Talk:Michelle Rhee
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Tags
As so often happens someone has gifted an article with tags and no guiding comments on the talk page. If no one can elaborate as to why they think the tone is inappropriate or how the grammar or style of the article is lacking, I will remove these tags within in the next couple of days. --Cjs56 (talk) 03:42, 20 February 2008 (UTC)
- I find the ending section talking about Ms. Rhee's children and husband to be potentially inappropriate. They are properly sourced, but should be considered during a re-write. I did not place the tone/inappropriate tags on the page, so the originator may have other ideas why it was tagged this way. DutchTreat (talk) 17:10, 23 February 2008 (UTC)
- I edited the "Personal life" section to remove some information on Rhee's family, and have removed the tone tag. --Cjs56 (talk) 19:14, 5 April 2008 (UTC)
- I removed the Personal Life section entirely. Its very existence seemed to me in not keeping with an encyclopedic tone. Rhee is notable for one very good reason, so information about her family in the body of the article seems trivial. I left the info in the infobox. Also, I apologize for not knowing how to fix the messed-up reference list at the bottom of the article now. A little help, please, or please restore the personal life section if you strongly disagree. Mitchell k dwyer (talk) 13:22, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
Michelle Rhee was featured on this evening's CBS News broadcast: CBS Story on Michelle Rhee. I am not sure if CBS added any useful information to the fund of knowledge about her; I am just adding this here in case someone with more experience at biographies can use it. --Krb3141 (talk) 00:36, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
She just made the cover of time Magazine- Lots of information there if we want to use it. Borisblue (talk) 16:21, 27 November 2008 (UTC)
- its a wild shot, but shes not relaited to Syngman Rhee right?? they have symilaryl distinctiv enatesm but is undersnt ad tin f the la ot m Smith Jones (talk) 23:36, 5 January 2009 (UTC)
Politics section
Hangul
Why is her name shown in Hangul? Are we claiming she's a foreigner?... I'll remove it. Please discuss. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 08:44, 22 December 2009 (UTC)
- I have no idea how having her Korean name would make a claim that she's a foreigner. On the other hand, the infobox on the article directly states that she is American. If the Hangul just spells out her English name, I would agree with the removal. But the Hangul actually spells out her Korean name, which is another name she has beside her English name. I'm reverting. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 14:54, 22 December 2009 (UTC)
- I'll add {{cn}} to that. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 01:20, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
- Reference added. First sentence says "한국명 이양희" - Korean Name Yi Yanghŭi. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 07:09, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
- Not sufficient. Does not indicate she actually uses it in the U.S. Even the source calls her 미셸 리 as primary name. Added {{rs}}. Bring me a US birth-certificate or passport/ID-copy that shows this name. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 07:43, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
- You know that's nearly impossible to find online. And a US birth certificate would definitely not have this name. Chosun Ilbo is a major newspaper in South Korea. It's reliable. Yeah the source transliterates her English name, but I'm not trying to rename the article. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 04:46, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
- The point is that whatever some Korean newspaper writes is pretty much useless here. We don't give Shinseki in Japanese, either, though I'm sure you'll find Japanese newspapers spelling it エリック・シンセキ. Both Rhee and Shinseki are American -- what foreign newspapers write isn't relevant here. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:57, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
- Are you saying that we cannot use foreign newspapers as sources? Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 05:01, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- We certainly can use foreign newspapers as a source, but not when it comes to the spelling of people's names, unless they are foreigners. Thus my initial question: is Rhee a citizen of Korea (North or South), or possibly, was she born in Korea? Neither case seems to apply. (One example for the latter case would be this one general, who was born in Georgia...what's his face... John Shalikashvili) Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 05:31, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- Firstly - Is this a WP policy? Or an arbitrary rule that you made up? Secondly - Like I said before, this is not a spelling of Rhee's name in Korean. It is another name that she has. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 06:05, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- Yes, I can read Hangul, so I see it's a different name. As far as policy goes, I would sum it up under WP:BLP, but I am unable to find anything more there. The naming policy for people seems to only apply to the article's title. (To make this clear: I won't edit-war you on this, it's not really that important to me; I am just somewhat dumbstruck right now that no-one seems to have brought it up anywhere, for any biography, apparently... so I'll remove the {{rs}} for now, and will raise the question over at the guidelines. We'll see what they say...) Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 06:41, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- So we have an answer (that's not really enlightening, I admit) which points to WP:BLP. Since there is no indication that Rhee actually uses this name, I'll reinsert {{rs}} Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 09:17, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- Firstly - Is this a WP policy? Or an arbitrary rule that you made up? Secondly - Like I said before, this is not a spelling of Rhee's name in Korean. It is another name that she has. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 06:05, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- We certainly can use foreign newspapers as a source, but not when it comes to the spelling of people's names, unless they are foreigners. Thus my initial question: is Rhee a citizen of Korea (North or South), or possibly, was she born in Korea? Neither case seems to apply. (One example for the latter case would be this one general, who was born in Georgia...what's his face... John Shalikashvili) Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 05:31, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- Are you saying that we cannot use foreign newspapers as sources? Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 05:01, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- The point is that whatever some Korean newspaper writes is pretty much useless here. We don't give Shinseki in Japanese, either, though I'm sure you'll find Japanese newspapers spelling it エリック・シンセキ. Both Rhee and Shinseki are American -- what foreign newspapers write isn't relevant here. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 04:57, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
- You know that's nearly impossible to find online. And a US birth certificate would definitely not have this name. Chosun Ilbo is a major newspaper in South Korea. It's reliable. Yeah the source transliterates her English name, but I'm not trying to rename the article. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 04:46, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
- Not sufficient. Does not indicate she actually uses it in the U.S. Even the source calls her 미셸 리 as primary name. Added {{rs}}. Bring me a US birth-certificate or passport/ID-copy that shows this name. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 07:43, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
- Reference added. First sentence says "한국명 이양희" - Korean Name Yi Yanghŭi. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 07:09, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
- I'll add {{cn}} to that. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 01:20, 23 December 2009 (UTC)
Folks, i don't speak Korean, but my read is that if her parents gave her more than one name and that can be sourced, putting that name here is appropriate. Exactly _where_ it goes I don't have a strong opinion on, but I do think it would be fine in the article. Hobit (talk) 17:18, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
I've removed the {{rs}} tag. Chosun Ilbo is a major newspaper in South Korea and is actually used by many articles as sources here on WP. It's reliable. The question of whether or not Rhee's Korean name should be included is an unrelated issue. That's something that we can get more info for with the RfC - and not by putting an {{rs}} tag on an obviously reliable source. Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 07:47, 26 December 2009 (UTC)
RfC:
Should the article about Michelle Rhee give an alternate name in Korean and Hangul?
The article about Michelle Rhee contains a Korean alternate name in Hangul which - according to a Korean newspaper - is another name she has. However, she is American, born in the U.S., and to my knowledge, there is no indication that she actually uses this name. I have had an interesting discussion with another editor on the article's talkpage about this, and now find myself at a loss as to whether or not there is a convention/policy concerning such cases. What say ye? Any thoughts on this?
This is a minor issue, and in my mind not about "winning or losing". I am simply interested in more input here. Thank you. Choyoołʼįįhí:Seb az86556 > haneʼ 09:25, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
Missed the RfC. See my opinion above. Hobit (talk) 17:18, 25 December 2009 (UTC)
- I would suggest putting it in the infobox rather than the lead. See my edit and decide if you like it. Since her parents immigrated from Korea, she probably has a "real" Hangul writing of her name, but you are right that we cannot be sure. The Korean Wikipedia gives her name also as 미셸 리. A somewhat similar case is Steven Chu who is Chinese-American. --Apoc2400 (talk) 19:22, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
- If you can source it, go ahead and put it in. It's not unusual for the American descendants of immigrants to have names in the tongue of the mother country that they mostly do not use. RayTalk 17:16, 23 January 2010 (UTC)
- It seems there was a consensus to include the name, however, I don't see why the description cannot be shortened for readability and to avoid undue emphasis, especially since she was US born. So, I removed links to the WP articles on Hangul, systems of transliteration, and the less modern of the two "romanized" spellings. I also put this condensed version of the other name in the lead, where it's usually found.. If someone wants to move it back to the infobox, that's ok with me, but the usual treatment is to put the names in the lead, see e.g. Sukhee Kang. KeptSouth (talk) 17:04, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
Firings section
As noted in my edit summary, I restored two sentences added by Newspawaws and removed by NW, but merged them into the previous section (where they fit quite nicely). I feel that A) it's pretty clearly true and B) it's very relevant to the section (about firings) because it addresses some of the reasons for the firings. Hobit (talk) 00:58, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
Examiner is blocked?
