Jimbo-Marsden-gate explodes, Rachel releases evidence of Jimbo's COI Options

[Heat]

Uh-oh, Jimmy lied !

jimbo.wales: I wrote an email to the internal editors list about your entry recommending some changes, etc. I said that I would run it by you for clarification/comment and email again if there were any updates I think we have two major problems right now first, the timeline is wrong about the recent cop case... that is the worst error and easy to fix

me: what's that?
plus, they also say he was "cleared". not true.

jimbo.wales: second we exactly and correctly sigh follow the bias of the press
right, so I complained about this
for you, they decided not to pursue charges, for him, he was exonerated... this is bullshit and the truth is the exact opposite

jimbo.wales: right so the way it is told now, hang on a second
let's actually do this right no
because the last thing I want to do is take a break from fucking your brains out all night to work on your wikipedia entry

jimbo.wales: "In September 2007, on her blog Marsden wrote about and posted a picture of a counterterrorism officer for the Ontario Provincial Police with whom she had an affair. She claimed that he had leaked secret anti-terrorism documents to her, then posted email messages from him as evidence that he had been pursuing her,[13] and sent to the National Post these along with sexually explicit pictures of him that she had received.[5] She was investigated for criminal harassment for this behaviour,[14] but was not charged.[15][16] The OPP's criminal investigations branch cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.[15][16]"
so our timeline is wrong
we say
(1) wrote about him on your blog
(2) posted email messages from him
(3) as a result he files harassment charges

me: exactly. it was a retaliatory complaint on his part that was launched 2 months after they initiated their investigation into his stuff.

jimbo.wales: but the correct timeline is
(1) wrote about him on the blog

me: hahhahaha

jimbo.wales: (2) he files harassment charges
(3) you post email messages to show how his harassment charges are bullshit

me: you're a sh*tdisturber.
right
I only posted the emails after he went public trtying to create trouble.
NOT before that.

jimbo.wales: nod
so we can get that sorted
and then this makes the story clearer

me: that's good of you to do. really.

jimbo.wales: ok so then the other thing is...
in my email I said, here are some thoughts about this, things that need fixing
and i may follow up if there are clarifications from her
but then I said I am recusing myself from it other than that
i explained that we became friends in IM and that I offered to give advice about your website and that we would be meeting about that

me: ahhhh so you qualified it, and left it "up to them".

jimbo.wales: and therefore not appropriate for me to directly edit the article with a conflict of interest

me: which usually, actually, works better than the alternative

jimbo.wales: the truth is of course a much worse conflict of interest than that but that will do

me: aaaaaaaaahahaha. lol

jimbo.wales: well this is an internal mailing list of people who specialize in fixing this kind of stuff, so you are in good hands

me: awwww thank you.
how many people are on the list?

jimbo.wales: oh, huh
I have no idea.

me: hahaha so you told them the half-truth.

jimbo.wales: depends on what the meaning of "is" is

me: ahahahahahha

[Heat]

And we have our first bona fide wikilawyering-proof reliable source

Right-wing pundit Marsden turns to eBay after breakup with Wikipedia founder

Canadian Press

TORONTO — Rachel Marsden, the right-wing pundit better known in Canada for a series of scandals in her personal life, has apparently had a messy breakup with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

Marsden posted photos of herself on eBay on Sunday to accompany items she says were left behind in her New York City apartment by Wales, the Wikipedia creator who has himself confirmed he was briefly involved with the Canadian media personality.

Wikipedia is a popular online encyclopedia that has an entry on Marsden that has itself been the subject of controversy.

"Hi, my name is Rachel and my (now ex-) boyfriend, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, just broke up with me via an announcement on Wikipedia," Marsden says in her eBay posting.

"It was such a classy move that I was inspired to do something equally classy myself, so I'm selling a couple of items of clothing he left behind, here in my NYC apartment, on eBay. Jimbo was supposed to come visit me in a couple of weeks and pick up some of his stuff, but obviously that won't be happening now."

In an e-mail exchange with The Canadian Press on Sunday, the 33-year-old Marsden had this to say:

"It didn't really help matters that Jimmy chose to announce the breakup to the entire world via Wikipedia (which apparently now is an online encyclopedia that doubles as a personal soapbox?) rather than to me directly (which he did much later, in an instant message discussion)."

A quick scan of Marsden's Wikipedia page reveals that a battle of epic proportions has been playing out for years between Marsden and her supporters and various Wikipedia editors concerning references to her past legal troubles.

Marsden was given a conditional discharge in 2004 with one year's probation for criminally harassing a Vancouver radio host following their breakup.

She first came to the attention of Canadians in the late 1990s, when she accused a swim coach at Simon Fraser University of sexual harassment. But the swim coach, who was fired and later reinstated, claimed that she had stalked him, although his allegations were never proven.

Wales himself once waded into the battle about Marsden's Wikipedia page after Marsden contacted him to complain. He ruled that the article didn't meet Wikipedia standards.

That left him in an apparently uncomfortable spot when it was recently revealed by the tech blog Valleywag (www.valleywag.com) that he had embarked upon a personal relationship with Marsden. The story, complete with supposed transcripts of their instant message exchanges, set the blogosphere on fire.

Wales posted a statement on Wikipedia on Saturday to explain himself and to say the relationship was over.

"First, while I find it hard to imagine that anyone really cares about my sex life, the facts are: I am separated from my wife. I considered myself single at the time of my one meeting with Rachel Marsden on Feb. 9, 2008," he wrote.

"I am no longer involved with Rachel Marsden. Gossipy stories suggesting that I have been in a relationship with her 'since last fall' are completely false ... I care deeply about the integrity of Wikipedia, and take very seriously my responsibilities as a member of the board and as a member of the Wikipedia community. I would never knowingly do anything to compromise that trust."

