Christiano Moreschi wrote:
Actually, there's not necessarily any informant at all, though the Register have got their facts completely correct (as far as I can make out, this pretty much all tallies with my own data). Virtually all the data for confirmation of the facts is available online for free, though actually finding this data would either require a tip-off or a very impressive dirt-digging operation.
Really, I don't think anyone's accusing Doran of stealing money from WMF (yet), much as she seems to have stolen from others.
Two issues here - the dazzling incompetence displayed by the WMF people/Board in not doing a criminal records check
(over here, in the UK, you can't even breathe without getting Criminal Records Bureau clearance, I'm sure fellow UK-based WikiMedians
can back me up here) - and if, and to what extent, people at WMF have lied to us and to the media.
Fuckups can be forgiven and forgotten. Nobody ever trusts someone caught out in lying again, though.
CM
Hello
You relate your own experience in UK. I can relate my experience in France. Background checks of criminal past are extremely unusual. What is usual is to contact former employers (which is something I did when we hired Sue and Mike for example).
It does not seem to be very common practice in the USA to check criminal background. Originally, Carolyn was hired through a company. This company did not do any check on her either, even though they were providing bookkeepers. When Carolyn was hired by Brad through this company, we had only 3 staff members.
One thing I will be absolutely insistent upon is that I have always told the truth. And to the best of my knowledge, other board members told the truth as well. When she was hired, we had no idea she had a criminal background, or it is pretty obvious we would not have hired her. You may choose to believe us or not on this, but if you are going to call us liars, I will ask you to provide proofs that we lied.
Also, we have been asked not to comment on personnel issues from our legal counsel and I hope you would not advice us generally to not follow the recommandation of WMF legal advisor.
Florence