The article is messed up right now because it is missing the reflist template for the list of footnotes. But I can't add it back in because there are four sources from examiner.com and apparently examiner.com is currently blocked by Wikipedia. What the heck is going on? Hong Qi Gong (Talk - Contribs) 06:24, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
- Whole thing is a mess. Examiner.com was a series of real papers, now it is a mismash of RSes and wiki-like things. The powers that be refuse to remove the blacklist. One of the articles used _was_ bad and I've removed it. Two I could link to the washingtonexaminer.com website. One looked like it was the WashingtonExaminer, but I couldn't find it on their site. I've also cleaned up a lot of recent unsourced stuff... Bah. Hobit (talk) 08:26, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
Deleted info
Not sure why 96.250.152.110 deleted so much information without stating why. Should I undo it? Sharonidith (talk) 20:25, 10 September 2010 (UTC)
Rhee's actions as Chancellor and data on impact
It just seems odd that an article on Rhee which also criticizes her school closings and firings don't say anything about what drove her to do so, positive data points or anything else she's done as Chancellor. I went ahead and added a section doing so, but I was wondering if there's a reason that stuff was excluded, and wanted to welcome any additional information out there. King (talk) 20:53, 10 September 2010 (UTC)
Rhee's actions as teacher, balance against POV tilt
Biased Article
I flagged this article with POV as it is written to completely slant all of this woman's actions. It mentions that most of the teachers she fired got poor evaluations. What it doesn't say is that the evaluation system used was slanted heavily towards test scores (the IMPACT system). It doesn't say that there are many people in the education field who disagree completely with the criteria she uses to choose "good" teachers. I submit this article for an alternate point of view: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/rheeform.shtml -- while it is clear that that article also has somewhat of a bias, there is a lot in there that is fact and at least serves to call some of this Wikipedia article into question. A lot of other little things eat at me too, like the one piece where it talks about Ms. Rhee's comments about laying off teachers who were hitting or having sex with students, followed by an outcry by teachers unions about having been slandered, followed by ONE single solitary case where it was founded (we don't even know if this teacher was one of the 266 she was talking about). That phrase was clearly put in there for evidence's sake, when anyone knows that 1 does not even come close to incriminating the rest.
I could go on and on... it really needs to spend a lot more time talking about what she is doing, not what she thinks she is doing. If it were written to say that she professes that she's rooting out bad teachers, that's one thing. This article claims it as fact, and there are many out there (more qualified than her -- did you notice, she has NO formal training in education according to her bio?) who disagree.ryanov (talk) 09:28, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
- Could you provide quotes you have an issue with? The poor evaluations part is factually true, though you are free to add a RS (and the one you link to above is certainly fine) that there is disagreement about the evaluation process (though I'd say that's pretty obvious, I've never seen an evaluation process for ranking people that didn't have disagreement). I'd actually claim the article tilts too far the other way. One solution is to create a "criticisms of" sub-section in the "Tenure as chancellor of D.C. Public Schools" section and move all the issues into that subsection. It tends to work better, in my experience, than the "statement, refute statement" structure. In general the criticisms section should be smaller (say 50-75%) than the main section.
