User talk:JohnJay17

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GeoffreyT2000 (talk, contribs) 04:41, 25 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Verifiability, not truth

I noticed that you made a couple changes to Gary Stevenson. One of the core principles of Wikipedia is verifiability. What that means is that even if you have personal knowledge that something is true, you aren't allowed to add it to the encyclopedia without citing a reliable published source that says so. In short, what matters is verifiability, not truth.

A reliable source is cited for Stevenson now being 59 years old. Based on that, he could have been born in 1957 or 1958. Another reliable source is cited that says, "Since starting his sports career in Houston in 1980 by joining tennis promoter Donald Dell's pioneering sports marketing company, ProServ, Stevenson ..." So to change either his year of birth or where he started his career, you will need to furnish an equally reliable published source. (Even then, the information you say is incorrect will be retained, but it can be shunted off to a footnote that explains that sources disagree.) The information in question is not controversial, so the source you use need not be independent. If Stevenson has an official web page, for example, it could be cited if it contains the information.

Wikipedia also has a conflict of interest policy. If you know Stevenson well enough to know his birth date and where he was living 37 years ago, you probably have a close connection with the subject. You should declare that connection, and probably shouldn't edit the article at all. Instead, request changes on Talk:Gary Stevenson. On that page you can also upload a photo, if you hold the copyright (which usually means you were the photographer). Better no photo than one that violates copyright. --Worldbruce (talk) 01:59, 27 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]