Wikipedia wrestles with the case of Eve Carson

If Bismarck (or whoever) were alive today, he might liken sausage not to laws but to Wikipedia entries.

“Murder of Eve Carson” ranks 63rd on this list of Wikipedia’s most contentious Article for Deletion (AfD) discussion threads.

Why such a fuss? Sample comments:

— “Wikipedia is not a memorial. Prior to her tragic death, the only aspect that stands out about her is that she served as student body president.”

— “There is no reason to delete this article. Wikipedia is the people’s encyclopedia, and if the people are interested in reading biographical information about a person in the news, then they should be able to.”

— “I could easily argue that Natalee Holloway is no more notable than Eve Carson…. No one outside her circle ever heard of her until her disappearance. So why does she merit her own article? Only one reason: Intense media coverage.”

Library science in the 21st century?

One thought on “Wikipedia wrestles with the case of Eve Carson”

  1. Eve meant a lot to thousands of people. She was as well known at UNC and in Athens as any basketball star. At 22, she had met Obama, worked as a Naval contractor, made friends on three continents. She would have changed the world for the better. She certainly changed the nature of public service at University of North Carolina.

    It is also important that she was killed by parolees who should not have had guns, who had already killed another.

    Many many who have not met her read about her life and are inspired. That’s why Wikipedia should keep her in the people’s encyclopedia.

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