The Essjay controversy was an incident in which Ryan Jordan, a Wikipedia editor who went by the username "Essjay", falsely presented himself as a university professor of religion from 2005 to 2007, during which time he was elected to top positions of trust by the community, including administrator and arbitrator. In July 2006, The New Yorker published an article about "Essjay", and mentioned that he was a university professor of religion. The New Yorker later acknowledged that they did not know his real name. He was hired by Wikia in January 2007 and changed his Wikia profile to identify himself as Ryan Jordan.
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales initially defended Jordan but eventually asked for his resignation in March 2007. Jordan was shown to have used his supposed credentials to gain an upper hand in some discussions. The incident led to a critique of anonymity on Wikipedia, and a distrust of anonymous self-professed experts among the Wikipedia community.
The New Yorker interview
On July 26, 2006, Wikipedia critic Daniel Brandt started a thread on the unaffiliated discussion site Wikipedia Review titled "Who is Essjay?" (later retitled "Who is Essjay?, Probably he's Ryan Jordan" after Jordan's self-disclosure).[1] Essjay had stated on his Wikipedia user page that he taught graduate theology at a private university, and had doctorates in theology and canon law.
Five days later, Stacy Schiff interviewed Essjay in The New Yorker as a source after he was recommended to her by a member of the Wikimedia Foundation.[2] According to The New Yorker, Essjay "was willing to describe his work as a Wikipedia administrator but would not identify himself other than by confirming the biographical details that appeared on his user page."[2] During the interview, Jordan told The New Yorker that he held doctoral degrees in theology and canon law and worked as a tenured professor at a private university as he had previously stated on his Wikipedia user page.[3]
Reaction
Wikipedia community
Speaking personally about Jordan, Wales said, "Mr. Ryan [sic] was a friend, and still is a friend. He is a young man, and he has offered me a heartfelt personal apology, which I have accepted. I hope the world will let him go in peace to build an honorable life and reputation."[18] Wales initially supported Essjay's use of a persona, saying, "I regard it as a pseudonym and I don't really have a problem with it."[19] Later, around March 5, 2007, Wales withdrew his support and asked for Essjay's resignation from his positions with Wikipedia and Wikia.[20][19] Wales stated that he withdrew his support when he learned that "Essjay used his false credentials in content disputes" on Wikipedia.[21]
See also
- Zhemao hoaxes
External links
References
- Daniel Brandt. Who is Essjay?, Probably he's Ryan Jordan the wikipedia review, July 26, 2006, retrieved September 2, 2019^
- Stacy Schiff. Know it all: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise? The New Yorker, 2006-07-31^
- A public viewable version of this claim as dated 2006 is visible on the Internet Archive. Archived copy of Essjay's Wikipedia user page