Wikipedia:Libel

This page documents a Wikipedia policy with legal considerations. This page is also a Wikimedia Foundation policy, established by Jimmy Wales and endorsed by the Foundation as necessary for the operation of the sites under its jurisdiction.

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This page in a nutshell: Delete libelous material when it has been identified.

The goal of Wikipedia is to create an encyclopedic information source adhering to a neutral point of view, with all information being referenced through the citation of reliable published sources, so as to maintain a standard of verifiability.^[1]

It is the responsibility of all contributors to ensure that material posted on Wikipedia is not defamatory.

It is Wikipedia policy to delete libelous material when it has been identified.

Subject guidelines

If you believe that you are the subject of a libelous statement on Wikipedia, please:

E-mail us with details of the article and error.

References

^ Wales, Jimmy (2006-05-16). "[WikiEN-l] Zero information is preferred to misleading or false information". lists.wikimedia.org. WikiEN-l. Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-21. […] It should be removed, aggressively, unless it can be sourced. This is true of all information, but it is particularly true of negative information about living persons. […]

External links

How to avoid libel and defamation (2004)—Information from the BBC for contributors to its defunct community website, Action Network, based on the English law of libel, which differs considerably from U.S. law. Note that Victoria Gillick actually lost her libel case, the reverse of what this claims. Millward, David, Victoria Gillick 'broke' after losing libel case, in The Telegraph, Nov. 20, 2000, 12:00AM GMT, section UK News, as accessed Feb. 1, 2011.
Once it's on the Web, whose law applies?
Internet policy – Jurisdiction
Defamation FAQ at Chilling Effects Clearinghouse

[Wales_2006-05-16_WikiEN-l-1] Wales, Jimmy (2006-05-16). "[WikiEN-l] Zero information is preferred to misleading or false information". lists.wikimedia.org. WikiEN-l. Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-21. […] It should be removed, aggressively, unless it can be sourced. This is true of all information, but it is particularly true of negative information about living persons. […]

[1]

v t e Essays on Wikipedia civility (nutshell)

The basics	How to be civil Accepting other users Apologizing Compromise Divisiveness Encouraging newcomers Enjoy yourself High-functioning autism and Aspergers editors Maintaining a friendly space Relationships with academic editors Thank you Truce

Philosophy	Advice for hotheads An uncivil environment is a poor environment Be the glue Civility warnings Deletion as revenge Forgive and forget It's not the end of the world Most people who disagree with you on content are not vandals Nobody cares Opting out of revert notifications Shadowless Fists of Death! Staying cool when the editing gets hot The grey zone The last word The rules of polite discourse There is no common sense Wikipedia is not about winning Writing for the opponent

Dos	Assume good faith Assume no clue Assume the assumption of good faith Avoid personal remarks Avoid the word "vandal" Call a spade a spade Candor Deny recognition Discussing cruft Drop the stick and back slowly away from the horse carcass Encourage full discussions Get over it How to lose Imagine others complexly Just drop it Keep it down to earth Mind your own business

Don'ts	Don't accuse someone of a personal attack for accusing of a personal attack Don't be a fanatic Don't be a griefer Don't be an ostrich Don't be ashamed Don't be inconsiderate Don't be obnoxious Don't be prejudiced Don't bite the newcomers Don't call a spade a spade Don't call the kettle black Don't call things cruft Don't come down like a ton of bricks Don't create attack pages Don't cry COI Don't drink the consensus Kool-Aid Don't eat the troll's food Don't engage in cyberbullying Don't fight fire with fire Don't give a fuck Don't insult the vandals Don't remind others of past misdeeds Don't spite your face Don't take the bait Don't template the regulars Nothing is "clearly true" Don't throw your toys out of the pram No angry mastodons No, you can't have a pony

Wiki relations	WikiBullying WikiCrime WikiHarassment WikiHate WikiLawyering WikiLove WikiPeace

About essays	The difference between policies, guidelines and essays Don't cite essays as if they were policy Quote your own essay The value of essays

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