Forum:Disclaimer template for controversy sections on smasher articles: Difference between revisions

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::Ok, I'm assuming the problem with the current wording is the perceived lack of neutrality. I have written a more neutral version of the disclaimer: '''"The following section contains a record of allegations made against a person or group of people. Their inclusion on this Wiki is neither an endorsement, nor a condemnation of, either the allegations, or any of the parties involved. Per our disclaimer, [[SW:DISCL|SmashWiki cannot guarantee the validity of the allegations listed]], nor should it be taken as an authority on the issue."''' I think this wording could also serve as a better representation of where we stand from a liability perspective as well, but my main concern is that we minimize the harm that our Wiki may inadvertently cause. Thoughts? ''[[User:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: blue;">'''Alex'''</span>]] the [[User talk:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: red;">'''Weeb'''</span>]]'' 19:06, March 18, 2021 (EDT)
::Ok, I'm assuming the problem with the current wording is the perceived lack of neutrality. I have written a more neutral version of the disclaimer: '''"The following section contains a record of allegations made against a person or group of people. Their inclusion on this Wiki is neither an endorsement, nor a condemnation of, either the allegations, or any of the parties involved. Per our disclaimer, [[SW:DISCL|SmashWiki cannot guarantee the validity of the allegations listed]], nor should it be taken as an authority on the issue."''' I think this wording could also serve as a better representation of where we stand from a liability perspective as well, but my main concern is that we minimize the harm that our Wiki may inadvertently cause. Thoughts? ''[[User:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: blue;">'''Alex'''</span>]] the [[User talk:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: red;">'''Weeb'''</span>]]'' 19:06, March 18, 2021 (EDT)
I move to declare this proposal failed, on the grounds that it lacks strong support and has had no input for >2 months. [[User:Black Vulpine|<span style="color: black;">'''Black Vulpine'''</span>]] of the [[User talk:Black Vulpine|🦊'''Furry Nation'''🐺]]. [[Special:Contributions/Black Vulpine|<span style="color: #CC5500">'''Furries make the internets go! :3'''</span>]] 02:21, May 25, 2021 (EDT)
I move to declare this proposal failed, on the grounds that it lacks strong support and has had no input for >2 months. [[User:Black Vulpine|<span style="color: black;">'''Black Vulpine'''</span>]] of the [[User talk:Black Vulpine|🦊'''Furry Nation'''🐺]]. [[Special:Contributions/Black Vulpine|<span style="color: #CC5500">'''Furries make the internets go! :3'''</span>]] 02:21, May 25, 2021 (EDT)
==Disclaimer template version 2==
People really didn't seem to like my original proposal for a disclaimer, but I don't want to throw out the idea of a disclaimer template entirely. I mainly believe we need such a template for 3 reasons:
1. Whether we like it or not, SmashWiki is often treated by members of the community as an authoritative source. Allegations are messy by nature, and if we are to include them, we have a responsibility to convey to readers that we are not an authority on the allegations, nor are we commenting on the validity of said allegations by including them on the site.
2. As things currently stand, the majority of people who visit the site will never actually read the general disclaimer. The simple existence of a page stating that we cannot guarantee the validity of content on the site may cover us from a legal perspective, but in reality it accomplishes very little on its own, especially since it is not prominently displayed anywhere. A disclaimer template displayed above sections including allegations will do a much better job at making sure readers take note of the disclaimer.
3. The inclusion of allegations against an individual can elicit an assumption of guilt in the minds of readers. It's all very well saying that this isn't our fault, and I would say that this is largely valid, but if there is some simple action we could take to help mitigate this effect to some extent, I would argue that we should take it.
With these points in mind, and working off of the criticisms that the previous template wording received, I have created a mock-up of what the template would roughly look like, using existing assets on the site. Don't worry too much about the design for now, as users far more talented than me in the design department could work on this, but the idea is that the template would have an understated, serious-looking design which gets the point across that readers should bear its content in mind.
{{TagBase
|r=110
|g=110
|b=110
|image=Warning.png
|content=The following section contains a record of allegations made against a person or group of people, which are included for informative purposes. Per our disclaimer, [[SW:DISCL|SmashWiki cannot guarantee the validity of the allegations listed]], nor should it be taken as an authority on the issue.
}}
Please let me know what you think of this approach to a disclaimer, whether you would support the idea of a disclaimer template in general, and any proposed changes to the wording you may have. ''[[User:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: blue;">'''Alex'''</span>]] the [[User talk:Alex the weeb|<span style="color: red;">'''Weeb'''</span>]]'' 10:49, November 8, 2021 (EST)