Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Michael Blanc

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was no consensus. Most everyone's opinion is either weakly expressed or weakly argued, so, when in doubt... Sandstein 15:34, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Michael Blanc

Michael Blanc (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs) – (View log)

Crimecruft. Non notable drug smuggler, fails WP:BIO. One Night In Hackney303 07:53, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

  • Might there be sources in French on this guy? Fee Fi Foe Fum 08:33, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Aha, I do believe this Le Figaro article on him will do the trick. You've heard of Le Figaro? According to Wikipedia, it "is one of the leading French morning daily newspapers". Fee Fi Foe Fum 08:37, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment That doesn't change the fact he fails WP:BIO. Heard of the BBC? They cover dozens of crime cases on a daily basis, but we're not including every single criminal who gets reported in the media. I also refer you to WP:BLP1E. One Night In Hackney303 08:44, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • The problem is I can't read French. However, I'll wager that this guy is like these Aussies who all have pages; Bali Nine, and the girl, Schapelle Corby. Fee Fi Foe Fum 08:52, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • So WP:BLP1E means notable for only one event? Okay, so criminals generally have more than one event; the crime, the manhunt/discovery, the arrest, the interrogation, the confession, the indictment, the trial, the conviction, the sentencing, and the carrying out of the sentence. Also, if people protest the harshness of the sentence, and the protest is reported, that's another event. Wouldn't it be nicer to help me nominate for deletion all these fictional characters? Fee Fi Foe Fum 09:04, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment Yes, read the policy. And bringing up completely unrelated articles is a strawman argument. One Night In Hackney303 11:18, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Your argumentation is twisted. I read the policy; you're wrong. Fee Fi Foe Fum 23:33, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Keep What's notable here is not that is smuggled some drugs, but that the French government is making diplomatic efforts to secure his release. That's highly notable: "Cette affaire régulièrement médiatisée est suivie de très près par le ministre des Affaires étrangères Philippe Douste-Blazy" (from the Figaro article)--victor falk 11:12, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment Really? It happens every time some UK tourists get drunk in Cyprus. One Night In Hackney303 11:18, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
David Miliband tries to get pissed Britons out of the nick? I didn't knew that.--victor falk 11:25, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
Comment Maybe not him, but David Cairns certainly does, and Meg Munn said tackling British nationals in distress abroad was one of the department's most important tasks. There's plenty of stories like that kicking about. One Night In Hackney303 11:36, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
There's quite some difference between a foreign minister and some no-name backbencher.--victor falk 12:02, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
Comment How about Tony Blair then? One Night In Hackney303 12:08, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
Yes, that could make the case of Michael Shields notable. You also have to remember the difference between French and British civil service. When a French minister goes public and says "I follow this very closely", that means the ministry will follow this very closely. If a British minister say this, a ministry might or might not depending on the civil servants. Differences of degree of course, but not at all inconsiderable.--victor falk 12:16, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
Comment, the embassy of a country usually steps in as a matter of course when one of its nationals is arrested in this manner - its hardly a significant move.--Vintagekits 00:06, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Keep strange nomination anyway.and i agree with viktor.--Zingostar 17:26, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Weak delete unless more sources can be found demonstrating notability of the case. It does not appear to have attracted remotely the same level of attention in France as the Corby case in Australia, and although the French government has made pro forma requests for extradition, this is fairly normal. --Dhartung | Talk 17:31, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 2 reasons why the media fuss is relatively smaller in France:
1) Australia is four times smaller than France. If Schappelle Corby was from Luxembourg, she'd be on "La Voix du Luxembourg"'s front page three days a week and the martyr of the nation.
2) {{Australian criminals}}. Can you imagine {{American criminals}}? {{French criminals}} {{Belgian criminals}}? {{New Zealander criminals}}? Me neither. Only an aussie could create such a template.
  • Keep- there are lots of articles on criminals in Wikipedia Astrotrain 20:52, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment, there are lots of articles about sportspeople on wikipedia also - should all sportspeople in the world have an article? Please try and base you arguements on wiki policy, such as WP:BIO and WP:V, which I am having serious trouble in understanding that this article does. Leaning towards delete but will await to see if the trail has any lasting significance outside of being a run of the mill news story - after all this is an encyclopedia not a newspaper.--Vintagekits 00:03, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
  • Weak delete- weak because of the claim of 87000 signatures and a claim of two TV-shows. But I am baffled this person is not in the French wiki if he is notable. Being in jail for drug-smugling is hardly very notable, this would never be an interesting article to get up as a random article, I do think I would have started to think "why is this guy even here?" even if I had no account. Greswik 16:26, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
fr:Sept à huit is the French equivalent of 60 minutes. I should have pointed that earlier--victor falk 18:26, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete- I have waited over a week to see if there could be anything brought up to distingush this case from any other run of the mill small time drug trafficer that got caught abroad. However, nothing has been shown to prove that this person who made this silly mistake passes any notability criteria on wiki.--Vintagekits 19:03, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
I would say that that is a notable article - extensive sources, controvertial issue over the arrest, the appeal and the book about the case tips it over the line from being a run of the mill news story to being an encyclopedic article.--Vintagekits 19:17, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
My argument about being covered twice in the equivalent of 60 minutes?--victor falk 19:24, 2 November 2007 (UTC)


  • There seems to be some kind of technical error. When clicking the link here you get to our Michel, but when typing in the search box, you get to Michel Blanc, the actor. The articles' names in the url field are identical. What's the deal?--victor falk 19:20, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
Ah. I had a technical problem in my neurocerebral system. Fixed.--victor falk 19:26, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
In the way the article is written now i think its really good so i dont know how people can vote delete. but thats just my opinion.--Zingostar 18:56, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
But since 2 has voted week delete and one only one has voted delete and 2 has voted for keep i guess its not obvious that this article should be deleted. week delete is not as strong as delete.--Zingostar 19:02, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
Comment, this isnt a "vote" per se - its a discussion - if you cant prove he passes WP:N then it will be deleted.--Vintagekits 19:04, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
Well it has been proven, so its no worries! their are enough references to validate notability!--Zingostar 20:37, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Weak Keep - more than just a story about a convicted criminal. It's the ongoing campaign to free him that makes it different. There are enough references to validate notability. Sbowers3 20:16, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
The point is that their are enough references to assert notability. And an ongoing campaign in france to free him.--Zingostar 21:57, 4 November 2007 (UTC)


The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.