Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 02:05, 2 September 2014

This article has not yet been rated on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:

Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details. Biography This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Misplaced Pages's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details. Business This article is within the scope of WikiProject Business, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of business articles on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.BusinessWikipedia:WikiProject BusinessTemplate:WikiProject BusinessWikiProject Business ??? This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. Please add the quality rating to the {{WikiProject banner shell}} template instead of this project banner. See WP:PIQA for details. United States Low‑importance This article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. Template Usage Articles Requested! Become a Member Project Talk Alerts United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States Low This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

This is Benjamin Wey, a financier and investigative reporter. This summary page of Benjamin Wey's life experience is not accurate and is subject to libel claims. You are welcome to call me at www.nyggroup.com to get the facts or take down this page. I will pursue legal actions as needed. Benjamin Wey is also a U.S. registered trademark. Your libelous contents are also infringement upon my intellectual property rights. Take down this page, revise it with accurate information or I will take all legal means to claim my rights. Don't be a nameless coward. Pick up the phone and get the facts. Benjamin Wey Tel: 212-566-0499

Unexplained removal of material sourced to nytimes.com

This article (about a person I'd never heard of just 24 hours ago) currently has four sources, two of which are merely PR Newswire and therefore, in my opinion, mere junk. (Arguably, one of the two has gained credibility via regurgitation by the WSJ and then CMU; but it still looks like PR fluff to me.)

Wey's main claim to notability seems to be as the head of the New York Global Group. This doesn't have, and has never had, an article in Misplaced Pages. Here's how this article described NYGG before I got here:

a leading U.S. and Asia based venture capital and private equity investment firm with access to more than $1 billion in investment capital

"Leading", by what criteria? What kind of "access"? What's the source for this?

Here's what it said after my edits:

a U.S. and Asia based venture capital and private equity investment firm that "is known for helping take midsize Chinese companies public in the United States through reverse mergers, or by buying the shell of defunct American companies that had been publicly listed".

The source for this was provided: David Barboza, "F.B.I. looks into adviser on Chinese reverse mergers", New York Times Dealb%k, January 27, 2012.

This was also the source for the assertion that Wey's surname is also spelled Wei.

In the next edit, an editor removed the description of NYGG and the source for the assertion that "Wey" can also be "Wei". There was no edit summary for this edit.

Comments? -- Hoary (talk) 23:52, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

There is clearly some promotion of this individual going on. Several "new users" have popped up in the edit summary recently, one of them apparently attempting to impersonate another user who previously nominated the article for deletion. I'm considering semi-protection. Deb (talk) 04:51, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

I am Benjamin Wey, CEO of New York Global Group (www.nyggroup.com , address: The Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, tel: 212-566-0499). Much of the information on your Misplaced Pages site relating to me is inaccurate and untrue. I have not established this site page therefore cannot support the accuracy of its contents. An example, I am an American and my name is Benjamin Wey, and there is NO other name that I use. Further, we are a private equity investment firm that advises businesses and government entities globally. In 2011, we were a victim of a corporate identity theft, which we put out a press release here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-global-group-statement---warning-against-corporate-identity-theft-123991564.html We informed and provided assistance to several U.S. government agencies regarding the corporate identity theft, including cooperation with the FBI, relating to this corporate identity theft. Such cooperation was falsely reported in the media, which is then misquoted by the Misplaced Pages's mysterious "sources". In May 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a U.S. government entity, confirmed our findings and put out a public alert warning the general public of a false identity carrying our name. You can find this proof at the SEC site here: http://www.sec.gov/investor/oiepauselistimpersonators.htm I assume you care about the truth and seek the truth. You are welcome to contact my office and speak to the real Benjamin Wey, an American financier and journalist. Additional information about Benjamin Wey is also available on LinkedIn. I look forward to a productive and candid discussion. If you are not willing to correct your errors, please let me know how I can help you improve your credibility by correcting your false contents. Be a man (or a woman), pick up the phone and learn the truth. Thank you, Benjamin Wey

From an anonymous guy named David? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.246.187.17 (talk • contribs) 11:26, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Photos

The photo of Wei in a classroom appears to be a frame grab from this video (Youtube), which appears to be copyright NYGG. One Chighsmith claims to be the copyright holder of this and the others. There's no OTRS notice saying that NYGG has licensed it under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Is this normal? (I'm rather a novice in Wikimedia Commons matters.) -- Hoary (talk) 13:58, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

