Wikipedia:Neutrality in Scientology

This page in a nutshell: This is a short-term view project, created in light of concerns over Scientology articles. The purpose is to review Wikipedia's coverage of Scientology, with particular regard to NPOV and BLP.

Applicable policies and guidelines

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Task: review all articles and trim, delete, or adjust as policy demands.

Participants

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(for transparency, please declare previous involvement with Scientology or Scientology related articles)

Scott Mac (no involvement with Scientology or its articles)
~~(削除) The Resident Anthropologist (talk) (No, involvement with CoS. Previous involvement with Scientology articles but began editing wikipedia after WP:ARBSCI ) (削除ここまで)~~
Stanistani (no involvement with Scientology itself - have edited Scientology BLPs with the aim of upholding Wikipedia policy; !voted to delete List of Scientologists as BLP hazard)
DGG ( talk ) (no involvement with Scientology, has !voted to keep most articles such as List of Scientologists: deleting BLP violation is good, deleting "BLP hazards" is not reasonable.)
Cyclopia ^talk 15:17, 26 December 2010 (UTC) (no involvement with Scientology, little involvement to none in Scientology articles; agree on deleting BLP violation; strongly disagree in deleting "BLP hazards" per DGG above).[reply ]
Collect (talk) 15:23, 26 December 2010 (UTC) total Scientology involvement is meeting J. W. Campbell at a WorldCon in NY in 1967 when the Scientologists were holding a meeting in the same hotel. Strong opinions on BLPs to be sure.[reply ]
FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 19:42, 27 December 2010 (UTC) only WP involvement I can remember is Meade Emory‎ (AFD), probably a couple of others over the years, no CoS connection. Strong views on BLPs, but "Difficult to fix/maintain" or "Been a past problem" are poor deletion rationale.[reply ]
NestleNW911 ( talk ) I've been a Scientologist for a few years and I want to do my part to contribute to a NPOV on Scientology related pages. No involvement in Scientology related articles to date but plan to contribute to Discussion pages.
I am an anti-Scientology activist. I am also not a wikipedian, just a reader who knows little about it. I made a few comments on the Jenny Miscavige deletion page and tried (and mostly failed) to improve on that article in order to prevent it from getting deleted. More importantly, I made a comment on the discussion page of User talk: Scott Mac. Scott deleted that comment, along with a discussion questioning his involvement and neutrality in this project, in particular him being a proxy for banned users. So what happens next? Will Scott delete this comment? Just so other participants know, these events are also documented on a thread on an outside forum: http://forums.whyweprotest.net/12-active-projects/wikipedia-editor-proxying-osa-deleting-jenny-miscavige-75541/#post1386803. For all clarity: I do not oppose this project. I am sure that independant reviewers fill find many Scientology BLP articles are biased. But at the same, I do question Mr Scott's neutrality in this matter.(unsigned comment was from User:85.147.221.167 - added by Off2riorob (talk) 20:13, 1 January 2011 (UTC))[reply ]
I am a former Church of Scientology member. I am not generally a Wikipedian, but I do feel that Scott Mac is acting as a proxy for banned users, either wittingly or unwittingly. Deirdresm (talk) 21:25, 1 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]
I am a not-so-anonymous member of Anonymous, and a Wikipedia administrator, and am committed to maintaining NPOV in Scientology articles. SchuminWeb (Talk) 02:59, 2 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]
User:Griswaldo. (no involvement with anything related to Scientology on or off wiki) I can't promise much time or attention to this ... but since I just prodded an entry mentioned below I figured I'd add my name to the list.Griswaldo (talk) 20:06, 3 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]
I can help out, here or there. Off-wiki, I'm anti-Scientologist, on-wiki, I generally don't bring my personal feelings into the project, and I have no involvement in Scientology articles except for removing a few articles from the purview of the WikiProject for not really belonging there. Sceptre ^(talk) 05:26, 8 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]
KWcrew1983 ( talk ) I've been a Wikipedia editor for a few months and have a great interest in religious/spirituality themed articles, religious tolerance and coexistence. I have never contributed to Scientology related articles, but have read a few. From my observations, I have decided that I desire to contribute to the cause of achieving a more balanced perspective in Scientology related articles. I will be contributing wherever appropriate.

