QUOTE(everyking @ Sat 1st September 2007, 5:59pm)
FAs aren't just about going on the front page, you know. An FA doesn't have to go on the front page at all.
That's true; I actually doubt it would ever be accepted for the Main Page even if it passes FA. And so far, both reviewers have objected.
I think even the title is a little too Wikipedia-centered. I think this article had a more neutral title when it was named
Essjay scandal, because the event was really only controversial on Wikipedia itself; few (if any) sources are disputing that Ryan Jordan used false credentials while editing Wikipedia, during content disputes, and to the press. Few people outside of Wikipedia would argue that Essjay was justified in making false claims to the press or during edit disputes, so the "controversy" exists only on Wikipedia. Elsewhere it's pretty much a scandal.
The thing is: I'm not sure this article could ever meet the Featured Article requirements, even with a completely objective editor (if one exists). FAs are supposed to be articles of a quality better than that of existing encyclopedias. Since no other encyclopedia is going to have an article about Essjay, there's no way to objectively measure this article against existing encyclopedia articles.