- Just so my POV is known: I fully agree that there are massive criticisms out there about her and her work in DC. I, for one, think that accountability is needed and evaluations are needed, but have no idea the best form for doing them. As a parent I hate the tests and the teaching they inspire. As a teacher I hate being evaluated via a metric I don't believe in. As a person with an interest in educational research I recognize there needs to be some way to evaluate new programs and the success of schools. And all of those backgrounds make me believe we need to figure out which teachers need to be removed. Did MR do it right? No. Was she closer than most? Not sure. I do think she's prompted a useful discussion though. Hobit (talk) 16:59, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
- I'm assuming you mean specific lines/statements in this article that I'd take issue with? Ryanov (talk) 23:41, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
- I've restored the passage about taping mouths shut. There was no reason for this removal given on this page. Removal strikes me as favorable POV.Gogue2 (talk) 14:15, 23 April 2011 (UTC)
This is one of the most shameful articles on Wikipedia, because of its strong POV against Michelle Rhee. It reads like a slam piece written by a disgruntled member of the DC teachers union. As an example, the excessive use of quotations around phrases like school reformers and student achievement. This is the great weak point of Wikipedia; a person with a bias and a lot of time can come in and turn an article into a slam piece. Articles like this endanger the whole concept of Wikipedia.--Westwind273 (talk) 10:31, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
- Achieving balance in an article on a controversial subject like Michelle Rhee is always going to be a challenge and an iterative process. Previously many editors were thought the article was slanted towards Rhee and that the contained a large amount of unsupported or promotional content. If you have specific concerns about NPOV, I encourage you to edit the article or bring your concerns to the talk page. Greg Comlish (talk) 14:07, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
This article is a ridiculous hatchet job. It should be completely overhauled, or if that cannot be done, deleted. Vereverde (talk) 17:18, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
- As a long-time lurker of Wikipedia, with only a handful of revisions, I was upset enough about the tone of this article to find my way to it's discussion page to leave this comment. It's clear that the authors of this article have a pony in the race. Its quality, although detailed, lacks the caliber of objectivity found in other wikipedia articles. I hope someone with the time and discipline will find time to rewrite this so that it can be a credible source for those researching topics related to education.
- I too have just become a user because this article is so shameful. It is ALL POV, and there are more than a few factual errors, all of which serve to promote a negative image of Rhee. As someone knowledgeable of the sources and the reality, I or someone like me can rewrite it objectively and with comprehensive sources, not just selective ones in the current article. But what would prevent all the others with clear POVs from re-editing to suit themselves? --Dc elder (talk) 01:57, 10 May 2011 (UTC)
- If the article contains serious inaccuracies, then these need to be addressed promptly. Please identify the claims in the article that you believe are false and I will try to help get them addressed. Greg Comlish (talk) 13:43, 10 May 2011 (UTC)
- I've removed the "scare quotes" around school reformers. If you have a problem with the phrase please explain what it is... Hobit (talk) 23:17, 8 May 2011 (UTC)
- We don't need quotes, but we do need a citation to note which group of people are being referred to as "School Experts". I restored the [who?] tag as per WP:WEASEL. Not all school reformers embrace Michelle Rhee. Greg Comlish (talk) 15:39, 9 May 2011 (UTC)
Whew! This article says more about the weaknesses of Wikipedia than it does about Michelle Rhee. The extreme bias of this article does not leave me optimistic for the future of Wikipedia. In order to see the bias in the article, compare it with the article on Randi Weingarten. Two public figures who have had the same level of controversy surrounding them (on the same issues), but the two articles are worlds apart in the space they devote to "criticism". Let's just call a spade a spade; Wikipedia has a liberal bias. An article like this cheapens all of Wikipedia. What a shame. --Westwind273 (talk) 03:35, 12 May 2011 (UTC)
