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Further aggravating the issue, Jordan (whose Wikipedia screen name was "Essjay") was soon appointed by Wales to the highest volunteer adjudicating body within Wikipedia -- the Arbitration Committee.
Further aggravating the issue, Jordan (whose Wikipedia screen name was "Essjay") was soon appointed by Wales to the highest volunteer adjudicating body within Wikipedia -- the Arbitration Committee.
When ''The New Yorker'' outted Ryan Jordan's academic fraud, their editors contacted Jimmy Wales for comment. Wales was quoted with the now infamous, "I regard it as a pseudonym and I don’t really have a problem with it." This set off a firestorm of criticism, both within Wikipedia and external to the world's largest encyclopedia community. Especially damaging seemed to be the numerous administrative cover-ups that attempted to hide the historical wiki record of Essjay's actions and the community debates that followed.
[[Image:Wikipedia_scandals.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Wikimedia Foundation donations are dropping substantially]]When ''The New Yorker'' outted Ryan Jordan's academic fraud, their editors contacted Jimmy Wales for comment. Wales was quoted with the now infamous, "I regard it as a pseudonym and I don’t really have a problem with it." This set off a firestorm of criticism, both within Wikipedia and external to the world's largest encyclopedia community. Especially damaging seemed to be the numerous administrative cover-ups that attempted to hide the historical wiki record of Essjay's actions and the community debates that followed.
===The financial consequences===
===The financial consequences===
The Essjay incident appeared to have an adverse impact on daily financial donations to the [[Directory:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]]. The downward slide closely mirrored a number of ethically questionable decisions by key administrators of [[Directory:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]].
The Essjay incident appeared to have an adverse impact on daily financial donations to the [[Directory:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]]. The downward slide closely mirrored a number of ethically questionable decisions by key administrators of [[Directory:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]].
The Wikimedia Foundation enjoyed a total of $3,477 in donations on February 23rd, the day Essjay was elevated to ArbCom status. Contrast this with a total of only $739 made on March 18th, less than one month later. This represented a 79% drop in daily contributions!
The Wikimedia Foundation enjoyed a total of $3,477 in donations on February 23rd, the day Essjay was elevated to ArbCom status. Contrast this with a total of only $739 made on March 18th, less than one month later. This represented a 79% drop in daily contributions!
==Wikia / Wikimedia finances==
==Wikia / Wikimedia finances==
==Heidi Wyss editing as ''Gwen Gale''==
==Heidi Wyss editing as ''Gwen Gale''==
{{main|Heidi Wyss AKA Gwen Gale}}
[[File:Gwen Gale with heads of contributors she blocked.jpg| [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Gwen_Gale&oldid=403226565 Gwen Gale] with heads of contributors she blocked|thumb|350px]]
Heidi Wyss is a Swiss administrator of Wikipedia. Under the user name ''Gwen Gale'', she has handed out numerous account blocks ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&offset=20081201000000&limit=500&type=block&user=Gwen+Gale&month=11&year=2008 more than 500] in October and November of 2008) to other users who supposedly violated Wikipedia's rules. However, she herself broke a cardinal rule of Wikipedia -- don't self-publish autobiographical puff pieces in the encyclopedia. The article she wrote looked something like this:
Heidi Wyss is a Swiss administrator of Wikipedia. Under the user name ''Gwen Gale'', she has handed out numerous account blocks ([http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&offset=20081201000000&limit=500&type=block&user=Gwen+Gale&month=11&year=2008 more than 500] in October and November of 2008) to other users who supposedly violated Wikipedia's rules. However, she herself broke a cardinal rule of Wikipedia -- don't self-publish autobiographical puff pieces in the encyclopedia. The article she wrote looked something like this:
===Heidi Wyss (article for deletion)===
===Heidi Wyss ===
'''Heidi Wyss''' (born 1975, [[Geneva]]) is a [[Swiss]] author.
'''Heidi Wyss''' (born 1975, [[Geneva]]) is a [[Swiss]] author.
