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But the ominous sign here was that Wikipedia was slow to react. employment history on the related Wikia website. However, it Seigenthaler noticed that his "biography" was altered on 26 May was Daniel Brandt who noticed this and made further enquiries. 2005. On 29 May, one of the site's moderators edited it only by He eventually contacted The New Yorker to say that Essjay's correcting the misspelling of the word "early" but did not check the _ original biographical information was fake. other, much more serious, alterations. For four months, Wikipedia On 26 February, The New Yorker made an online correction, depicted him as a suspected assassin before this mention was stating that Essjay "holds no advanced degrees" and "has never erased from the website's history on 5 October—but it remained on taught". But worst of all was probably this comment: "At the Answers.com and Reference.com for three more weeks. time of publication, neither we nor Wikipedia knew Essjay's real Daniel Brandt, a San Antonio—based activist who started the anti- name." Wikipedia site Wikipedia Watch (http://www. wikipedia-watch.org) Following the revelation, Wikipedia's co-founder Jimmy Wales in response to problems he had with his eponymous article, looked —_ asked Essjay to resign (in any business environment he would up the IP address in Seigenthaler's article and found that it related to —_ have been fired), stating that "Wikipedia is built on (among other Rush Delivery, a company in Nashville. On 9 December 2005, its things) twin pillars of trust and tolerance". It was clear that one employee Brian Chase admitted that he had placed the false pillar had now totally collapsed. But bizarrely, Wales further information in Seigenthaler's Wikipedia commented: "It is not good, obviously, but biography. the interesting thing is that Mr Jordan was an End of story, it seemed, with the lesson excellent editor, credentials or not. His work learned that Wikipedia could be an excellent was extremely positive for Wikipedia." tool to spread disinformation—a lesson few We wonder how... people realised at the time. And though The Wikipedia entry on the debacle at the Wikipedia should have reacted, it didn't. time read: "As a result of the controversy, Though Seigenthaler's case received much WikiWorld was Wikipedia users began a review of Essjay's notoriety, his was definitely not the only previous edits and discovered evidence he case. By December 2006, Brandt had listed rocked when had relied upon his fictional professorship to several instances of erroneous entries as well i influence editorial consideration of edits he as massive amounts of entries literally copied one of its most made. ‘People have gone through his edits from copyright-protected material. prolific contributors and found places where he was basically i cashing in on his fake credentials to bolster Faking it and editors... his arguments,’ said Michael Snow, a It was in early 2007 that the WikiWorld was rocked when one of its most prolific contributors and editors, "believed" by the site to be a professor of religion with advanced degrees in theology and canon law, was exposed as being nothing more than a community college drop-out. The person at the centre of this controversy was "Essjay"—which begged the question as to why anyone in a position of authority should want or need to hide behind a pseudonym. In truth, Essjay was Ryan Jordan, a 24- weakness in Wikipedia, but it does year-old from Kentucky with no expose a weakness that we will be advanced degrees, who used texts such as Catholicism for working to address,’ Wales added." Wikipedia administrator and founder of the Wikipedia community newspaper, The Wikipedia Signpost. ‘Those will get looked at again." The site continued: "In reaction to the incident, Wales was reportedly considering a vetting process for all persons who adjudicate on factual isputes. Additionally, Wales said the site would soon develop a way to check credentials of Wikipedia editors who claim to possess them. 'I don't think this incident exposes any inherent was exposed as being nothing more than a community college drop-out. Dummies to help him correct articles on the penitential rite and Wales may of course change his opinion, but originally he said transubstantiation. he was not concerned with Essjay's invented persona: "I regard it Indeed, the problem began at the very beginning of Essjay's as a pseudonym and I don't really have a problem with it." After career, when no one vetted his credentials and when his claim to an outcry from Wikipedia users, Wales changed his view. be a tenured professor of religion at a private university was Larry Sanger, in his Citizendium Blog of 1 March, responded to accepted. He contributed to an estimated 20,000 Wikipedia Wales's initial statement, stating: "There's something utterly entries, making up one per cent of the 1,675,000 articles that breathtaking, and ultimately tragic, about Jimmy telling The New Wikipedia listed as being online. Yorker that he doesn't have a problem with Essjay's lies, and by Worse, however, was that Wikipedia staff recruited Essjay to essentially honoring Essjay after his lies were exposed... Doesn't work on the site's Arbitration Committee, which he chaired for Jimmy know that this has the potential to be even more damaging to two terms, thus granting him almost divine powers without Wikipedia than the Seigenthaler situation, since it reflects directly on anyone asking him any questions. Fortunately Essjay was only a the judgment and values of the management of Wikipedia?" pretender, not a person intent on spreading disinformation...but he Wales meanwhile maintained that the service and its could have accomplished this easily. He was an important player community are built around a self-policing and "self-cleaning" in WikiWorld. The New Yorker, in its 31 July 2006 edition, ran nature that is supposed to ensure its articles are : the an article on Essjay and his activities, which were then believed to "Wikipedia Police". But are they the "Thought Police" or people be genuine. who verify facts? Seigenthaler's entry suggests they are definitely By mid-January 2007, Essjay had posted his real name and not the latter. rocked when and editors... was exposed as being nothing more than a community college drop-out. 12 = NEXUS WikiWorld was one of its most prolific contributors www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER —- NOVEMBER 2007