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[[Image:Jimmy Wales shilling wristwatches.jpg|left|thumb|170px|Want to buy a watch?]]In January 2007, Wales hired Ryan Jordan (pseudonymously known as "Essjay" on Wikipedia) to work at Wikia, Inc.  At that time, it is [http://blog.citizendium.org/2007/03/05/one-last-brief-comment-on-the-essjay-scandal/ known that Wikia's co-founders knew] that Jordan was not academically credentialed as a Theology professor holding a PhD, as described on his Wikipedia user page.  In fact, he was a 24-year-old college dropout.  Regardless of this fraud, later in February, Wales appointed Essjay to Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee, the highest authority on Wikipedia short of the Wikimedia Foundation's own board of directors and staff.  When the ''[http://www.WikipediaReview.com Wikipedia Review]'' engaged the ''New Yorker'' magazine to expose Essjay's fraud, Wales' first reaction [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22I+don%27t+really+have+a+problem+with+it%22+Essjay&btnG=Search&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8 was to say] he "didn't really have a problem with it".

[[Image:Jimmy Wales shilling wristwatches.jpg|left|thumb|170px|Want to buy a watch?]]In January 2007, Wales hired Ryan Jordan (pseudonymously known as "Essjay" on Wikipedia) to work at Wikia, Inc.  At that time, it is [http://blog.citizendium.org/2007/03/05/one-last-brief-comment-on-the-essjay-scandal/ known that Wikia's co-founders knew] that Jordan was not academically credentialed as a Theology professor holding a PhD, as described on his Wikipedia user page.  In fact, he was a 24-year-old college dropout.  Regardless of this fraud, later in February, Wales appointed Essjay to Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee, the highest authority on Wikipedia short of the Wikimedia Foundation's own board of directors and staff.  When the ''[http://www.WikipediaReview.com Wikipedia Review]'' engaged the ''New Yorker'' magazine to expose Essjay's fraud, Wales' first reaction [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22I+don%27t+really+have+a+problem+with+it%22+Essjay&btnG=Search&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8 was to say] he "didn't really have a problem with it".

Well after [[Wikipedia_scandals#Essjay_is_not_a_professor|the scandal]] evolved into a serious public relations threat to Wikipedia's credibility, Wales sought to deflect responsibility for the whole affair by blaming the Arbitration Committee that he himself had created: "EssJay was appointed at the request of and unanimous support of the ArbCom." - Jimmy Wales [http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2007-October/083549.html 17 October 2007].  Perplexed members of the Arbitration Committee responded by saying it would be more accurate to describe their "unanimous support" as "nobody objected to Jimbo's nomination of Essjay".

Well after [[Wikipedia_scandals#Essjay_is_not_a_professor|the scandal]] evolved into a serious public relations threat to Wikipedia's credibility, Wales sought to deflect responsibility for the whole affair by blaming the Arbitration Committee that he himself had created: "EssJay was appointed at the request of and unanimous support of the ArbCom." - Jimmy Wales [http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2007-October/083549.html 17 October 2007].  Perplexed members of the Arbitration Committee responded by saying it would be more accurate to describe their "unanimous support" as "nobody objected to Jimbo's nomination of Essjay".