Talk:Balloonfest '86
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 | A fact from Balloonfest '86 appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 30 May 2014 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
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Deaths
[edit]The infobox has had deaths added several times. These deaths didn't happen at the Balloonfest nor as a direct result of the Balloonfest; the fact that one of the fisherman's wives sued the organizers and settled out of court does not allow Wikipedia to take up the role of judge and assign blame for the fishermen's deaths to the event. We do not know why she sued the organizers or what the settlement was and there was certainly never a legal finding of responsibility. Belle (talk) 15:42, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
- Indeed it does not "allow Wikipedia to take up the role of judge and assign blame". We haven't; we've reported that reliable sources associate the deaths with the event. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:50, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
- We have done that in the article with a neutral tone and left it to the reader to judge how far the claim and settlement establishes a connection between the event and the deaths. What you've done in the infobox is assign a death figure to the event when no reliable sources do so. The infobox says "Deaths". It doesn't say "Associated deaths" (not that even that is supported by the sources; it quite slippery to say reliable sources "associate" the deaths with the event as merely mentioning them creates an association). Belle (talk) 16:05, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
- As the creator of the article, I also object to having the deaths directly linked to the event, as there is no proof that the balloons directly caused their deaths, and what is there is circumstantial at best. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 19:38, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
- As the creator of this article, your views are no more important than any other editor. Spacecowboy420 (talk) 09:22, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
- I just happened to be editing this part. Someone (anonymously by IP, claimed "2 dead was not a direct result of the event") removed these 2 deaths discussed above from the infobox in 2018. I reverted it manually since that has happened quite a while ago. It was an obviously unencyclopedic edit since all damages and injuries where not directly but indirectly caused by the event. --Wilhelm3 (talk) 15:08, 7 June 2020 (UTC)
- As the creator of this article, your views are no more important than any other editor. Spacecowboy420 (talk) 09:22, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
- As the creator of the article, I also object to having the deaths directly linked to the event, as there is no proof that the balloons directly caused their deaths, and what is there is circumstantial at best. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 19:38, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
- We have done that in the article with a neutral tone and left it to the reader to judge how far the claim and settlement establishes a connection between the event and the deaths. What you've done in the infobox is assign a death figure to the event when no reliable sources do so. The infobox says "Deaths". It doesn't say "Associated deaths" (not that even that is supported by the sources; it quite slippery to say reliable sources "associate" the deaths with the event as merely mentioning them creates an association). Belle (talk) 16:05, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
Record
[edit]I don't think an unsourced and unsupported statement by a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer (i.e., local boosterism) actually counts as a WP:RS for the purposes of this article. This video at The Atlantic specifically notes that Guinness declined to recognize this event as a world record. — LlywelynII 04:48, 15 June 2018 (UTC)
Mislabeled subtitle
[edit]The article goes on to say that the event lost money and caused ecological damage. Why is the subtitle 'fundraiser'. Petition to change the subtitle. \A/ (talk) 13:00, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
2011 vs. 2024
[edit]The new documentary and accompanying article by The Plain Dealer, both in the WP article, state "[Treb] Heining blames a 2011 Plain Dealer story for starting the downward progression, and I suspect he is right", referring to an article by Michael O'Malley being the source for recent exaggerations and inaccuracies about the event. Unfortunately, that article is also a ref, six times over. Is a rewrite necessary? Mapsax (talk) 00:43, 2 June 2024 (UTC)
- Yes! Most of the negative claims in the article/video by The Atlantic have been debunked in this documentary: https://youtu.be/MIM-pJP5A0o. The two men had already drowned earlier that morning, insurance paid for the two frivolous lawsuits, and there was no property damage. The balloons were biodegradable latex and no cleanup effort was required—in fact, a photographer was sent to capture the balloon remnants on a beach, and by the time they arrived, there was nothing left to see, all looked normal. Had there been any “disaster”, the newspapers at the time would have reported it. Nothin7 (talk) 12:50, 29 December 2024 (UTC)