Wikipedia:Requests for mediation/Malcolm X

Malcolm X

The filing party (the editor who opened this request) will add the basic details for this dispute below.

Editors involved in this dispute

1. Mccar408 (talk · contribs) – filing party
2. Malik Shabazz (talk · contribs)

Articles affected by this dispute

1. Malcolm X (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs)

Other attempts at resolving this dispute that you have attempted

• Talk:Malcolm X#Sex with other men -- recent changes

Issues to be mediated

What is this dispute about? What sections, sentences, or issues in the article(s) can you not agree on? If you are the editor who opened this request, list these issues to be mediated under "Primary issues". If you did not open this request, you can add additional issues to be mediated under "Additional issues". The issues to be mediated would be properly agreed upon later, if this request for mediation is accepted.

Primary issues (added by the filing party)

1. Unsubstantiated claim about biographical research on Malcolm X. The phrase "according to recent biographies, he also occasionally had sex with other men, usually for money" must be changed because the two biographies cited do not state that Malcolm had sex with other men (plural). Perry claims that Malcolm had sex with other men (plural). Marable claims only that Malcolm had "sexual contacts" with one other man. In an endnote, not included in the present citation, Marable acknowledges that Perry's "general assertions" have been supported: he gives only one example, evidence that Malcolm had sexual contacts with only one other man. The phrase should be revised to say: "according to biographers, Malcolm also had sexual relations with at least one other man, evidently for money." This should be a minor edit requiring no outside arbitration.

Additional issues (added by other parties)

• Additional issue 1
• Additional issue 2

Parties' agreement to mediation

If you are a named party, please sign below and indicate whether you agree or refuse to participate in mediation. Remember that all editors are obliged to resolve disputes about content through discussion, mediation, or other similar means. If you do not wish to participate in mediation, you must arrange another form of dispute resolution. Comments and questions should be made underneath the numbered list below, to avoid confusion.

1. Agree. Mccar408 (talk) 17:07, 24 March 2016 (UTC)
2. Decline. Two months ago, Mccar408 walked away from the talk page discussion I cited above. Mccar408 changed the article to their preferred version without consensus or further discussion in February and March. The editor is welcome to continue the discussion on the article's talk page any time they'd like. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 18:03, 24 March 2016 (UTC)
   To clarify what I wrote earlier, mediation is the last step in dispute resolution, not the first, and no others have been tried. If Mccar408 doesn't think that further discussion will achieve anything, maybe we should ask for a third opinion, since there are only two editors involved in this dispute. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 19:05, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

McCar408: I didn't walk away from the talk page! I participated to the fullest, but you insisted that the "clear meaning" of the sources was something that the sources blatantly did not say. What can be said in response to that? Yes, I would like to seek a third opinion; this is a matter of fact, not opinion, so anyone who contributes will agree with me. I can't reiterate enough: I'm not saying that the statement is wrong, I'm saying that the statement is not substantiated by the citation; that is a fact. How do we request a third opinion? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mccar408 (talk • contribs) 20:31, 24 March 2016 (UTC)

Decision of the Mediation Committee

This section should only be edited by a mediator. The Mediation Committee's representative will indicate in due course whether the request is accepted (meaning a mediator will be assigned) or rejected (meaning you will have to try a different type of dispute resolution). If the mediator asks you a question in this section, you may edit here.

• Reject. Fails to satisfy prerequisite for mediation numbers 5, "A majority of the parties to the dispute consent to mediation". For the Mediation Committee, TransporterMan (TALK) 20:16, 24 March 2016 (UTC) (Chairperson)