- If you want the article to be improved then you can either improve it yourself or at least be specific about what the problems are so that another editor can understand your issue. Instead of saying the article has a "liberal bias" maybe you could describe how you feel that bias is manifest and what could be done to fix it. Greg Comlish (talk) 14:04, 12 May 2011 (UTC)
- Compare the article on Randi Weingarten to the article on Michelle Rhee. Compare the amount of ink devoted to criticism in each article. Why is it so different? I don't know how much more specific I can be than that. --Westwind273 (talk) 19:53, 13 May 2011 (UTC)
- Who's Randi Weingarten? Greg Comlish (talk) 21:05, 13 May 2011 (UTC)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randi_Weingarten Who is Michelle Rhee? --Westwind273 (talk) 03:51, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
- Who's Randi Weingarten? Greg Comlish (talk) 21:05, 13 May 2011 (UTC)
- Compare the article on Randi Weingarten to the article on Michelle Rhee. Compare the amount of ink devoted to criticism in each article. Why is it so different? I don't know how much more specific I can be than that. --Westwind273 (talk) 19:53, 13 May 2011 (UTC)
Greg, this article really has such a negative tone it's really hard to point out the specifics of its bias. I'll do my best though. One thing I did notice is that after every positive thing said about Rhee there is always a disclaimer saying that this "could not be verified" while at the same time, little doubt is shed on the negative points brought up against her. Lots of other word choice general paints her in a negative light, for example "Rhee is divorced from Teach For America Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Kevin Huffman", while completely true, has a much more negative tone than say "Rhee's marriage with XXXX of TFA ending in 19XX". Topics such as her personal and professional life should remain neutral they should not bring up how some guy published that some other guy in a blog said what she said was false (as is mentioned under "professional life"). That has a very here-say feel to it even if it is source. This content belongs in a separate "personal criticisms" or "controversy" category.
Rhee is a controversial figure, making this a difficult article to write, but I think that it's generally helpful to frame either positive or negative comments as opinions that others have held in order to maintain a neutral tone on wikipedia. For instance, the comment on her putting tape on children's faces should be phrased "She is often criticized for.. [the incident]", rather than just stating it plainly. Don't get me wrong, I agree that it's kind of horrifying, but I think it's important that wikipedia maintains NPOV.UMich215SSG (talk) 00:26, 20 May 2011 (UTC)
- Well I just changed some things, changed some negative wording to sound more neutral. I tried to keep as much of the content the same as possible, but I did modify a couple sources and changed sentences that did not reflect their source material. I added a couple of categories to help improve the organization of the article. I still think it might need some more work though. UMich215SSG (talk) 01:28, 20 May 2011 (UTC)
- I disagree with some of your perspective. Saying that "Michelle Rhee is divorced" does not unfairly paint Rhee in a 'negative light'. Her divorce is just a fact. Some people regard that as negative. Some people don't. But something being 'negative' has never itself been grounds for removing information. Replacing facts with ambiguous euphemisms engenders a POV and at the same time it degrades the article quality by creating bizarre ambiguities. What happened to her husband? Is he alive? Was he discovered to have a prior legal marriage, thus nullifying his marriage to Rhee? It's much better to just let the article be clear about what happened. And, in general, I think it's a horrible idea to start removing encyclopedic content from an article simply because it can be said to paint somebody in a 'negative light'. Greg Comlish (talk) 20:28, 20 May 2011 (UTC)
I thought it was clear considering that the table to the right says they are divorced, but I added that word again to avoid all ambiguities. However, I do think the way it is worded now is definitely more neutral. "Divorce" is just one of those words that takes on a more negative connotation in verb form. "Getting a divorce" sounds less harsh than "divorcing your spouse" because it is less action based. Kind of like "getting an abortion" vs "aborting your baby". Both statements mean the same thing, but one clearly has a negative tone while the other a neutral one. I'm not trying to paint an overly positive picture of Rhee, but merely a more neutral one.
