 | 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. |
 | This page in a nutshell: criticism should generally be included in an article if it defines the subject or leads to real world effects on the person being criticized |
Many wikipedia articles, especially those that deal with living people, include criticism of the subject. The purpose of this essay is to give some direction on when including criticism is reasonable and WP:NPOV, in particular WP:WEIGHT, are the ultimate arbiters of what is appropriate for inclusion. For the purposes of this essay, criticism is limited to the common use of negative criticism, including constructive criticism, not to the broader definition that includes all reviews and observations (e.g. the work of a film critic).