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Hey, WP:TMZ states "no consensus" on the subject of reliability. Comments there tend towards "low-quality source". How is that "not considered to be a reliable source"? Ref(chew)(do)01:36, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
TMZ is tabloid journalism. Tabloid journalism is not allowed as a source in biographies of living persons. Before we confirm a person as dead, we assume they are alive. This means that we need to cite a source which is reliable and uncontentious to prove that they are dead. Therefore, as TMZ is tabloid journalism and tabloid journalism is not a reliable source in the context of living persons, we deprecate its use as a source here. – Howard🌽3315:43, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Tabloid journalism is not discounted as a reliable source per se - that's a sweeping verdict which doesn't explain why one such as the Daily Mirror in the UK (WP:DAILYMIRROR) also gets marked "no consensus". No consensus, by definition, is not an indicator of general unreliability, otherwise the section would be marked as such and not "no consensus". It's never wise to assume that all other editors, or a majority, also think X is an unreliable source when a consensus clearly hasn't been reached. Sorry to keep on about this, but it bugs me when an unnatural prejudice appears without due explanation as to why the view towards the subject appears skewed. Ref(chew)(do)20:59, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
That article cites the TMZ report as their source. We can't be certain of his death until we receive independent verification. – Howard🌽3311:53, 15 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
WP:BLP states that one should use only reliable sources for living people. Any poorly sourced claims that are likely to be challenged should be removed. The material should not be added to an article when the only sources are tabloid journalism. Until we have reliable evidence that a person is dead, they are assumed to be alive, so WP:BLP applies (see WP:BDP). The source for DeBarge's death should be replaced if we only have TMZ as a source in her entry. – Howard🌽3310:41, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
This isn’t a biography article though. It’s a list page. I’m not hot on TMZ either but they are workable enough to utilize for proof of passing until I can find a different source to swap in. Rusted AutoParts16:19, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
BLP applies to all material about living persons anywhere on Wikipedia, including talk pages, edit summaries, user pages, images, categories, lists, article titles and drafts.
But, really and honestly, it only seems to be yourself who desperately considers TMZ to be that "contentious". I can't find much in the way of prohibitive comment against it anywhere, except as discussed for the purposes of WP:TMZ itself. I will be the first to desist from using TMZ (or the Daily Mirror, for that matter) if it gets marked "generally unreliable" or "deprecated". Until then, they're available for me personally to safely include, without sanction. Ref(chew)(do)20:59, 18 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]