Regarding my other edits, I didn't remove any information that wasn't supported by the citations. I edited statements that weren't reflective of their cited sources so that they were more accurate. UMich215SSG (talk) 00:02, 21 May 2011 (UTC)
This article should be featured on some kind of "Worst of Wikipedia" list. The biggest weakness of Wikipedia is biased articles, and this article is the poster child. This week's Washington Times article does a good job explaining the campaign to attack Michelle Rhee, which unfortunately this Wikipedia article has become part of: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/24/the-battle-to-defame-michelle-rhee/?page=1 --Westwind273 (talk) 20:26, 26 May 2011 (UTC)
- I'm sure that the allies of Rhee would prefer that this article more closely resembled an opinion piece from the most conservative daily newspaper in America. Greg Comlish (talk) 01:31, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
- Greg, you need to study the Wikipedia guidelines with regard to civility on talk pages. Sarcastic remarks have no place here. --Westwind273 (talk) 03:33, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
- When was I being sarcastic? Greg Comlish (talk) 14:11, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
- I agree with Greg on the Washington Times and its opinion pieces - particularly the one Westwind has linked - there are some obvious misstatements of fact in the piece. I do think we can add some more balance, perhaps by adding some of her responses to the criticism, but we should use reliable sources. I have already added one of her explanations for the discrepancy between the results she stated on her resume, and the reported test results, and I have trimmed some of the negative verbiage as well as puffery.--Regards--KeptSouth (talk) 17:24, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
- When was I being sarcastic? Greg Comlish (talk) 14:11, 27 May 2011 (UTC)
- Opinion pieces shouldn't be used at all. The article is biased very favorably toward Rhee which needs to be corrected. I'll do some of that now. FeralOink (talk) 12:31, 26 May 2025 (UTC)
Party
In the infobox her party is listed as Democratic. Why is this here? Is she an active member of the Democratic Party, or is this just her registration? She seems to work with politicians from both parties, doesn't run for office... The inclusion of party implies some relevance, but what would that be? Jd2718 (talk) 14:17, 28 May 2011 (UTC)
- As far as I can tell, it's just her registration, and she is not politically active as a Democrat. However, her party affiliation is often cited as evidence that liberals and conservatives agree on school reforms such as vouchers and privatization, so I think her party registration is significant enough for the infobox. KeptSouth (talk) 10:55, 29 May 2011 (UTC)
Rhee's opinion on vouchers
I am starting a discussion section here because I believe the edits I made to the article's section on vouchers were well-justified, but they have been quickly reverted with the reason given that someone feels they are "relevant" and "helpful". Because of the quick and complete reversion of my changes, I am providing a lengthier discussion of my own reasons and I am editing out material in steps to facilitate further discussion, if necessary. KeptSouth (talk) 10:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- First of all, sorry, I really should have done a more careful job than just mass-reverting that section. I felt some of the changes you made that day were good, some bad. But most of the ones I had a problem with were in that section and I didn't see anything I felt was an actual improvement there, so I reverted the whole thing where I could have left the change I was neutral on (and looking again was actually a positive). As a warning, I'm not likely to be able to respond again until tonight or (more likely) tomorrow morning. Work calls (loudly). Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- I have re-removed this sentence - about the presidential debates, as it seems very tangential to bio of Rhee (a summary of her life story) that US presidential candidates had different opinions about her opinion on vouchers and that they expressed this in their in 3rd debate of fall, 2008. It is also not supported by the reference given & even if relevant, which it is not, it is not informative to readers as it does not say which candidate had which opinion. --KeptSouth (talk) 10:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- I strongly believe the fact that her opinion was a part of the presidential debate is quite relevant. Heck, we could pretty easily have articles on someone mostly because they are brought up in a debate (Joe the Plumber comes to mind as an extreme example). I'd say that if someone were writing a 1 page bio on her this would certainly be a part of it. I've not yet looked closely at the cited source, but given it is true and was on literally all the major TV channels, there is coverage. Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- Removed this sentence that she continued her support of vouchers - no indication of when, mere verbiage in this context, gives no further information to the reader and not supported. --KeptSouth (talk) 10:28, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- Removed this phrase: she said. “I would never accept that for my child so I was never going to put any other mother in that situation because it is a repetition of the same idea expressed in the same paragraph which is: "Rhee argued that if she would not send her kids to a particular school, she should not expect other parents to, either." KeptSouth (talk) 10:36, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- I again disagree here. It is a common writing technique to summarize a quote and then give the quote.