Me too. I'll try and find out. Deb (talk) 15:59, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

I've nominated it for deletion but don't know what to do next. Deb (talk) 16:12, 15 June 2014 (UTC)

mere PR

A suggestion, prompted by this recent edit: no further additions of "sources" created by NYGG, please. Such sources aren't reliable. Anyway, if Wey's activities are noteworthy, we can expect that they'll also be written up by people who aren't paid to write them up. -- Hoary (talk) 10:46, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Indeed, apart from his issues with FBI/State of Oklahoma, just about every source about him or quoting him is a PR plant. An interesting read, although quickly removed from the article by COI editors is:

Felix Salmon (November 23, 2010). "Benjamin Wey and the Power of PR", Columbia Journalism Review

It's about about Wey having engaged the PR firm 5WPR in 2010 to drum up stories about him and and his company. It concluded with words that all non-COI editors of business-related articles here should pay attention to:

So the next time you see someone quoted from a firm you’ve never heard of and you have no idea who they are, feel free to ignore everything they’re saying. There’s a good chance they’ve simply been planted by a PR firm rather than chosen for their expertise by a conscientious journalist.

New York Global Group is also a client of the lobbying group Sconset Strategies and the 829 Studios who claim to provide a "fresh-minded approach to marketing strategies: Social Media, Search Engine Optimization..." I am strongly tempted to take this article to AFD. Voceditenore (talk) 12:20, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

I was about to say "Yes! That could be interesting!" But actually, if you did, I would feel obliged to vote "keep", for the same reason I didn't speedy delete it in the first place. There is a reasonable amount of media coverage, even if most of it is uncomplimentary. Deb (talk) 12:38, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 June 2014

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Misplaced Pages Editors: I am Benjamin Wey, CEO of New York Global Group (www.nyggroup.com , address: The Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, tel: 212-566-0499). Much of the information on your Misplaced Pages site relating to me is inaccurate and untrue. I have not established this site page therefore cannot support the accuracy of its contents. An example, I am an American and my name is Benjamin Wey, and there is NO other name that I use. Further, we are a private equity investment firm that advises businesses and government entities globally. In 2011, we were a victim of a corporate identity theft, which we put out a press release here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-global-group-statement---warning-against-corporate-identity-theft-123991564.html We informed and provided assistance to several U.S. government agencies regarding the corporate identity theft, including cooperation with the FBI, relating to this corporate identity theft. Such cooperation was falsely reported in the media, which is then misquoted by the Misplaced Pages's mysterious "sources". In May 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a U.S. government entity, confirmed our findings and put out a public alert warning the general public of a false identity carrying our name. You can find this proof at the SEC site here: http://www.sec.gov/investor/oiepauselistimpersonators.htm I assume you care about the truth and seek the truth. You are welcome to contact my office and speak to the real Benjamin Wey, an American financier and journalist. Additional information about Benjamin Wey is also available on LinkedIn. I look forward to a productive and candid discussion. If you are not willing to correct your errors, please let me know how I can help you improve your credibility by correcting your false contents. Be a man (or a woman), pick up the phone and learn the truth. Thank you, Benjamin Wey

162.246.187.17 (talk) 11:14, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

The information about corporate identity theft was added to the article by User:Deb. Voceditenore (talk) 14:01, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Benjamin Wey - American financier and journalist

Misplaced Pages Editors:

I am Benjamin Wey, CEO of New York Global Group (www.nyggroup.com , address: The Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, tel: 212-566-0499). Much of the information on your Misplaced Pages site relating to me is inaccurate and untrue. I have not established this site page therefore cannot support the accuracy of its contents. An example, I am an American and my name is Benjamin Wey, and there is NO other name that I use. Further, we are a private equity investment firm that advises businesses and government entities globally. In 2011, we were a victim of a corporate identity theft, which we put out a press release here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-global-group-statement---warning-against-corporate-identity-theft-123991564.html We informed and provided assistance to several U.S. government agencies regarding the corporate identity theft, including cooperation with the FBI, relating to this corporate identity theft. Such cooperation was falsely reported in the media, which is then misquoted by the Misplaced Pages's mysterious "sources". In May 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a U.S. government entity, confirmed our findings and put out a public alert warning the general public of a false identity carrying our name. You can find this proof at the SEC site here: http://www.sec.gov/investor/oiepauselistimpersonators.htm I assume you care about the truth and seek the truth. You are welcome to contact my office and speak to the real Benjamin Wey, an American financier and journalist. Additional information about Benjamin Wey is also available on LinkedIn. I look forward to a productive and candid discussion. If you are not willing to correct your errors, please let me know how I can help you improve your credibility by correcting your false contents. Be a man (or a woman), pick up the phone and learn the truth. Thank you, Benjamin Wey — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.246.187.17 (talk) 11:26, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Clearly there is a misunderstanding here about how[REDACTED] works. Individual editors will not normally enter into a dialogue with anyone claiming to be the subject of an article. If Benjamin Wey wants to talk to someone in the Wikimedia Foundation about any issues with the article, Benjamin Wey will need to contact them through the formal channels. The article was placed under protection because of repeated vandalism in the form of the addition of unsourced promotional content. At least two of the contributors in question have now been blocked, one for placing a threatening message on the user page of a long-standing editor. If these are PR people working directly or indirectly for NYGG, the management of the company ought maybe to consider whether they are competent to carry out this role, since they have not taken the trouble to find out how to edit or reference[REDACTED] articles or to abide by the appropriate procedures and policies. The protection level of the article has been changed so that unregistered users can edit it, but their edits will be subject to approval by experienced editors. In the meantime, I have added the information you provided. Deb (talk) 12:07, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

The formal channel being listed at Misplaced Pages:Contact us - Subjects. Callanecc (talk • contribs • logs) 14:02, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Mr Wey, you have now repeated this identical message 5 times on this page. I have removed two of them. Three are more than enough. When you say "I have not established this site page", are you implying that you had nothing to do with this article's creation? If so, please observe your autobiography at User:Benjaminweynygg. The page was created in March 2011, about the time the first version of this article was created. The first version of the article was subsequently deleted . Administrators will be able to see what that version looked like. It was re-created on 28 April 2014 and clearly written as a piece of PR, presenting you simply as a "financier, philanthropist, and CEO of a strategic advisory group ". Note that your official website, www.benjaminwey.com from May 2014 states "For more information visit: Benjamin Wey Misplaced Pages" and links to this article. Clearly, either you or someone associated with you created this article.

Unfortunately, the person who created the article (User:Lyndasim) used 2 rather "inconvenient" references. Perhaps not having read them carefully? This only became apparent when another editor formatted them to make the title and sources clear: "Benjamin Wey and the Power of PR" (Columbia Journalism Review, 2010) and "Made in China, undone in America" (Financial Times, 2011). The following day, two now-blocked editors (User:Cashfranklingroup and User:DGG187) began repeatedly removing them as well as other reliable sources and re-adding promotional content, e.g. , , as did the IP 107.168.129.147, an IP remarkably similar to the one you have used above. In addition Cashfranklingroup threatened another editor (User:DGG) who attempted to clean up the article and remove the puffery, while DGG187 clearly attempted to impersonate him. Meanwhile the article's creator returned in the midst of this remove yet another "inconvenient" reference to the New York Times . Voceditenore (talk) 18:11, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

for example, please provide a source other than your own press releases that says that "Further, we are a private equity investment firm that advises businesses and government entities globally. " I saw no evidence of that. Nor do I see any evidence other than your own statements that you have ever been a "visiting professor of finance at China University of Petroleum, guest professor at the Zhejiang University School of Management and a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland." I saw no evidence of philanthropist--the section removed said "Lately involved in philanthropic efforts, Benjamin Wey appeared has used his fortune amassed through his career in the finance industry to donate to different charities. He has recently became involved with both the American Cancer Society and The Make A Wish Foundation. His work with these organizations, where he has volunteered both his educational skills and his financial situation, has gone about improving and bettering many communities. He has led a number of different charitable drives to help those in both the United States and China who are in need of a better education. So not only does Mr. Wey educate many people but he in turn allows for those without adequate access to be better educated." None of this was cited to any source whatever, and none of this gives any specifics.