<nowiki>[[Category:Living people]]</nowiki>
<nowiki>[[Category:Living people]]</nowiki>
===Gormglaith (article for deletion)===
[[File:Gwen Gale aka the Witch is roaming around wikipedia .jpg|left|thumb|350px|After Gwen Gale got her [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Admin_mop.PNG administrative tool] she quickly turned the mop to a witch's broomstick. Now she uses this broomstick to fly around Wikipedia to collect heads of innocent editors while allowing trolls to troll.]]
===Gormglaith===
''As if the autobiography were not enough, administrator Gwen Gale went on to write a self-promotional advertisement on Wikipedia about her rather non-noteworthy novel, '''Gormglaith''':''<br>
''As if the autobiography were not enough, administrator Gwen Gale went on to write a self-promotional advertisement on Wikipedia about her rather non-noteworthy novel, '''Gormglaith''':''<br>
The lesson here, of course, is not so much that what Heidi Wyss had done was so terribly wrong, but rather that Wikipedia is corrupt from the very top down. Thus, we should not be surprised as observers when these conflicts of interest are exposed; indeed, we should be surprised that such conflicts are not revealed more often... because what gets publicized is only the tip of the iceberg.
The lesson here, of course, is not so much that what Heidi Wyss had done was so terribly wrong, but rather that Wikipedia is corrupt from the very top down. Thus, we should not be surprised as observers when these conflicts of interest are exposed; indeed, we should be surprised that such conflicts are not revealed more often... because what gets publicized is only the tip of the iceberg.
In January of 2010 [[:user:Willowtree|Willowtree]](probably [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Gwen_Gale Gwen Gale]) [http://mywikibiz.com/index.php?title=Wikipedia_scandals&diff=prev&oldid=106377 tried to remove the information about herself from this article] just as she [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3AArbitration_Committee_Elections_December_2008%2FCandidate_statements%2FGwen_Gale%2FQuestions_for_the_candidate&diff=254715552&oldid=254671400 did] many times on English wikipedia, but this time it did not work out, and she [http://mywikibiz.com/index.php?title=Wikipedia_scandals&diff=106400&oldid=106377 was reverted]. It is not the only appearance of Gwen Gale on mywikibiz. [http://mywikibiz.com/Special:Contributions/81.62.148.165 In 2007 she wrote an article about her novel]. According to [http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/6083/92979875oe7.jpg this screenshot] this IP#81.62.148.165 was used by Heidi Wyss (Gwen Gale) to edit an article about her novel on wikipedia as well.
==Tolerance of plagiarism==
==Tolerance of plagiarism==
===Additional comment===
===Additional comment===
When in December 2008, Kohs [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arch_Coal&diff=255480884&oldid=255154863 sought to improve] the article about Arch Coal on Wikipedia, his improvements were [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arch_Coal&diff=next&oldid=255480884 reverted back] by a mindless administrator from Belgium. This underscores the true system of editorial control on Wikipedia -- it matters not the '''content''' of one's edits, but rather '''who''' authors the content. (Which, of course, directly contradicts Wikipedia's supposed credo that "anyone can edit".)
When in December 2008, Kohs [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arch_Coal&diff=255480884&oldid=255154863 sought to improve] the article about Arch Coal on Wikipedia, his improvements were [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arch_Coal&diff=next&oldid=255480884 reverted back] by a mindless administrator from Belgium. This underscores the true system of editorial control on Wikipedia -- it matters not the '''content''' of one's edits, but rather '''who''' authors the content. (Which, of course, directly contradicts Wikipedia's supposed credo that "anyone can edit".)
==Rachel Marsden affair==
Wales allegedly made attempts to "clean up" a Wikipedia entry for a woman with whom he had a relationship, and it generated headlines.
