Wikipedia:Attack page

This page documents an English Wikipedia policy. It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

Shortcuts WP:ATTACK WP:ATP

This page in a nutshell: Do not create pages which serve no purpose beyond disparaging or threatening their subjects, or biographical articles which are unsourced and entirely negative in tone.

An attack page is a page, in any namespace, that exists primarily to disparage or threaten its subject; or biographical material that is entirely negative in tone and unsourced or poorly sourced. Under the criteria for speedy deletion, these pages may be removed immediately. Upon finding such a page, identify it for speedy deletion by prepending the {{db-attack}} template, and blank the page as courtesy. Warn the user who created it using the {{subst:db-attack-notice}} speedy deletion notice template.

Once a page is tagged with the {{db-attack}} template, it will be added to Category:Candidates for speedy deletion as attack pages.

If the subject of the article is notable, but the existing page consists primarily of attacks against the subject or a living person, and there is no neutral version in the history to revert to, then the attack page should be deleted and an appropriate stub article should be written in its place. This is especially important if the page contains biographical material about a living person.

Attack pages eligible for speedy deletion may be inside or outside the main namespace. However, this policy is not usually meant to apply to requests for comment and similar processes (although these processes have their own guidelines for deletion of requests that are invalid or in bad faith). On the other hand, keeping a "list of enemies" or "list of everything bad user:XXX did" on your user space is neither constructive nor appropriate. Bear in mind that the key to resolving a dispute is not to find and list all the dirt you can find on somebody.

When material is spunout of a biography of a public figure by consensus because that section of the article has a length that is out of proportion to the rest of the article, it is not necessarily an attack page, even if the content in question reflects negatively upon its subject. Such an article is still required to comply with Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons.

When deleting attack pages, it is important that you do not quote any of the content in your deletion summary. If you wish to add any comments in addition to using the "G10" option from the dropdown menu, be sure to include only a simple description without the details of the attack.

• Wikipedia:Libel
• Wikipedia:Harassment
• Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons
• Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion § G10
• Wikipedia:No personal attacks § Removal of personal attacks
• Wikipedia:POLEMIC

• Wikipedia:WikiBullying
• Wikipedia:Coatrack articles

• Category:Criticism of individuals