Wikipedia:Peer review/Joseph Mitchell Parsons/archive1

Joseph Mitchell Parsons

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This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review as its various sources have produced surprisingly interesting material about a subject that sought to be "forgotten". I am seeking recommendations to promote this to good article status.

Thanks, KimChee (talk) 12:37, 29 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Belovedfreak

Good work on this so far. It was an interesting read, and I don't think you'd have too many problems at WP:GAN. I'll make comments on each section as I go through the article. Not all will be strictly to do with the criteria but may be general suggestions.

Infobox

I'm not sure that you need all of those citations, or possibly any of them. Infoboxes (with a few exceptions) should only be summarising what's in the article, so any facts there should be cited in the article. I think it makes the infobox look a little cluttered.

Done.

Lead

I think you might have a bit of overlinking here (check the rest of the article too). For example, does it really help the reader to linkAmerican or murder? Try not to link common terms as they tend to dilute the effect of other wikilinks.

Done.

Like the infobox, I'm really not sure you need all the citations you have in the infobox. This is kind of a matter of personal taste, I know some editors like to cite the lead, some don't. As far as the reader is concerned though, cites in the lead can make it a little less inviting to read. Again, this should just be a summary of the rest of the article, so shouldn't need citing again. There are some exceptions, but I don't think what you have in the lead here is particularly contentious or startling.

I thought about this and want to err on the side of caution in the lead as it contains quotes (which I have been "encouraged" to cite sources for in the past). KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That's fine. While I disagree that you need all those cites in the lead (certainly not two in a row following his name and birth date :) ) I would not fail the article for that at GA. For more info on this, see WP:LEADCITE and a current conversation on the topic with regard to FA candidates. There are probably numerous other discussions if you search, btu at the end of the day, it's up to you. --Beloved Freak 17:55, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Punctuation should go outside quotation marks unless it's part of the quote (see WP:LQ); here I'm referring to "Rainbow Warrior,"

Done.

I think the lead summarises the article pretty well. Perhaps you could add a little more context to the murder, for example, say that Parsons was hitch-hiking & Ernest had given him a ride. Also, perhaps it would be worth mentioning that Parsons pled guilty and so had no trial.

Done. The lead has been expanded and reorganized to include the suggested details. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Background

This is purely personal as I know opinion varies on this, but as I reader, I would like to see his birth date mentioned here, not just in the lead.

Done.

It can be difficult writing about a subject's childhood and deciding what to call the subject as we use the surname generally, but here you have to avoid confusion with other family members. I think you could be a bit more consistent here though and use his first name(s) to a certain point and then switch to surname. At the moment, you switch from first name to surname, back to first name and then back to surname.

Done. The switch now occurs only once. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Is it known how old Parsons was when he was caught stealing cash?

The source is not specific about age, but the relative time period mentioned in the news article has been added. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"When Parsons' stepfather Lawrence refused..." - any reason you use this guy's first name? It may not be necessary to name him at all. "When Parsons' stepfather refused..." would probably work just as well.

Done. His name is already elsewhere in the article. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"...during his four years in Florida as a juvenile." - I think the use of juvenile here as a noun is too informal and ambiguous. As a juvenile delinquent? As a minor?

Done.

The MoS says "put a space on each side of an ellipsis" (sentence beginning "He rejected him")

Done.

"Not one person visited Parsons..." - I don't know, this seems a bit emotive to me. I don't have a problem with mentioning it, just the not one person bit.

Done. Rephrased to "No visitors came to see Parsons ..." KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You don't actually say that Parsons was convicted of armed robbery. I was slightly confused for a second. "Wood was convicted and spent 13 years in prison. Not one person visited Parsons..." It's also not clear what parson's sentence was.

Done. Added information regarding his plea bargain and the duration of his sentence. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Death of Richard Ernest

"A clerk called the Richfield Police Department ... The attendant back at the Texaco station also called the Beaver County Sheriff's Office" - bit nitpicky, but I don't think also is necessary here. They weren't actually doing exactly the same thing.

Done.

"He was found to have been stabbed nine times..." - this could probably be just "He had been stabbed nine times"

Execution

Done.

"Two people ... were selected to administer individual injections, of which only one is lethal" - shouldn't this be "only one was lethal"?

Done.

"The prison was forced to select among paramedics or nurses..." - perhaps just "The prison selected among paramedics or nurses"? - the former is maybe a bit emotive

Done.

See also

I don't think you really need impostor here

Done. Agreed, a link in the prose is enough. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm also not sure about Internalized homophobia; I think if it was really relevant to this case, it would have been explored more in the article. There doesn't seem to be a definitive conclusion here as to his motives, so it seems a bit WP:OR to list it here. Gay panic defense seems more relevant because that has to do with his actual defense, but it seems to me to be a step further to say that he had internalized homophobia.

Done.

References

Sources look good although I haven't checked them all against the facts they support. I see that some Deseret News refs have page numbers and some don't. Are they all available?

Some of the citations point to numbered multi-page online articles or archival scans where specific newspaper pages are available. However, a few articles hosted by Deseret News are very short with no page information available. My one concern for GA review is that many of the older articles from The Salt Lake Tribune that provide background material about Parsons' personal life have since disappeared behind paywalls. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That's ok, sources being behind paywalls, or a subscription, or being offline is not a problem. As long as all the relevant information is there to make is verifiable to the reader. They know how to find the source if they need it.--Beloved Freak 17:55, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Template

Is Utah sometimes called "The Utah"? Or should that be "Executions in Utah since 1976"?

Done.

So, those are my suggestions. Nothing major and nothing that I think would hold back a GA nomination except perhaps some of the prose details. If you have any comments or questions, please let me know at my talkpage as I don't tend to watch peer reviews. Good work, and good luck with further developing the article. --Beloved Freak 20:31, 2 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much. The suggestions have been very helpful. KimChee (talk) 01:08, 3 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]