High School Student Scores $72 Million Playing Stock Market

The story says the rumor is he made $72 million. Story says "Though he is shy about the $72 million number, he confirmed his net worth is in the “high eight figures.”

Editor's note says : Mohammed Islam has denied that he made $72 million on the stock market. Our story portrays the $72 million figure as a rumor; the initial headline has been changed to more clearly reflect the fact that we did not know the exact figure he has made in trades. However, Mohammed provided bank statements that showed he is worth eight figures, and he confirmed on the record that he’s worth eight figures.

So it appears it was more a sensational headline then a problem with the story.

 

The reporter said the entire story was based on a rumor she didn't confirm, by design. I'm sure all the real, hard-working journalists who only report verified truth or, you know, actually confirm rumors before reporting them, will be lining up to congratulate her any minute now.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/15/media/mohammed-islam/

"The story says, 'This is a rumor and draw your own conclusions.'"

And:

The story, in her mind, was still worth doing.

"The story is the reason to love New York," she said. "And I came to love the fact that these kids are running around the city with these big dreams. It can only happen in New York, these kids eating caviar, talking about how they're going to be the new Koch bothers. It seems like a uniquely New York milieu."

 

Sizzle > Steak

 

No.

http://observer.com/2014/12/exclusive-new-york-mags-boy-genius-investor-made-it-all-up/

Have you invested and made returns at all?
No.

So it’s total fiction?
Yes.

 

Holy schikeys, I had not seen that.

In part 19 of reasons to love New York, New York Magazine will craft a story on how easy it is dupe one of its reporters into believing a teenager made millions of dollars on the stock market and other assorted fables.

I hope they serve apple juice and caviar at the launch party.

 

If Lena Dunham isn't involved, is the story still worth reading?

 

But how was he able to convince a reporter into thinking those returns had not only been real — but that he was worth “high eight figures?” A source close to the Islam family who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told The Post Islam had “created some bulls—t thing on the computer with blacked out numbers. He said she could look at it for 10 seconds, and pulled it away.” The Washington Post couldn’t independently verify that claim.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...r-says-he-made-it-all-up/?tid=hp_mm?tid=hp_mm

 

Nobody complained when Ferris Bueller did this. Why a problem now?

 

It's be so really neato if Bloomberg pulled its job offer to Pressler.

 

Hey, at least these kids actually exist. Years after the fact, Nik Cohn admitted that his 1976 story about disco culture in Brooklyn - the one that Saturday Night Fever was based on - was completely fabricated.