Wikinfo:Offensive material
From Wikinfo
Simply: if the harm caused by content, particularly images, either to an individual or to a group exceeds the information value of the content, it should be removed:
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Background
There are many sites on the internet where one may access offensive material, including explicit sexual material, recipes on how to make bombs, essays extolling the virtues of totalitarian regimes. Wikinfo serves no public need by presenting such material or any similar material. This includes articles which, in a backhanded way, make an article out of something which when considered directly would be offensive, such as the Wikipedia articles Nigger or White trash.
The task of Wikinfo is the pedestrian task of setting forth, in an objective way, the major fields of human knowledge, not providing yet another place for offensive materials or hate speech. Whether material is acceptable is difficult to determine before hand. The determining factor is whether including the information provides significant value to the reader. For example, due to the fact that a significant number of people engage in anal sex, including women and young people, information about it is important.
Responsibility and offensive material
It took mankind many generations to develop ways to live together in groups before it became possible to live in cities, then regions, countries, and groups of countries together. Finally, we have a global community. Each of these steps did not happen without some difficulty. But law and ways of enforcing law developed so that mankind can, for the most part, live peacefully. Part of that is, you do not throw a brick through your neighbor's window when he is having a loud party. Nor do you burn a cross on his lawn when you disagree with his race or religion. While a few people insist their freedom is less because they can not do these things, generally, people recognize it is more responsible to promote community.
The internet is new. Methods for getting along with each other are still under development. On Wikinfo we are proposing an international community, contributed to by all races, religions and people. We can not post material that is grossly offensive to any part of our community. If we do, we isolate ourselves from people who would otherwise contribute. Freedom has but one price and that is eternal vigilance. If we post responsibly then we hold freedom in place. But if we post irresponsibly, with gross offense, we erode our own freedom. Because greatly offended people will fight such posts. Greatly offended people are not going to see grossly offensive posts as freedom. The emotional content will over ride the informational content.
All offence can never be avoided
On the Internet we try and get along with people from other cultures. Internet users who know how to be polite in their own culture will make mistakes dealing with people from other cultures. We also need to avoid taking offence too readily when no offence was intended.
Images of Muhammad
Although they are of some interest as art, imaginary images of Muhammad are offensive to tens of millions of mainstream Muslims and extremely offensive to millions. Displaying them on Wikinfo is inappropriate. Wikinfo welcomes sharp criticism of Islam and of Muhammad, but gratuitous offense should be avoided.
