Every year, hundreds of biography articles get deleted from Wikipedia. Not because they’re false, but because they don’t meet the site’s own rules. This isn’t about censorship. It’s about consistency. And for people who’ve spent weeks writing a detailed profile of a local teacher, a small-town mayor, or a niche artist, getting that article deleted feels personal. Why? Because Wikipedia’s rules around biographies - especially the BLP policy and notability guidelines - are strict, often confusing, and sometimes feel arbitrary.
What Is the BLP Policy?
BLP stands for Biographies of Living Persons. It’s one of Wikipedia’s most strictly enforced policies. The rule exists because living people can’t defend themselves in court if something false is published about them. So Wikipedia requires extra care: no unverified claims, no rumors, no speculative language. If an article says someone was "involved in a scandal" without citing a reliable source, it gets flagged. If it mentions a divorce, a health issue, or a controversial opinion without solid documentation, it risks deletion.
Here’s the catch: many well-meaning editors don’t realize how high the bar is. A news article from a local paper? Often not enough. A blog post? Not allowed. A tweet? Forget it. Only major outlets - newspapers like The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, or peer-reviewed journals - count as reliable sources. Even then, the coverage must be substantial. A one-line mention in a press release doesn’t cut it.
Notability: The Hidden Gatekeeper
Even if you follow BLP perfectly, your article can still vanish because of notability. Wikipedia doesn’t want every person with a LinkedIn profile to have a page. It wants people who’ve made a measurable impact. But what counts as "impact"? The guidelines say a person must have received significant coverage in independent, reliable sources. "Significant" means more than a passing mention. It means multiple articles over time, not just one press release after a local event.
Take the case of Maria Lopez, a community organizer in Milwaukee. She led a successful campaign to install solar panels on public housing. Local news covered her twice. A nonprofit newsletter mentioned her once. She has a Wikipedia article draft with 1,200 words, sourced entirely from those three pieces. It got deleted. Why? Because Wikipedia’s notability standard for activists requires coverage from at least two independent national or regional outlets - not just local ones. Maria’s story is real. Her work matters. But under Wikipedia’s rules, she doesn’t meet the threshold.
Notability thresholds vary by field. A professor needs citations in academic journals. A musician needs reviews in Pitchfork or Rolling Stone. A small business owner? Unless they’ve been featured in Forbes or The Wall Street Journal, the odds are slim. And here’s the problem: Wikipedia’s system favors fame over function. Someone who’s quietly changed their community doesn’t get the same treatment as someone who went viral on TikTok.
Why Do Deletions Happen So Fast?
Most biography deletions don’t go through a long trial. They’re flagged by bots or experienced editors who spot red flags instantly. A draft with no citations? Tagged. A biography with a single source? Tagged. A person with no Wikipedia page in any other language? Tagged. Within hours, the article might be nominated for deletion. A small group of volunteer editors then votes. Often, the vote is 5-0 to delete. No one from the subject’s community shows up to defend it. The article vanishes.
It’s not malicious. It’s procedural. Wikipedia runs on volunteer labor. Editors don’t have time to dig into every local story. They rely on patterns: if it looks like a vanity page, it gets deleted. And unfortunately, many legitimate biographies look exactly like vanity pages - because they’re written by friends, family, or colleagues who don’t know the rules.
Common Mistakes That Trigger Deletion
- Using personal websites, LinkedIn, or Facebook as sources
- Citing press releases or company websites as independent coverage
- Writing in promotional language: "renowned," "beloved," "groundbreaking"
- Missing citations for claims about achievements, awards, or controversies
- Not showing sustained media coverage over time
One editor I spoke with told me about a draft on a retired high school principal. The article listed every award she’d won since 1987. It included quotes from former students. It had photos. But every source was either the school’s website or a local newsletter. The article was deleted in 48 hours. The editor said: "She spent 40 years teaching. But Wikipedia doesn’t care about dedication. It cares about documentation."
How to Save a Biography From Deletion
If you’re trying to create or save a biography, here’s what actually works:
- Find at least two independent, high-quality sources that cover the person in depth. Think major newspapers, magazines, academic journals, or long-form documentaries.
- Don’t write the article first. Write the citations first. If you can’t find solid sources, the article won’t survive.
- Avoid personal anecdotes. Even if they’re true, Wikipedia doesn’t accept them as evidence.
- Use neutral language. Say "was convicted of" instead of "was a criminal." Say "received recognition" instead of "was a hero."
- Wait. If the person has only been covered once, wait a few months. If a second article appears, you have a chance.
There’s also a lesser-known option: request a notability review on Wikipedia’s talk page. Some editors will help you find sources you missed. But you have to be specific. Don’t say "I think she’s notable." Say: "I found coverage in The Chicago Tribune in 2023 and The Boston Globe in 2021. Are these sufficient?"
The Real Problem: Who Gets to Be Remembered?
Beneath the rules is a deeper tension. Wikipedia is supposed to be a universal archive. But its standards reflect the biases of mainstream media. People in rural areas, minority communities, or non-profit sectors rarely get covered in outlets that Wikipedia trusts. So their stories disappear.
Think about it: a Nobel laureate from Sweden has five Wikipedia pages in different languages. A community health worker in rural Mississippi, who saved dozens of lives during the opioid crisis, has none - because no major outlet wrote about her. That’s not a technical failure. It’s a systemic one.
Wikipedia’s notability rules weren’t designed to capture the full breadth of human contribution. They were designed to prevent spam. But in doing so, they’ve left out countless people whose impact is real - just quiet.
What Can Be Done?
Some communities are pushing back. The Wikipedia community has created initiatives like WikiProject Women in Red and WikiProject Black Lives Matter to fill gaps. But they’re still volunteer efforts. The core policies haven’t changed.
Wikipedia’s administrators say the rules are necessary. They’re right - without them, the site would be flooded with promotional content. But they’re also missing a key point: notability shouldn’t be about fame. It should be about significance. And significance doesn’t always make headlines.
Until then, the system remains harsh. You can fight it. You can appeal. You can rewrite. But if you don’t have the right sources, the article will vanish - not because it’s wrong, but because it doesn’t look like the kind of story Wikipedia was built to preserve.
Can I appeal a deleted biography on Wikipedia?
Yes, you can appeal. Go to the deletion log of the article, find the reason for deletion, and submit a request for undeletion on the article’s talk page. You must provide new, reliable sources that weren’t considered during the original deletion. If you can show significant coverage from independent outlets, the article may be restored. But appeals are rarely successful without new evidence.
Why can’t I use a press release as a source for a Wikipedia biography?
Press releases are written by the subject or their organization, so they’re not considered independent. Wikipedia requires sources that are separate from the person being written about. A journalist’s article quoting the press release is acceptable. The press release itself is not.
Does having a Wikipedia page in another language help my case?
It can help, but only slightly. If a biography exists in German or French Wikipedia and is well-sourced, it may suggest the person meets notability standards. But English Wikipedia still requires its own evidence. You can’t rely on another language version to save your article.
What if the person is famous in their field but not in the media?
Wikipedia’s notability guidelines prioritize media coverage over peer recognition. A scientist with 200 academic papers may still be deleted if no major news outlet has written about them. However, in academic fields, peer-reviewed journals can sometimes serve as sources - if they’re widely recognized. This is rare, and you’ll need to argue the case carefully on the talk page.
Are there any exceptions to the BLP policy?
No. The BLP policy applies to everyone who is alive. Even public figures like politicians or celebrities must meet its standards. The only difference is that public figures usually have more coverage, so it’s easier to meet the sourcing requirements. But the rules are the same for everyone.
