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.
Fails WP:NSUSTAINED which states "If reliable sources cover a person only in the context of a single event, and if that person otherwise remains, and is likely to remain, a low-profile individual, we should generally avoid having a biographical article on that individual." All significant coverage in secondary sources dates from October to December of 2007, coinciding with her appearance on America's Next Top Model. Since she has had no significant coverage before or since, and all coverage is directly related to her appearance on the show, it is clear she is only notable for being on ANTM. Wikipedia doesn't have specific notability guidelines for reality show contestants, but people who are not notable outside of appearing on a single season of a reality show usually don't have their own Wikipedia article. Baronet13 (talk) 22:31, 26 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
In 2008, she received local news from the Post-Tribune for "MTV wrapped up shooting video of her [...] back in town to do a photo shoot for Wedding Essentials, a local quarterly bridal magazine." ProQuest344156560.
In a 2008 Visalia Times - Delta article titled "Autism keeps parents, schools busy," she is also listed with a few other people as examples for "Autism symptoms vary widely, from debilitating to these high-functioning cases:" ProQuest416349134
In 2009, Glamour writes, "The attention, good and bad, has made it somewhat easier for adult autistics to find acceptance in the world. Former America's Next Top Model contestant Heather Kuzmich—who has Asperger's syndrome (considered an autism spectrum disorder) and who had trouble making eye contact in TV interviews—has become a role model."
A 2009 Edmunton Journal article "Asperger's: A powerful identity, a vanishing diagnosis," she is mentioned: "Heather Kuzmich brought national attention to Asperger's syndrome after appearing in America's Next Top Model in 2007." ProQuest250606052.
She is also mentioned in Grinker, Roy Richard. “Commentary: On Being Autistic, and Social.” Ethos, vol. 38, no. 1, 2010, pp. 172–78. JSTOR: ("Despite the persistence of stereotypes of the autistic person locked inside his or her own world, the image of the person with autism today is as likely to be Heather Kuzmich, the model who competed on a popular American television show, "America's Next Top Model," or ...").
via the Wikipedia Library, in April 2010, she was mentioned by North & South: "Since reality TV outed 21-year-old Heather Kuzmich on America's Next Top Model, Asperger's has become an international pop-culture epidemic." And she was included in a list of "popular media" representations in "Autism, Rhetoric, and Whiteness" By: Heilker, Paul, Disability Studies Quarterly, 10415718, Fall2012, Vol. 32, Issue 4.
In a 2012 New York piece, she is referred to as an example of a "self-outer."
A 2012 Press-Telegram article titled "Learning how to fit in" states: "Those diagnosed range from model Heather Kuzmich, who was featured on "America's Next Top Model," to Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri, to McManmon." ProQuest923421005
I think according to these sources, there is support for notability that transcends ANTM and supports keep - the coverage mostly does not appear focused on ANTM, but instead on Kuzmich and a larger cultural impact of her participation on the show. So according to WP:BLP1E, all three conditions do not appear to be met, because this event appears to be considered significant, and her role appears substantial and well documented, based on secondary sources, and the persistent coverage. Similarly, WP:GNG/WP:BASIC notability seems supported. Beccaynr (talk) 00:51, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The NYT, People and ABC articles are from the October-December 2007 time span when her season was airing and are not proof of sustained coverage. As for the others, every single one of these mention her in the context of having been an ANTM contestant and are not significant, mentioning her in only a single sentence. The relevant question is not whether or not she has been completely forgotten after her season ended, but if there any examples of coverage after 2007 that are both significant and covering her for something other than having been on the show. Baronet13 (talk) 06:35, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
1. If reliable sources cover the person only in the context of a single event.
Yes, she is only covered in the context of having been an ANTM contestant.
2. If that person otherwise remains, and is likely to remain, a low-profile individual. Biographies in these cases can give undue weight to the event and conflict with neutral point of view. In such cases, it is usually better to merge the information and redirect the person's name to the event article.
Yes, she has had no significant coverage since December 2007, so she is likely to remain a low-profile individual.
3. If the event is not significant or the individual's role was either not substantial or not well documented. John Hinckley Jr., for example, has a separate article because the single event he was associated with, the Reagan assassination attempt, was significant, and his role was both substantial and well documented.
It goes on to clarify "The significance of an event or the individual's role is indicated by how persistent the coverage is in reliable sources." Since the coverage of her was only as persistent as her appearance on the show, she also meets this criteria.
From my view, according to WP:BASIC, her notability is supported by persistent nontrivial coverage she has received in secondary sources, and per WP:BLP1E by showing her substantial and/or well-documented role as well as the significance of the event. Years after her participation on ANTM, she is referred to e.g. as a role model, as having brought national attention to Asperger's/autism, and in scholarly works and popular media that examine or refer to well-known people with autism, etc. Her independent notability seems well-supported by this secondary coverage, which appears to have a persistent focus on her and the significance of her actions. Beccaynr (talk) 18:16, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
What "persistent nontrivial coverage" has she received after her season of ANTM? If you're referring to the single sentences mentions of her in the sources you listed earlier, those are trivial. Can you provide one example of significant secondary source coverage of her after 2007? Baronet13 (talk) 20:01, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I cited secondary sources above that appear nontrivial due to the context and commentary. The excerpts I quote above are attempts to highlight how she is discussed. From my view, sources that have for years continued to discuss her, refer to her as a prominent example, and/or include her in scholarly analysis and commentary are not trivial. Beccaynr (talk) 17:07, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
BLP1E suggests "We generally should avoid having an article on a person when each of three conditions is met:...2. If that person otherwise remains, and is likely to remain, a low-profile individual. And as described in WP:LPIPersons who actively seek out media attention are not low-profile, regardless of whether or not they are notable.. —siroχo21:00, 27 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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.