Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wikipedia's Wales Reverses Decision on Problem Admin

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the who-can-you-trust dept.

ToiletDuck writes "Wikipedia co-founder Jimbo Wales appears to have changed his mind concerning Essjay, the administrator who was caught lying about his academic credentials. Wales issued a statement today on his User Talk page requesting that EssJay voluntarily step down. Wales defended his earlier comment about EssJay, claiming 'I only learned this morning that EssJay used his false credentials in content disputes ... I want to make it perfectly clear that my past support of EssJay in this matter was fully based on a lack of knowledge about what has been going on.' Wales did not comment on whether EssJay would continue to serve in his paid position at Wikia, the for-profit cousin of Wikipedia."

4 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. Enough with the Cheap Shots, Larry by Internet+Esquire · · Score: 5, Informative

    Jimbo may have questions to answer, but -- since you're so concerned with factual accuracy -- you might want to get your facts straight before making any more accusations or indictments. To wit, Essjay was hired by Wikia *this* January (i.e., about 60 days ago) not *last* January. And now that Jimbo has found out the extent of Essjay's deception -- i.e., not a simple case of pseudonymity -- Jimbo has asked Essjay to resign from his positions of trust at Wikipedia. For a longer tome on my views, please see my blog post: http://blog.xodp.org/2007/03/credentialists-and-im postors.html

  2. Re:Essjay still has my support by Dan+Slotman · · Score: 5, Informative
    • False information is always intended to mislead. The aim of misleading may be innocent or harmless, but its intent is always deception.
    • He claimed to be a doctor of theology, not medicine.
    • The good he has done cannot be separated from the lying he has also done. To regard them separately is a double standard.
    • Further, it isn't as if his past good has magically vanished just because he lied—however, his potential as a source of future good must be evaluated. Right now he is a significant black eye to Wikipedia.
    • Ben Franklin used pseudonyms in the traditional sense, to hide his identity. He did not present himself as someone with qualifications he did not have or earn.
  3. Re:Essjay still has my support by pHatidic · · Score: 2, Informative

    >Ben Franklin used pseudonyms in the traditional sense, to hide his identity. He did not present himself as someone with qualifications he did not have or earn.

    Not true. Ben Franklin used a pseudonym to present himself as a free man, when in fact he was a runaway apprentice.

  4. Re:How are credentials important for WP? by ToiletDuck · · Score: 2, Informative

    He was using his fake credentials to enhance his reputation on Wikipedia. Reputation is everything for the typical Wikipedean. Special privileges are doled out to those that have convinced The Community that they are trustworthy servants to The Project. They say these positions are janitorial roles; that they are but a mop and a bucket for servants to The Project. In reality, they are status symbols for the obsessed, or tools used to enhance one's ability to push a particular point of view.

    He was using his fake credentials to speak from authority on article content issues.

    He cited his fake credentials in correspondence with real academics to try to enhance Wikipedia's credibility.

    He cited his fake credentials to the media, apparently because those fifteen minutes of fame are much more fun when one is a tenured professor with four degrees instead of a college dropout living with a cat in Kentucky.