wikipedia:No original research|Original research]] must not be used to extrapolate the date of birth.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 165#People's birthdate, conflicting (reliable) sources, and WP:SYNTHESIS]]</ref>

Anyone born within the past 115 years (on or after {{date|}} {{LASTYEAR|115}} <small>[{{Purge|update}}]</small>) is covered by this policy unless a reliable source has confirmed their death. Generally, this policy <em><strong>does not apply to material concerning people who are confirmed dead by reliable sources.</strong></em> The only exception would be for people who have recently died, in which case the policy can extend based on editorial consensus for an indeterminate period beyond the date of death—six months, one year, two years at the outside.{{discuss|section=Small but significant change in BDP wording from about 2 years ago}} Such extensions would <strong><em>only apply particularly to contentious or questionable material</em></strong> about the subject that has implications for their living relatives and friends, such as in the case of a possible suicide or particularly gruesome crime. Even without confirmation of death, for the purposes of this policy, anyone born more than 115 years ago is presumed dead {{em|unless}} reliable sources confirm the person to have been living within the past two years. If the date of birth is unknown, editors should use reasonable judgement to infer—from dates of events noted in the article—if it is plausible that the person was born within the last 115 years and is therefore covered by this policy.

For articles, {{tl|BLP dispute}} may be used on BLPs needing attention; {{tl|BLP sources}} on BLPs needing better sourcing (an alternative is {{tl|BLP primary sources}}); and {{tl|BLP unsourced}} for those with no sources at all. {{tl|BLP noticeboard}} should be placed on the talk page of BLP articles that are being discussed on the [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard|biographies of living persons noticeboard]].

{{further|Wikipedia:Autobiography#Problems in an article about you|Wikipedia:FAQ/Article subjects}}

Please bear in mind that Wikipedia is almost entirely operated by volunteers; impolite or demanding behavior, even if entirely understandable, will often be less effective.

Page deletion is normally a last resort. If a dispute centers around a page's inclusion (e.g., because of questionable [[WP:N|notability]] or where the subject has requested deletion), this is addressed via [[WP:Deletion discussions|deletion discussions]] rather than by summary deletion. Summary deletion is appropriate when the page contains unsourced negative material or is written non-neutrally, and when this cannot readily be rewritten or restored to an earlier version of an acceptable standard. The deleting administrator should be prepared to explain the action to others, by e-mail if the material is sensitive. Those who object to the deletion should bear in mind that the deleting admin may be aware of issues that others are not. Disputes may be taken to [[WP:Deletion review|deletion review]], but protracted public discussion should be avoided for deletions involving sensitive personal material about living persons, particularly if it is negative. Such debates may be courtesy blanked upon conclusion. After the deletion, any administrator may choose to [[WP:Salting|protect it against re-creation]]. Even if the page is not protected against re-creation, it should not be re-created unless a consensus ishas demonstrated in support of re-creation that is consistent with our policies.