Articles to be reviewed

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v t e Scientology
Beliefs and practices	Abortion Auditing Books Bridge Clear Dianetics Dianetics (book) Disconnection E-meter Engram Ethics and justice Glossary and Terminology Implant Incident Keeping Scientology Working Marcab Confederacy Marriage MEST Operating Thetan OT VIII Reactive mind Scientology and religious groups Reincarnation Sec Check Sex Gender Homosexuality Silent birth Space opera Study Technology Thetan Training routines Xenu
History and controversies	Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act Books critical of Scientology Church of Scientology editing on Wikipedia Clearwater Hearings Death of Elli Perkins Death of Kaja Ballo Death of Lisa McPherson Fair game Fishman Affidavit Guardian's Office operations Keith Henson The Internet Operation Clambake Operation Freakout Operation Snow White Project Chanology Project Normandy R2-45 Psychiatry Scientology and Me Scientology as a business The Secrets of Scientology Suppressive person Tax status in the US The Hole The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power Timeline
Government reports	Anderson Report (AUS) Dumbleton–Powles Report (NZ) Foster Report (UK) Lee Report (CAN)
Litigation	R v Registrar General, ex p Segerdal Hubbard v Vosper United States v. Hubbard X. and Church of Scientology v. Sweden Church of Scientology v. Sweden Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology Hernandez v. Commissioner New Era Publications International ApS v. Carol Publishing Group and Jonathan Caven-Atack Church of Scientology of California v. Armstrong R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto Church of Scientology Intl. v. Fishman and Geertz Hill v. Church of Scientology of Toronto Religious Technology Center v Lerma Religious Technology Center v. Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc. Church of Scientology Intl. v. Time Warner, Inc., et al. Arenz, Röder and Dagmar v. Germany Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia Headley v. Church of Scientology International
Organizations (and properties)	Cadet Org Celebrity Centre Château Élysée Church of Scientology Church of Scientology International Guaranty Building Church of Spiritual Technology Trementina Base Flag Service Organization Flag Building/Super Power Building Flag Ship Service Org Freewinds Founding Church of Scientology Galaxy Press Author Services building Golden Era Productions (Gold Base) Hubbard Association of Scientologists International International Association of Scientologists Office of Special Affairs Religious Technology Center Rehabilitation Project Force Saint Hill Manor Scientology Missions International Sea Org
Countries	Status by country Australia Belgium Canada Egypt France Germany Netherlands New Zealand Norway Pakistan Russia United Kingdom United States
Officials	L. Ron Hubbard Mary Sue Hubbard David Miscavige Shelly Miscavige Bob Adams John Carmichael Tommy Davis Jessica Feshbach David Gaiman Leisa Goodman Heber Jentzsch Kendrick Moxon Karin Pouw Mark Rathbun Mike Rinder Michelle Stith Kurt Weiland
Affiliated organizations and recruitment	Association for Better Living and Education Applied Scholastics Celebrities Citizens Commission on Human Rights Concerned Businessmen's Association of America Criminon Cult Awareness Network The Delphian School Free Zone Front groups KSCN-TV Moxon & Kobrin Narconon New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Oxford Capacity Analysis Safe Environment Fund Scientology Network Second Chance Program Trademarks Volunteer Ministers The Way to Happiness Foundation World Institute of Scientology Enterprises Youth for Human Rights International
Popular culture	Ali's Smile: Naked Scientology Being Tom Cruise Bowfinger The Bridge Going Clear film Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath The Master My Scientology Movie The Profit South Park "A Token of My Extreme" A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant We Stand Tall
Wikibooks Wikimedia Commons Wikinews Wikiquote Wikisource Wikiversity Wiktionary

Particularly BLPs in Category:Scientologists

Articles of concern

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Please list any articles that give concern, with a brief summary of why. I suggest detailed discussion can best be done on the article's own talk page, or at any future deletion nomination.

Jenna Miscavige Hill - Not notable? Coatrack? Would this survive AFD? See Discussion. Now at AFD Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jenna Miscavige Hill
Astra Woodcraft-~~(削除) Prodded (削除ここまで)~~ proposed reduce to a few sentences and merge to parent article suppressive person. Casliber (talk · contribs) 00:42, 25 December 2010 (UTC) [reply ]
Kendra Wiseman- Prodded - feasibly this one as well, or the group, which could also go within the parent website. Casliber (talk · contribs) 00:44, 25 December 2010 (UTC). Deprodded as it had already been prodded and deprodded in 2009. Alternatives are a smerge to Scientology controversies, or a new article or section on Ex-Scientology Kids to which Kendra Wiseman, Jenna Miscavige Hill and Astra Woodcraft could redirect. Fences &Windows 14:35, 27 December 2010 (UTC) [reply ]
Mark Rathbun- particularly Mark Rathbun#Tom Cruise confessional files WP:COATRACK Section in a BLP
Orientation: A Scientology Information Film - Possibly could be merged elsewhere, unsure seems to fail WP:FILM
Jesse Prince ~~(削除) prodded - not notable. (削除ここまで)~~ deprodded: possible evidence of news notability. Now at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jesse Prince
Kendrick Moxon (BLP of scientology attorney, currently a GA nominee) -- coatrack, DUE, NPOV?
Delphi Schools -- pls. review unsourced statements, primary source use
Death of Philip Gale -- currently a GA nominee -- needs a check for coatrack, DUE, NPOV issues. Now see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Death of Philip Gale

