Prominent Wikipedia admin Essjay had been representing himself "as a tenured professor of theology at a private university in the eastern United States".
A prominent admin on popular website wikipedia.com has been outed as being a fake. Essjay, the admin in question lied about his creditials in order to be able to speak as an expert on the site known for providing user generated definitions and explanations on popular terms, names and phrases.
This recent bust further weakens the publics trust of the website which is often looked at as being less-than-perfect. The website is constantly scrutinized and people question whether or not the website can be trusted as far as content is concerned.
From Essjay's credentials:
I teach both undergraduate and graduate theology. My Academic Degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (B.A.), Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), Doctorate of Philosophy in Theology (Ph.D.), Doctorate in Canon Law (JCD)
Wikipedia co-founder Jimbo Wales, who supported Essjay after initial accusations has officially changed his mind and
issued a statement today on Saturday requesting that EssJay voluntarily step down.
From statement:
I have asked EssJay to resign his positions of trust within the community. In terms of the full parameters of what happens next, I advise (as usual) that we take a calm, loving, and reasonable approach. From the moment this whole thing became known, EssJay has been contrite and apologetic. People who characterize him as being "proud" of it or "bragging" are badly mistaken.
This news makes me wonder exactly what kind of verification process wikipedia has in place to ensure that admins are in fact, who they say they are? Is there a process? If so, it obviously broke down here.
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