Marsden, a onetime pundit for Fox News Channel, was fired from the show "Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld" last year. She also had her weekly column for the Sun chain of newspapers discontinued.

Most recently, Marsden accused a former boyfriend, a counterterrorism officer for the Ontario Provincial Police, of leaking her secret anti-terrorism documents.

The allegations, which were published on her blog last September, resulted in an investigation into the officer's conduct. He then laid charges of harassment against Marsden, but those charges were dropped.

On her eBay posting, Marsden assures potential buyers that both of the items she's selling are in tip-top condition and apologizes for her appearance.

"Sorry my hair is such a mess - I'm in breakup mode right now, and really couldn't be bothered," she says.

In the e-mail exchange, Marsden said she was unconcerned about what might happen to her Wikipedia page in the aftermath of her breakup with Wales. Wikipedia is an open-concept online encyclopedia that anyone can contribute to.

"I don't really pay much attention to it anymore. It's pretty ridiculous. I view it as a giant graffiti board for people with axes to grind - or for guys named Jimbo Wales who want to dump their girlfriends."

This post has been edited by Heat: Mon 3rd March 2008, 12:08am

[Somey]

I don't really pay much attention to it anymore. It's pretty ridiculous. I view it as a giant graffiti board for people with axes to grind - or for guys named Jimbo Wales who want to dump their girlfriends.

Well, at least Jimbo's managed to find another use for it. Maybe someday they'll come up with a third one!

[One]

Yep, Canadian Press.

I would like to track the sources covering this in Google News. At this moment, we're at 8.

This post has been edited by One: Mon 3rd March 2008, 12:15am

[Heat]

Someone send this to the Daily Show and the Colbert Report:)

This post has been edited by Heat: Mon 3rd March 2008, 12:19am

[jorge]

well this is an internal mailing list of people who specialize in fixing this kind of stuff, so you are in good hands

A sea of rats....

[UseOnceAndDestroy]

Jimbo must have already known this log exists, which explains the form of words in the third para of his wp statement (that he will use to attempt to weasel out of any COI charges).

But - here we have, for the first time I can recall, an acknowledgement that he's gaming:

jimbo.wales: the truth is of course a much worse conflict of interest than that :) but that will do

me: aaaaaaaaahahaha. lol

[dtobias]

Someone send this to the Daily Show and the Colbert Report:)

Unlike the last round of Wikipedia scandals, this is happening while they actually have writers!

[Somey]

I doubt it would play well on a fake-news comedy show, to be honest - how could they make the story any funnier than the unvarnished truth already is?

[Kato]

Jimbo Wales's judgment is so poor, he managed to get involved with a woman who hates Wikipedia more than us!


Who's his next fling going to be with? Willy On Wheels?

Jonny Cache, watch your back. Anymore of that anti-Wikipedia chatter and you'll be getting dirty messages from Jimbeau yourself!

[Amarkov]

And we have our first bona fide wikilawyering-proof reliable source

HAHAHA. You really thought that?

Nope. Unless it's in the New York Times, it's just a piece of trivia.

This post has been edited by Amarkov: Mon 3rd March 2008, 1:52am

[Daniel Brandt]

CBC picked up the Canadian Press piece. I've heard that the CEO of Wikimedia Foundation considers CBC a reliable source. But then, Jimbo might overrule her.

[Kato]

And we have our first bona fide wikilawyering-proof reliable source

HAHAHA. You really thought that?

Nope. Unless it's in the New York Times, it's just a piece of trivia.

Someone keep a note of all the news sources that are deemed not good enough for Wikipedia on the matter of Jimbo Wales's life.

And then insist that any statement that references these sources on other articles be expunged from Wikipedia.

Wales's biography has long been the most protected on the site, and the fact that so many other subjects are treated with contempt in comparison is deplorable.

Hammer those sources into the article and give Wales a taste of his own medicine, won't you? And if they don't stick, give 'em hell.

[WhispersOfWisdom]

How does the WP community stop someone from actually adding all of this to the articles of both parties?

On what grounds does this information stay out?

It will be all over the main press world tonight. Reliable sources will carry the news of Jimmy's

activities and his affair with Ms. Marsden.

[Kato]

The Last Temptation Of Jimbo Christ: A Non-Nerd Cheatsheet To The Wikipedia Founder's Downfall

[Amarkov]

How does the WP community stop someone from actually adding all of this to the articles of both parties?

On what grounds does this information stay out?

It will be all over the main press world tonight. Reliable sources will carry the news of Jimmy's

activities and his affair with Ms. Marsden.

I've gotten it to stick in Jimbo's article, I think. The Marsden article has been fully protected for over a month now, so it's kinda hard to add anything.

[Nathan]

We can now add The Register and CANOE (Quebecor Media) to our list of "reliable sources" .

EDIT: Oh yeah, of course, the Register is an attack site. What was I thinking...

[Amarkov]

We can now add The Register to our list of "reliable sources", as well as CANOE (Quebecor Media).

No, those are just silly tabloid mentions, of course. The Register is an attack site.

What we need is an article in the New York Times. Then I get to slap people who say "it'd be one thing if it were in the New York Times..."

[Nathan]

@Amarkov: Give it a day or so. It's already hit the Canadian media (the CANOE link is actually pretty reputable - it ranks right up there with the CBC) so the American media won't be too far behind.

[Kato]

@Amarkov: Give it a day or so. It's already hit the Canadian media (the CANOE link is actually pretty reputable) so the American media won't be too far behind.

Not good enough. The only source acceptable is The New York Times. Anything outside the purview of the New York Times is unreliable and trivial. And that includes Canada.