Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Christopher Chacon

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was nomination withdrawn. - Mailer Diablo 15:56, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Christopher Chacon

Not formatted correctly, sources not cited, and most likely a hoax, also it does not conform to a Neutral Point of View WilliamC24 07:18, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Evidence of the hoax can be found here: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_n3_v21/ai_19524413

All biographies are the same biography copied over and over again by PsiFactor fans.

I agree, I think the person whoever posted this should be put on probation if he returns. If that's what you mean. Also, the person who wrote this wrote another article that is a hoax, but I don't feel like reporting two deletions so close together. WilliamC24 02:15, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

  • Comment Are we sure this is a hoax? The article may not provide an accurate description of Chacon, but I have some evidence that he might actually exist. In the 1993 non-fiction children's book The Very Scary Almanac, author Eric Elfman includes an interview with one Christopher Chacon, whom he identifies as a member of OSIR. Elfman writes in the introduction to the interview:
"The Office of Scientific Investigation and Research (OSIR) is a private agency, based in Central California, that investigates paranormal occurrences around the world. Since 1985 OSIR has investigated hundreds of reports of poltergeists, apparitions, haunts, causes of demonic possession, UFO abductions, and the simply unexplainable. The OSIR staff also includes electrical engineers, geologists, biologists, and scientists from other disciplines. Christopher Chacon, the director of OSIR and a field investigator, is also a professional illusionist and magician, a useful talent when it comes to detecting fraud or trickery. In December 1992, he agreed to answer some questions over the telephone about his job as a real ghostbuster..." (pg. 41)

There's a brief excerpt from the interview here, just to prove that I'm not making this up. Elfman also includes an address for OSIR, namely PO Box 461779, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Zagalejo 01:02, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

  • Addendum: Chacon has an IMDB profile, fwiw. Although, doing a little Google search on OSIR, I really don't know what to think about this guy. I can't find any evidence online confirming that OSIR ever existed, although the 1993 book (which predates Psi-Factor) suggests that it did. *shrugs* Zagalejo 01:14, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Comment I generally believe that Chacon is misrepresenting himself in all of the instances posted on the internet. Basically all of the biographies of Chris Chacon share exactly the same source. They are all structured the same and have exactly the same information, and I believe they are the same. Incorrect information, copied over 100 times still does not make the information correct. I believe that Chris Chacon is a fraud, and the information that is out on the internet neither proves nor disproves it's existence, leaving me to request a delete for this because their isn't enough information to write a credible, neutral article on Chris Chacon. WilliamC24 04:41, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Comment – some research I found a few pre-1996 (ie, pre Psi-Factor) Factiva hits mentioning OSIR:

  • "Spook Stalker". People. 20 September 1993. p. 85
  • Carpenter, Richard P. "The hotel that inspired `The Shining'". The Boston Globe. 31 October 1993. p. B32.
  • "High-tech ghost-busters haunt Louisiana mansion". The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass). 29 October 1994. p. 52.
  • "Ghosts and voodoo in bayou land". The Dallas Morning News. 30 October 1994. p. 13 g.
  • "Things that go bump in the Bayou". Los Angeles Daily News. 30 October 1994. p. T1

These specifically mention Chacon:

  • Hallisy, Erin. "Orinda's Real Ghostbusters / Every day is Halloween at the Office of Paranormal Investigations". San Francisco Chronicle. 29 October 1990. p. A5.
  • "Ghost busters never saw one". Los Angeles Daily News. 30 Ocober 1990. p. N3.
  • Saari, Laura. "Haunted? Who ya gonna call? // Ghostbusters discover the paranormal in OC". The Orange County Register. 31 October 1991. p. K01.
  • "Check out haunted hotels". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 23 October 1994. p. H3. (duplicated in several other papers)

So it seems that Chacon is a real ghost hunter, and that the OSIR actually existed, although the facts of the organization may have been exaggerated for the tv show. What do people think? Please relist this discussion at AfD if no one responds. Zagalejo 04:51, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

I will not let crap like this stand. If you can write a more comprehensive, neutral article, I'll remove the delete tag, other wise, I'll argue the point and let it stand. I have no access to such databases as of now, and all that stands online are the same articles copied over and over. While I believe that Chacon may be a one of these ghost hunters, like what you see on the SciFi channel, I believe that he has exaggerated his importance, and by the lack of any current information that I can find with my resources, I don't believe that he is active. I am a skeptic, and I don't believe that stating that the MiB, paranormal exists as a fact is a neutral point of view. WilliamC24 05:01, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, I have real homework I'm supposed to be doing... :). I don't really care if you delete it now, as it is currently useless, and I don't have time to clean it up. But I think there is some potential here for a future article. Zagalejo 05:12, 27 September 2006 (UTC)
  • One more comment Some of his television credits do appear legitimate; according to this and this, someone named Chris or Christopher Chacon appeared on the television series Sightings multiple times. I found a possible verification for the Connie Chung appearance as well - a December 30, 1993 TV listing from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says, ""Eye to Eye With Connie Chung" 9 p.m. on Channel 5 (77301) - Segments include a report on safety at railroad crossings; the story of a dying woman's wish to reunite with her family; a glimpse into the secret training grounds of South Africa's neo-Nazis; and a look at real-life ghostbusters, the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research." I also found a 1994 KCAL news transcipt mentioning Chacon at Lexis Nexis. I'm fairly confident now that some of this is salvageable with a little effort, but considering I'm the only person who seems to have access to some of these sources, it might be easier to delete it and let me rewrite it at a later date. Of course, if someone else has access to the sources and wants to try to clean it up, feel free....Zagalejo 14:19, 27 September 2006 (UTC)
  • Keep, as I have trimmed it down to a stub. I basically pared away everything I couldn't immediately verify with a trustworthy source. It's currently pretty short, but I think it has room for expansion. Zagalejo 18:21, 27 September 2006 (UTC)
  • Nomination withdrawn? Just double-checking, as the AFD tag has been removed. Zagalejo 00:13, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.