Staying pseudonymous was not unusual in Wikipedia, given the possibility of real-life harassment when being bold in editing contentious topics. Wikipedians generally took things at face value. I possess the following academic degrees:Įven though there was no way to confirm any of the credentials Essjay listed, one of Wikipedia’s core mantras was to assume good faith.

My research interests include Roman Catholic Doctrine, particularly canon law Catholic Liturgy and issues of Homosexuality and Christianity. I teach both undergraduate and graduate courses in Theology at a private university in the eastern United States. The origins of the crisis date back to February 2005, when an account with the name Essjay was created and edited the article ] to clarify a Latin phrase in Catholicism: 'Nihil obstat is a separate distinction granted by a Roman Catholic censor imprimatur can be granted by any bishop.' While he didn’t describe much about himself at the time, in May he become much more active and introduced himself on his User:Essjay page:įor various reasons, I prefer to maintain my anonymity here at Wikipedia, however, I do offer the following information about myself: Perhaps Wikipedia’s most embarrassing episode came in early 2007, when one of their prolific editors became embroiled in a crisis that shook the faith of both Wikipedia insiders and outside users.

Wikipedia crusader no remorse