- Bob indicated he didn't like the idea, "Mary, I really don't think this is going to work out".
- I think a quote in this context is powerful and provides insight into her thought process. If we had to choose between the summary and the quote, I'd pick the quote, but A) I prefer both and B) I think it would be hard to make the text flow with just the quote. Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- Finally, there are long quotes that a wiki editor transcribed from an original source, an eight minute long video of a speech given by Rhee posted on what appears to be an interest group website. It is original research to transcribe and cull these out particular quotes, and therefore these quotes do not belong in this article per WP:OR and WP:PRIMARY. For now, I am leaving them, but will remove them tomorrow if no cogent argument is made to override WP guidelines. Here are the quotes and other material based on a Wikipedia editor's transcription and personal determination of significance: "I was not willing to say to these parents and say to these mothers, ‘You know what? Just give me five years, right? Just take one for the team. Your kid may not learn how to read and write and do math for those five years, but this is what is good for the system,’” she said. She said she came under criticism from friends, saying she was “going against the party.” She called the whole experience “an epiphany.” --KeptSouth (talk) 10:46, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- Actually I have changed my mind, and am removing these quotes now for the reasons given above. They are OR, PRIMARY, not compliant with WP guidelines. Please discuss below if you wish to restore this inappropriate material. I would suggest that there are likely some reliable sources wherein she discusses her opinion on vouchers, and adding material from these sources would be a perfect work-around to this OR problems. KeptSouth (talk) 11:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- There is, as far as I can tell, no problem with using a primary source to extract a quote. The issue is if a given quote is relevant is certainly a case of OR, but frankly so is any decision about distilling a large number of sources down to a short Wikipedia article. I don't see this as being any more OR than anything else. Primary sources can't be interpreted, but a direct quote isn't that. Could you point out what part of WP:OR you feel is being violated here? Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- Actually I have changed my mind, and am removing these quotes now for the reasons given above. They are OR, PRIMARY, not compliant with WP guidelines. Please discuss below if you wish to restore this inappropriate material. I would suggest that there are likely some reliable sources wherein she discusses her opinion on vouchers, and adding material from these sources would be a perfect work-around to this OR problems. KeptSouth (talk) 11:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)
- In all cases, I'm not overly found of you reverting at this point. WP:BRD suggests at this point we discuss before you re-revert... Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- To avoid a false impression, I will recap what has occurred thus far. I made some changes, in the School choice and school vouchers section; gave some reasons in the edit summary. Hobit quickly reverted them with exceedingly little explanation. I reintroduced the changes I had made,,, and upon reflection and review of the references given, I made new copy edits in a step by step fashion, removing repetition unsuited and unnecssary for an encyclopedia article a possibly misleading pov term and removing original research/transcription by a Wiki editor of a speech posted on an advocacy-non reliable source website . Finally, I added a quote from Rhee on the very topic of school vouchers, that was actually published in a reliable source, The Wall Street Journal. At the same time, I provided complete explanations and diffs on this talk page to facilitate discussion. No policies have been violated, no edit war has occurred yet, and we began discussing further changes. However, upon careful reading of Hobit's responses it seems the discussion is now circular, with Hobit saying transcription by a Wikipedia editor is not impermissible research, and that the text should simply not be changed because of Hobits strong feelings of relevancy. My view is that further statements of Rhee re. school voucher and public monies going to private schools can be be added if found in reliable secondary sources, as I have already done with the WSJ quote. It is likely that a third opinion is needed, and perhaps I will seek one.KeptSouth (talk) 19:22, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- In all cases, I'm not overly found of you reverting at this point. WP:BRD suggests at this point we discuss before you re-revert... Hobit (talk) 11:41, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