The various dealings reported in the Financial Times article: do they represent your own firm, or that of the entity using your name falsely? Is the signed article there accurate, or not? WP can only go by published third party sources, of which they are one of the most reliable for business matters. If you think they have reported you inaccurately, that lies between you and them. We must go by what they say, not what you say, or we become no better than one of your press agents. DGG ( talk ) 19:01, 16 June 2014 (UTC)

Note on latest edits

I've allowed the edits made today by an anonymous IP in Finland, but have amended the wording to reflect the NPOV policy. Deb (talk) 18:57, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

"Other activity"

He appears here, he appears there -- but (quite aside from the non-independence of some of the sourcing), it's no more than a list. There's no overall view or commentary. A view is provided in Felix Salmon, "China expert of the day, Benjamin Wey edition", Reuters (or "Benjamin Wey and the Power of PR", Columbia Journalism Review), November 23, 2010. This seems enlightening and worth adding, but I read above that it was previously removed. Is there any good reason not to add it? -- Hoary (talk) 07:43, 11 July 2014 (UTC)

Hmm, I guess they would argue that Felix Salmon is one of Wey's primary detractors. Actually, his own[REDACTED] article doesn't have good references - possibly calls for further investigation before including his views? Deb (talk) 08:47, 11 July 2014 (UTC)

OK. -- Hoary (talk) 08:57, 11 July 2014 (UTC)

Sex Scandal

I think this needs to make its way into the article, I am new here and am not sure of the best way to do it: http://nypost.com/2014/07/22/wall-street-financier-slapped-with-75m-sexual-harassment-suit/ http://www.morellialters.com/documents/NYGG_Complaint.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by Thereporterguy (talk • contribs) 01:03, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

Hello Thereporterguy. At this point it can't "make it's way into the article", per our biographies of living persons policy. We would need a much higher quality source for it than the tabloid press, i.e. New York Post, and original court documents are not acceptable as references unless they have been discussed in high quality sources. If these allegations and the lawsuit are eventually covered in publications such as the New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, etc., then it may be suitable for inclusion. Voceditenore (talk) 06:08, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

I am not so sure about that, especially since it has appeared in two of New York's three newspapers. I'll research this further. I agree we have to be careful about sourcing. Figureofnine (talk • contribs) 21:50, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Recent edits

I've done some editing of unnecessary tags and less-than-important content in the article. As for the sex scandal, it was picked up by Law360 but I'm not clear if that makes the item usable. Have asked for guidance. Figureofnine (talk • contribs) 21:55, 29 August 2014 (UTC)

You've certainly removed a lot of instances of "{{Self-published source|date=June 2014}}" flagging self-published sources.

That aside, "scandal" wouldn't be an appropriate term if this stuff were covered, unless reliable third-party sources called it such. It's too judgmental a term. Possibly "harassment charges", but I'm not yet sure it should be included at all.

Indeed, I'm still not at all sure that any article is merited. The biographee's claim to notability appears to be the heading of a company (one that so far hasn't been thought worthy of an article here), but most of the material about this company (and its head) is generated by the company itself. -- Hoary (talk) 00:55, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

You have a point about notability. On the self-published tags: even before reading your comment I was having second thoughts about my removing them. I hadn't read DGG's post above before doing so, and I wonder if maybe the material so sourced shouldn't be there at all. I was thinking of going back and restoring some of the tags or just delete all that material, some of which seems self-serving and yes, may not be properly sourced. Figureofnine (talk • contribs) 16:16, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

I've gone back through with a fresh eye and removed the self-serving self-published sources, which I think is mandated by WP:SELFPUB. What was needed was removal, not tagging. The notability issue needs to be addressed, as does the sex-harassment suit. Have raised the issue at BLP Noticeboard. I agree that "scandal" would not be an appropriate description, and that the most this would deserve is a line or two in the article if the sourcing is acceptable. The gallery was ridiculous and there were appalling POV statements that had to go. I think at the end of the day this article is probably destined for the round file. Figureofnine (talk • contribs) 14:36, 30 August 2014 (UTC)

I've verified at RSN/N that Law360 is OK as a source and will add material from it. Also am beefing up the article with an FT article already cited but not sufficiently utilized as a source. I have also removed the notability and sources tags. This person is plainly notable, and has received extensive coverage in the media, including Barron's and the Wall Street Journal. Yet, strangely, those good sources have been ignored and instead press releases and other self-serving pap has been utilized as sourcing Figureofnine (talk • contribs) 15:14, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

• Misplaced Pages pages with to-do lists
• Biography articles of living people
• All unassessed articles
• Start-Class biography articles
• WikiProject Biography articles
• Start-Class WikiProject Business articles
• Unknown-importance WikiProject Business articles
• WikiProject Business articles
• Start-Class United States articles
• Low-importance United States articles
• Start-Class United States articles of Low-importance
• WikiProject United States articles