Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Genocide and mass atrocities

This is an essay.

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Similar to incorrect information on medical topics, incorrect information on genocide and other mass atrocities can have serious real-world consequences. Both genocide denial and exaggeration of historical atrocities have fueled additional mass crimes, leading to the deaths of many innocent people. Furthermore, mass atrocities are often denied, minimized, or deliberately exaggerated for various reasons that have nothing to do with historical evidence. Therefore, it is especially important that Wikipedia should provide accurate and unbiased information on such topics.

The consequences of misinformation

False claims of genocide against the targets of a planned genocide may be considered incitement to genocide and are theoretically prosecutable as inchoate crimes under international law. This tactic has been used in several historical genocides including the Holocaust, Rwandan genocide, and Bosnian genocide.^[1]

"[D]enial is the most common response to in-group atrocities." This is unfortunate as denial inhibits the process of coming to terms with the events and achieving reconciliation and justice. Genocide expert Gregory Stanton considers denial the last stage of genocide.^[2] According to Roger W. Smith, Eric Markusen, and Robert Jay Lifton: "by absolving the perpetrators of past genocides from responsibility for their actions and by obscuring the reality of genocide as a widely practiced form of state policy in the modern world, denial may increase the risk of future outbreaks of genocidal killing."^[3]

What types of content are covered by this essay

Any claim about the historical fact of a mass atrocity event, such as: "the perpetrators of the Jedwabne pogrom were ethnic Poles"^[4] or "On 16 October 1941, 1,000 Jews were deported from Prague to the Łódź Ghetto."^[5] Claims about later responses to mass atrocities, such as building a memorial, a statement by a political leader, or so forth should be cited to reliable sources but are not covered by this essay.

What is a reliable source?

A variety of considerations need to be applied when considering what is a reliable source for a claim. An important consideration is whether it is accepted by subject matter experts in the relevant field. For example, if a non-scholarly book has received positive evaluation in scholarly reviews, then it may be considered reliable. On the other hand, sometimes older sources, particularly those published close to an event, may not be reliable if more recent scholarly sources find significant errors in the work.

Generally reliable:

Findings of international courts
Peer-reviewed, scholarly sources

What may be a reliable source:

Articles published by reputable institutions such as United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. However, the reputation of such institutions differs, whether the institution is sufficiently "reputable" may be in doubt, and reliability may be limited to their core area of expertise.

What is not a reliable source:

News articles published by non-experts
Non-peer reviewed books, even if they would be considered minimally reliable for other claims
Statements by governments or political bodies such as United Nations or European Union. Such statements are usually based as much or more on political and diplomatic considerations than the historical truth of an event.
Encyclopedia Britannica—it is a non-specialist source and is not peer-reviewed

What if the event is not covered in any peer-reviewed sources?

It is better not to have an article on a topic than to risk repeating information that may or may not be accurate.

References

^ Marcus, Kenneth L. (2012). "Accusation in a Mirror". Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. 43 (2): 357–393. SSRN 2020327.
^ Rezarta, Bilali; Iqbal, Yeshim; Freel, Samuel (2019). "Understanding and Counteracting Genocide Denial". In Newman, Leonard S. (ed.). Confronting Humanity at its Worst: Social Psychological Perspectives on Genocide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-068595-9.
^ Smith, Roger W.; Markusen, Eric; Lifton, Robert Jay (1995). "Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide". Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 9 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1093/hgs/9.1.1.
^ Gross, Jan T. (2001). Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-14-200240-7.
^ Browning, Christopher R. (2007). The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy, September 1939 – March 1942. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 375–376. ISBN 978-0-8032-0392-1.

[1] Marcus, Kenneth L. (2012). "Accusation in a Mirror". Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. 43 (2): 357–393. SSRN 2020327.

[2] Rezarta, Bilali; Iqbal, Yeshim; Freel, Samuel (2019). "Understanding and Counteracting Genocide Denial". In Newman, Leonard S. (ed.). Confronting Humanity at its Worst: Social Psychological Perspectives on Genocide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-068595-9.

[3] Smith, Roger W.; Markusen, Eric; Lifton, Robert Jay (1995). "Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide". Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 9 (1): 1–22. doi:10.1093/hgs/9.1.1.

[4] Gross, Jan T. (2001). Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-14-200240-7.

[5] Browning, Christopher R. (2007). The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy, September 1939 – March 1942. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 375–376. ISBN 978-0-8032-0392-1.

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