Bitcoin's Creator Revealed?

Goodman: "Are you the person who created Bitcoin?"

Nakamoto: "I am no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it. It's been turned over to other people. They are in charge of it now. I no longer have any connection."

Easy peasy.

 

Jay Rosen puts Newsweek on blast:

http://pressthink.org/2014/03/i-want-it-to-be-25-years-ago-newsweeks-big-cover-story-on-bitcoin/

 

I guess we know she didn't used to be a man named Caleb Hannan!

 

I have to admit ignorance here. I do not understand why it is important for anyone - let alone the US Intelligence community - to worry about who was the originator of Bitcoin. My lack of understanding here is more than wondering "Who cares?" It is more like "Why is it even interesting?"

 

Being unable to see why this is interesting is a lapse on your part, not on everybody else's.

It's a worldwide currency that is being used for everything from Virgin Airlines to Tesla, and is starting to worry governments greatly, and nobody knows where or how it started nor has any idea how to keep the "money" safe. That's kind of inherently interesting.

 

While there are certainly problems with the story, part of wonders if the reporter got it right - but Bitcoin's creator is clever enough to pull off a Keyser Soze move.

 

Maybe it is just me but it seems like whenever a big tech story is published by someone outside the tech community, it gets blasted by the tech community.

Particularly when it draws the conclusion that the tech community isn't the bestest thing in the world.

 

Outstanding.

"Show your work."

One of my favorite mantras. I'm astounded that Goodman, who looks young, doesn't think she has to.

It's the Information Age. That's more than a catchy cliche. You publish something, you spout something, you best be prepared to defend it with evidence.

 

My .1299 BTC, at 8:29 in the a.m., is worth $81.80 ($630.24 per BTC).

 

Two things:

-- There are very few reporters who really have a grasp on most tech issues and can explain them well.

-- This story is getting blasted by almost everyone, not just the tech community, for many good reasons as detailed in this thread.

 

Goodman is 37. Even 31-year-old Caleb Hannan doesn't think she can use her "youth" as an excuse.

She graduated from St. Bonaventure in 1998 (BAs, Journalism and Political Science; minors in Spanish, Fine Art), and has worked as a journalist ever since.

Journalist like to mock and complain about "bloggers" and other non-famous experts in various fields, that are not widely followed by the general public.

And, while some may live in their parents basements, and spend their day in their pajamas, that doesn't mean they don't know more about an issue than you do.

If you're not an expert in Bitcoin or cryptography, why not find and consult with some prior to publication, rather than having to defend your work from them afterwards.

You can now find an expert in any field. The same people who are now criticizing Goodman could have been very helpful to her if she had consulted them.

It is astounding that Newsweek would not expect this level of scrutiny. In 2004, Dan Rather's phoney documents were exposed for containing proportional spacing that wasn't available at the time the documents were said to have been created, within 30 minutes of going on the air.

No story, reporter, or news organization is going to just get the benefit of the doubt. That's a good thing. It should result in better journalism.

 

No, no, no.

I'm not saying she's young and inexperienced and we should lower expectations.

I'm saying she's young and should be savvy about how to be a reporter in 2014, and how much skepticism will greet her work.