Talk:George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping

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[edit] Removed speedy deletion tag

This was tagged for speedy deletion as a copyvio; however, the source of the text is in the public domain as an uncopyrighted work of the U.S. government. I removed the speedy tag, and replaced it with cleanup requests for multiple sources and wikifying, as well as noting the source with {{USGovernment}} in the References section. --MCB 20:17, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for clearing up the fact this isn't a copyvio. However, shouldn't we be discouraging copy-and-pasting, even if it's not a copyvio? The cleanup and single source tags are helpful in that direction, but what is the point of an article that completely recreates something that is already available on the Internet? I'd rather see this article started over with a one paragraph summary than what exists now. Is there some policy on this non-copyvio copying someone can point me to? Katr67 20:35, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

I see what you mean, but I don't believe there is a policy against copy-pasting public domain works (for example, the 1911 Encyclopaedia Brittanica); the idea is that Wikipedia editors will edit, extend, and improve the original, summarizing or removing parts that are poorly written or of questionable relevance. It's unlikely that the article will be unchanged after a significant period of time, and it's very likely that it will be improved. Best, --MCB 01:58, 21 March 2007 (UTC)