The Wikipedia ethos—mistakes are okay, but you have to correct them—has finally caught up with Ryan Jordan, a former site administrator who lied about his background to the New Yorker.

The magazine, which profiled Wikipedia in a feature last July, has published a letter from Jimmy Wales, the online encyclopedia's president. Responding to a Feb. 28 editors' note revealing that Jordan was not who he claimed to be, Wales was initially cavalier, saying, "I don't really have a problem with it." He now admits that, in failing to dismiss Jordan from his duties immediately, "I misjudged the issue."

Then he gets all New Agey: "I consider [Jordan] a friend, and I hope that the world will allow him to move forward in peace and dignity to regain his honor through a life well lived. Wikipedia is built on trust and love. Our trust has been broken, and only love can rebuild it."