I have requested a third opinion on this dispute, and the request is now listed on the active disagreement section.Wikipedia:Third opinion#Active disagreements --KeptSouth (talk) 20:07, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- Wow. I think discussion might have worked but you've just ignored my comments entirely (or at least not responded to them in any way) and jumped to dispute resolution. Ah well. I'm still willing to discuss this, but welcome any third opinions... Hobit (talk) 20:20, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- The way I see it, basically you ignored my comments, and re-iterated your original thoughts. At some point in this chain, it's time to call for a third opinion, and as aspersions were already being cast on my actions, and this article needs improvement in several areas, not just on the voucher's section, I decided it was time to move on and ask for another view. There is nothing wow about an informal non binding third opinion - it's the most primary and simple method. KeptSouth (talk) 20:40, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- I've no objection to the third party. But you first complained I only commented via edit summary (which was a fair comment). When I responded on the talk page (with a lot more detail) you're saying that I was simply reiterating my thoughts? Arg. I was expecting you to address my comments and have a discussion. But we can wait for others to jump in instead. Hobit (talk) 20:57, 14 July 2011 (UTC)
- No, I never complained that you commented only via edit summary. What I did say was that I would lay out my own reasoning for changes I would be making, and that is what I did. In my view, your response mainly reiterated your edit summary, and was almost completely non-responsive to the points I had made. You gave reasons for the reverting the changes such as: the later version was not an improvement, you "strongly believe it is relevant", and "There is...no problem with using a primary source". These are not issues for discussion but rather, are assertions that leave little room for discussion. That is why I asked for a third opinion. I reasonably saw a stalemate, a circular and repetitive discussion, and acted to prevent an edit war, and to hopefully move to a resolution, and on to other article improvements.
- As I have pointed out, there are effective and alternative ways of describing Rhee's views on vouchers and school choice that do not rely at all on primary sources, or original research transcriptions, and to that end, I added a quote published in the Wall Street Journal which expresses the same thought as the omitted OR material. That said, more work needs to be done on this article, and I would just as soon move on to it, rather than beat dead horses repeatedly.--Regards-- KeptSouth (talk) 16:03, 15 July 2011 (UTC)
- OK, let's take one of these for example. You claimed the quote about her children and vouchers was redundant to the text before it. I argued that a quote is a powerful thing and that the redundancy was a standard way for text to be written. However, I was also willing to go with just the quote if it could be made to work. As your only objection to the quote was the redundancy I'd think that would solve the problem. In another case, the presidential debate, I explained why I think it's relevant. You never responded. Certainly if *my* opinion were discussed in a presidential debate it would end up in my 2 paragraph obit--it would be a really a big deal. You've not provided any reason to believe it won't be in hers. Is she really so remarkably accomplished that her nationwide exposure on all broadcast channels isn't relevant? In any case, I've tried to address your points. You may feel I did a horrible job, but I certainly tried. You've ignored mine. Frankly that's just rude. As was not following BRD. I am non-the-less trying to communicate. I'd appreciate it if you tried the same. Hobit (talk) 19:23, 15 July 2011 (UTC)
You can't be serious. I have addressed your assertions repeatedly. Kindly stop the baseless accusations and name calling. Wikipedia is not a battleground. Your argument to keep a redundant quote for dramatic literary effect in a Wikipedia bio had little or no basis in WP practice and became moot one hour later when I discovered the quote came from an OR transcription of a primary source that was posted on an advocacy blog site. I have discussed all that in my edit summaries and in the discussion above. Reliably sourced alternative quotes and descriptions of her position are available. Your continued insistence on including primary source material original research and uncited statements is baffling, and indicates that a higher level of dispute resolution may be needed. What do you think about posting this issue on the BLP noticeboard?--KeptSouth (talk) 08:12, 16 July 2011 (UTC)
- I'll simply point out you never responded to any comment I made on the substance of the issues. Not one. I'm quite willing to discuss them, but you've simply labeled my comments as "assertions" and not responded. The statements in question aren't uncited, I've no idea where you are getting _that_ from. It is the first time you've used that word in this discussion. Could you clarify? Rather than discussing the discussion can you please walk my comments, made above, and explain what you disagree with and why? Please? Hobit (talk) 18:29, 16 July 2011 (UTC)


