A teenage performer known only as Xav, whose real name is Xavier Trudeau and who is the eldest son of former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, has recently started releasing R B music. Yet his family ties and new stage name do not automatically make him a notable figure worthy of a Wikipedia entry. The same fate befell Evanescence guitarist Tim McCord and 2012 Yachtmaster of the Year Rainer Holtorff, whose pages were each slated for deletion this year because editors judged them insufficiently notable.
Every day, Wikipedia removes dozens, sometimes hundreds, of biographies ranging from child actors turned Los Angeles realtors to retired ambassadors and soccer players who have logged fewer than ten minutes of professional play. The encyclopedia, which now hosts more than seven million English‑language articles, simply does not have enough volunteers to police every entry. Editors still uncover hoaxes that have persisted for decades, and they must decide whether to spend time confirming the release dates of Xav’s three singles or to investigate a claim that Civil War officer Nathaniel Lyon drank mustard in battle—a story that lingered on his page for 17 years before being removed for lack of reliable evidence.
“We’re not really looking for what’s true,” said Britta Gustafson, a Wikipedia contributor since 2001. “We’re looking for what’s verifiable.” Editors do not declare a person unnotable; they note that reliable sources are missing.
One recent case involved Kimberly Small, the chief executive of a Nevada nonprofit that assists survivors of sexual assault. The discussion about her page unfolded on Wikipedia’s own talk pages, where editors wrestle with the criteria for inclusion. One contributor asked how to evaluate nonprofit executives, noting that the focus should be on the organization’s work rather than the individual. Another replied that it is unsurprising for nonprofit leaders to be less often individually notable and reminded that a Wikipedia entry is not a prize. Gustafson agreed, adding that having an article “says something” and “implies something.”
Over a six‑week period in April and May, I contacted hundreds of people whose pages were under threat, many of whom learned of the danger from me. A Spanish filmmaker asked me to help preserve his page, illustrating how a Wikipedia biography can feel like a badge of recognition, even if it is not officially a prize.
Martina Dimoska, a scientist from North Macedonia who works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as an analog astronaut and science communicator, discovered her own Wikipedia entry on April 29. She posted on Facebook, “Wait … I’m on Wikipedia now???” and expressed gratitude that her journey from the Balkans to space was now part of the public record, hoping it would inspire a new generation. The very next day, her page was nominated for deletion.
Anne Clin, a veteran editor who has contributed since 2005 under the username Risker, warned that celebrating a new Wikipedia article can be misguided, especially for those who are “borderline notable.” Editing one’s own page is also discouraged; even when a conflict of interest is disclosed, the practice is frowned upon. Co‑founder Jimmy Wales has been caught editing his own biography, an episode that now appears in his own entry. In 2022, novelist Emily St. John Mandel, unable to update her page to reflect a divorce, gave an interview solely to create a secondary source for the information.
Some high‑profile editors have biographies of their own, but Clin refuses to have one. “You cannot write a proper biographical article about me, because I don’t give out enough personal information to do that,” she said. “Absolutely not. Absolutely not.”
Among those who saw Dimoska’s Facebook post was Kiril Simeonovski, a Macedonian economist and Wikipedia editor since 2008. He found the announcement self‑congratulatory and the article overly promotional, questioning whether an analog astronaut—whom he later likened to a lab mouse—truly meets Wikipedia’s notability standards.
When an editor tags an article for deletion, the page remains unless contributors can add verifiable, reliable sources that satisfy the encyclopedia’s guidelines.