Wikipedia:Proposed deletion for a hoax
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This is a proposal to create a proposed deletion template for dealing with hoaxes.
Existing Policy
[edit]WP:G3 stipulates that a page can be speedily deleted if it is "This includes blatant and obvious misinformation." However, under WP:HOAX, "only in extreme cases of blatant and obvious hoaxes should articles be speedy deleted as vandalism." The WP:CSD page states itself, "If even remotely plausible, a suspected hoax article should be subjected to further scrutiny in a wider forum." Any hoax that passes WP:N and is a well known hoax can be kept.
Problem
[edit]Recently, a large number of obvious hoaxes have made their way into WP:AfD (such as Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 3, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/I Love HMS: Charm School, and Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sir Bourgian Defense Forces). Though many hoaxes are summarily deleted under WP:G3, all of the hoaxes slow down the already clogged AfD system.
While blatant hoaxes can fall under WP:G3 for speedy deletion, very few new page patrollers would tag even a blatant hoax with G3 or another tag for speedy deletion at all.[citation needed] Furthermore, some pages believed to be hoaxes may not be a hoax at all, further confusing the process.
Proposed Policy
[edit]Instead of a Speedy Deletion criteria, a proposed deletion template be used with a similar system to seconding the proposed deletion. A user will first tag the page with a template similar to {{subst:prod}}. A second user, not related to the first, will do a thorough check to confirm that the page in question is in fact a hoax and add a second template, based off of {{subst:prod-2}} to the page. Then, either an admin will confirm the hoax a third time and delete, or the page will expire through the proposed deletion timeline and be deleted. Pages cannot be deleted with only the first template in place and the timer for the proposed deletion template will not begin until after the second template is added.
If the confirming user finds that the content is not in fact a hoax, the original template will be removed and will instead place a template on the content's talk page noting the former template.
Users using the secondary hoax template will need to be trusted members of the community and will need to have thoroughly checked all possible sources. If a single user can conclusively prove that the content is in fact not a hoax, the article must go through the AfD process to be deleted.
Just as under WP:HOAX, if the hoax is notable, it does not fall under this deletion criteria.
Difference from the regular Proposed Deletion process
[edit]Several users have noted that this process seems, at first glance, little different that the normal PROD process. However, one key caveat that must be included in this is something that is currently included in the Speedy Deletion process: the creators of the article would not be allowed to remove the "PROD-Hoax" tags.