The Wikipedia article regarding controversial [[Directory:Canada|Canadian]] radio commentator [[Rachel Marsden]] has been the subject of controversy on Wikipedia from some years. According to Ms. Marsden, whom Wales has admitted to dating, she had asked [[Wikipedia]] to delete her [[biography]]. Her concerns led her to contact Wikipedia co-founder [[Jimmy Wales]] in 2006, claiming that it was wrong and libelous. According to her, he reviewed her biography and, deeming that it was not up to standard, helped to clean up the entry. However, the article was mainly revised as the result of an extensive review by Wikipedia's arbitration committee.<ref>I did much of the work on this case, and probably played the major role in providing guidelines for revising the article. Jimmy Wales played little, if any, role in editing the article or requesting its revision. Guidelines for editing were based on Wikipedia's Biographies of living person's policy, <nowiki>[[w:Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons]]. [[User:Fred Bauder|Fred]] [[User talk:Fred Bauder|Talk]]</nowiki> 22:44, 17 March 2008 (EDT) </ref>
Wales announced in a statement on Wikipedia "My involvement in cases like this is completely routine, and I am proud of it."<ref name=smh/> On [[February 29]], [[2008]], the technology gossip blog [[Valleywag]] claimed that they had entered into a relationship, and published instant messaging chats that they had allegedly exchanged. On the following day Wales announced on his Wikipedia user page that he was no longer involved with her. In return, Marsden, who claimed to have learned about the breakup by reading about it on the Internet, turned to [[eBay]] and put up for auction a [[t-shirt]] and sweater that she claimed to be Wales'.<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/02/marsden-breakup.html
| title = Canadian pundit, Wikipedia founder in messy breakup
| author = Siri Agrell
| publisher = [[The Canadian Press]]
| date = [[2008-03-02]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-06
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080304.wlbreakup04/BNStory/lifeMain/home
| title = Ms. Marsden's cyberspace breakup: tit-for-tat-for-T-shirt
| author = Siri Agrell
| publisher = [[The Globe and Mail]]
| date = [[2008-03-04]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-05
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334652,00.html
| title = Wikipedia Founder's Fling With Columnist Ends in Nasty Public Breakup
| publisher = [[Fox News Channel|FOXNews.com]]
| date = [[2008-03-03]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-05
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3475722.ece
| title = Fury of a woman scorned – on Wikipedia
| publisher = [[The Times]]
| date = [[2008-03-04]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-05
}}</ref><ref name=smh>{{cite news
| url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/ex-takes-her-revenge-on-mr-wiki/2008/03/04/1204402405901.html
| title = Ex takes her revenge on Mr Wikipedia
| publisher = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]]
| author = Asher Moses
| date = [[2008-03-04]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-05
}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2008-03-04-wikipedia-wales_N.htm?csp=34
| title = Wikipedia's Wales defends breakup, expenses
| publisher = [[USA Today]]
| date = [[2008-03-05]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-05
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004286879_btwikipedia17.html
| title = Wikipedia experiences growing pains
| author = Alana Semuels
| publisher = Seattle Times
| date = [[2008-03-17]]
| accessdate = 2008-03-17
}}</ref>
A typical editor of Wikipedia is not allowed to document this incident within the Wikipedia article about Jimmy Wales.
==Scorpions "Virgin Killer" album cover==
In December 2008, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) added to its "potentially illegal" list the Wikipedia image of the original album cover of The Scorpions' fourth release, ''Virgin Killer''. The image depicted a young girl posed naked with only her vulva covered by the appearance of cracked glass. Many found the picture offensive. Internet service providers in the [[Directory:United Kingdom|UK]] followed suit with the IWF and blocked the image and page from users' browsing, and channeling those requests through a very limited set of IP addresses.
Regardless of your opinions about whether this image constitutes child pornography, or whether the IWF engaged in "censorship" of art, one thing was clearly missed by the mainstream media in this affair:
:''If Wikipedia did not suffer from an intractable vandalism problem, this one-page block on a 22-yr old album cover might never have been noticed. It was only noticed because the proxy IP was blocked on the Wikipedia side of the connection.''
:''The fact of the matter is, Wikipedia admins blithely block thousands of IPs, sometimes in wholesale range-blocks that affect major metropolitan areas.'' - [http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=21516&view=findpost&p=146163 Barry Kort], 12/09/2008.
