To me it appears to be quite a display of cognitive dissonance.
"We (wikipedia in the aggregate) don't think that credentials carry any
weight. At least, not enough to influence our content or policies in any
meaningful way. However, because other people value credentials, we
have trouble building credibility without them, so we would like to
advertise them in order to enhance our reputation. We're happy to
trumpet our contributor's qualifications, as long as it's clear that
they mean nothing to us and in no way affect our process."
Jimmy Wales wrote:
Such an initiative would have to be done carefully in
order to respect
our (fairly anti-credentialist) culture. First, anyone who ever
suggests that a credential gives one precedence in editing gets a bonk
in the head with a WikiClueStick.