How thoroughly should a Wikipedia editor be punished for a mistake?

Every case is different, with different people, different motivations, and different extenuating circumstances. To "set a threshhold" or "draw a line in the sand" implies a wish to create a cookie-cutter approach to all problems, which in turn is a sure sign of binary thinking - and that's the real problem with many Wikipedians, if not the site in general. It's simply too big to maintain any sort of rulemaking consistency or intellectual control, and if anything, the attempts to impose those things anyway usually just make things worse.

Having said all that, the particular example you provide is an extremely common mistake, and hardly worthy of sanctions in an environment where people are actually doing worse things deliberately and maliciously. Besides, it's just a matter of time before Sharon Creech becomes the personal instrument of Satan in bringing about the ultimate universal apocalypse, right? So lighten up.

Aww, c'mon man! Have a heart! You can't "desysop" and ban "J. delanoy" just for a mistake like that. I mean, LOOK at him (he's the doe-eyed one next to the guy that looks like Kevin Spacey's older brother):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:J.delanoy_and_Ji...

It would be like beating a puppy within an inch of its life with a nine iron just for making a little puddle on the kitchen floor. That's not the proper way to housebreak a wiki admin.

Still, with your uncompromising worldview, I could see you going far in Wikimedia politics. You may wish to consider a position at The Wiki Holy Office. It would seem that there are a number of heretics and their hellish edits that persist on Holy Mother Wiki, since the policy against them is still very much in force.

EDIT: It would appear that you have fallen into the fallacy that all Wikipedia critics are always of the same view. Not so. Not only that, but it is even possible for a Wiki Inquisitor and a staunch critic of Wikipedia to recognize some of the same problems with Wikipedia (compare the third and fourth links below). I have to agree with Moses that a more punitive approach is not the way to fix the "BLP" problem on Wikipedia. While setting up tripwires might be good for the Drama Quotient, "flagged revisions" and a more responsible governance model would be far more constructive approaches to "BLP" difficulties.

The line in the sand is the same line separating the wikilluminati from everyone else. A member of the wikilluminati should only get a mild reminder for any transgressions. Anyone else should get the book thrown at them.

Depends on what the mistake is.

If the mistake is failing to show the proper respect and obeisance to the Wikigestapo, then he should get the book thrown at him (desysopping, banning, and whatever else keyboard warriors can mete out).

But if the mistake is anything else, a slap on the wrist is more than enough.

It's nice to finally know who Death Panelist is... young Master Delanoy.

"Push" questions are an abuse of the Y!A community.