That is, the Wikipedia apparatus practices wide-scale editorial censorship, without due process, on an hourly basis; yet few seem concerned about this even within an encyclopedia that purportedly ''anyone can edit''. Yet, there is much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth when an image that portrays a young girl, told by a photographer to strip down naked and pose for the camera, all in the name of marketing a rock band's album, is censored.
===Put images to the test===
[[Image:St_Pete_billboard.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Would you contribute $25 to see this billboard in real life?<br>''(Click picture only if you're a not-easily-offended adult)'']] Many Wikipedia zealots possess a feverish reflex urge to shout "Wikipedia is not censored" and will defend vehemently not only the ''right'' but the '''''need''''' to publish on Wikimedia servers prurient content that is neither properly sourced nor even encyclopedic in nature. One Wikipedian pauses to note:
:''...I really do worry that any media organisation actually putting the effort in to scratch beneath the surface of the Wiki machine may find some things that will be harder to defend than an album cover from 1976.'' - [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Jimbo_Wales&diff=next&oldid=256870274 "George the Dragon"], 12/09/2008.
Wouldn't it be interesting to put the Wikipedia standard to the test, say, in an environment of "community standards" like St. Petersburg, [[Directory:Florida|Florida]]? How fun would it be to start a grassroots fundraising campaign to pay for a "free speech"-testing, GFDL billboard such as this one? Comment on [[Talk:Wikipedia_scandals|this talk page]].
==David Boothroyd, sockpuppet admin==
[[Directory:David Boothroyd|David Boothroyd]] created controversy in 2009 when it was discovered that he edited [[Wikipedia]] under the user names '''Dbiv''', '''Fys''', and '''Sam Blacketer''' and eventually became part of the site's policy-enforcing Arbitration Committee. After earning Administrator status with one account, then being de-sysopped for inappropriate use of the admin tools, Boothroyd regained Administrator status with the "Sam Blacketer" sockpuppet account. A [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] member, after being sleuthed out by [[Directory:Wikipedia Review|Wikipedia Review]] contributor, "Tarantino", Boothroyd outted himself for having used [[sockpuppet|sockpuppets]] in the course of obtaining his position and for having edited the article of [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] leader [[David Cameron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/26/wikipedia_westminster_councillor/|title=Sockpuppeting British politico resigns from Wikisupremecourt|last=Metz|first=Cade|date=26 May 2009|publisher=[[The Register]]|accessdate=2009-05-27}}</ref>
==Johann Hari and his socks==
Johann Hari a disgraced journalist used Wikipedia for a few years [[Johann Hari and David Rose|to prize himself in his own entry, and to libel his opponents in their entries]].
==Fae==
In August, 2012, Fæ was forced out of his position of chair of Wikimedia UK.[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/wikipedia/9447161/Wikipedia-charity-chairman-resigns-after-pornography-row.html]
==Gibraltarpedia==
In September, 2012, Victuallers was busted for being paid by the Government of Gibraltar to ensure placement of Gibraltar-related material on the front page of Wikipedia.[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57514677-93/corruption-in-wikiland-paid-pr-scandal-erupts-at-wikipedia/]
== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia]]
* [[Criticism of Jimmy Wales|Jimmy Wales]]
* [[Directory:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]]
* [[Nationalistic Editing on Wikipedia]]
* [[Directory:Josip Broz Tito and Wikipedia| Wikipedia's bias towards Dictator Josip Broz Tito and Communist Yugoslavia]]
*[[A typical Wikipediot]]
*[[The case against Gwen Gale]]
==External links==
==External links==
[http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=18620 Milton Roe's 18 Promises about Editing Wikipedia] - A Wikipedia Dissenter's Credo
<references/>
*[http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=18620 Milton Roe's 18 Promises about Editing Wikipedia] - A Wikipedia Dissenter's Credo
*[http://youtu.be/OWN_FhUpp1c Gwen Gale's Wikipedia moments (Tyranny of the Ignorant )]
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[[Keyword:=Wikipedia]], [[Keyword:=Scandal]]
[[Keyword:=Wikipedia]], [[Keyword:=Scandal]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]