For further discussion of the Philip Gale entry see Talk:Death of Philip Gale

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Everything in the article appears properly sourced, but I agree the article implies more of a Scientology connection than actually exists. I think the article should include the statement no link was found between the suicide and Scientology. 85.147.221.167 (talk) 20:20, 4 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

I am having a hard time understanding why the article is focussed on Scientology at all. The connection appears to be completely original research. Yes he was raised a Scientology but what does that have to do with his death, for which he is notable? I'm assuming that whoever has been crafting this article has taken a guilt by association approach. He was raised a Scientologist --> he committed suicide --> see what Scientology does to kids?Griswaldo (talk) 20:48, 4 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

I don't disagree, but the guilt by association is the Churches own doing by trying to prevent the publication of Ebner ́s article on Philip ́s death. And I do think that this fact is both substantiated and relevant to the article. I plan on reading through the article (it ́s pretty tl;dr) to see to what degree a connection can be made. If there isn't any really, it may be appropriate to remove Scientology connections in the beginning of the article.85.147.221.167 (talk) 08:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

The Boston Herald made the explicit connection in an RS article sufficient for what is in this WP article. The current article on Gale does not make any original research. Collect (talk) 11:18, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

The Boston Herald speculated, without evidence, that he actively chose a date for his suicide had significance within Scientology and then reported that MIT students and Scientology newsgroup regulars also speculated about this. Hardly a convincing case for an encyclopedic connection Collect.Griswaldo (talk) 12:55, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

James Stacy Barbour - cleaned up a bit (removed Scientology references as lacking WP:RS) - sourcing still poor
Victor Győry -Dreadful sourcing for a negative BLP. Is this notable? If it is all it claims to be then there should be far more? Comments needed.

I just prodded this entry. After a news and books search the results did not warrant an entry even remotely.Griswaldo (talk) 20:07, 3 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Now at AFD: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Victor Győry

Sam Glickman - I've speedy deleted this as a BLP violating article. If anyone wants to fix up the sourcing, I'll be happy to undelete.--Scott Mac 22:00, 3 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]
The Way to Happiness (see [1], [2], [3]): introduction of potential OR/SYN and NPOV concerns

Seems to me that out of the three paragraphs mentioned in [1], the first is valid but the other two aren't. 85.147.221.167 (talk) 19:45, 4 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Citizens Commission on Human Rights -- unsourced statements.

Are these notable?

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Please review:

Juli Lawrence see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Juli Lawrence

Gets mentioned in Guardian within Wikileaks cables - the Pirate Bay case appears sufficiently notable for her Collect (talk) 11:27, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Monique Wadsted
Christine Hahn (reporter) (and is the Scientology-related reward she won)?
Kenton Gray founded the "Dianetics Racing Team" - surely if it is notable it and not he should get the article?
Zenon Panoussis should this be redirected to Scientology versus the Internet?
Michael Lockwood (guitarist) - current sources are myspace and scientological

Truncating discussion of Lockwood so that it doesn't clutter the page

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

Notable enough - got in NYT via Lisa Marie Collect (talk) 20:01, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

I'm not sure that satisfies the criteria at Wikipedia:Notability (music). I've asked for some advice from regulars on that page [4].Griswaldo (talk) 20:47, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

I am not sure his notability is as a musician as much as it is that he is a musician married to a specific notable person, which tends to augment notability outside of a narrow interpretation. Collect (talk) 21:35, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

"Notability is not inherited" ... nor the product of matrimony. If the marriage made him notable then that notability is reflected in reliable sources per the provisions of the afore mentioned guideline.Griswaldo (talk) 21:40, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Notable enough for one person at the Music board to almost LOL at this. And I would submit the NYT's multiple mentions of him both for Lisa and for music are well sufficient. Collect (talk) 21:57, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Collect, instead of referring to references can you produce them so that I might have the ability to see for myself? Thanks.Griswaldo (talk) 22:08, 5 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Leipzig Human Rights Award Obscure and defunct award given to anti-Scientology activists. Prodded, but the prod was removed. Active discussion on talk page. →Stani Stani 05:55, 23 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Guilt by association

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Watch out for biased attempts to link Scientology with criminality when the link is trivial or irrelevant.

Mary Kay Letourneau convicted of Child-molestation. Her article included the irrelevant fact that her brother was a Scientologist. [5]

Likewise what is the relevance of the other brother and GWB? John lilburne (talk) 21:34, 3 January 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Charles Manson was categorised as a "former Scientologist". He seems to have studied it in prison and once put Scientologist down on a form.

Use of self-published sources

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Editors may want to review if the self-published YouTube videos listed here are in line with WP:BLPSPS policy; they are in mainspace at the time of writing. --J N 466 03:27, 20 June 2011 (UTC) [reply ]

Articles reviewed with no problems

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See Wikipedia:Neutrality in Scientology/Reviewed

Discussions elsewhere

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