The recent hoax surrounding the self-claiming fake creator of Bitcoin Craig Wright led by mainstream media outlets including BBC, Economist and LRB have agitated many experts in the industry and supporters of Bitcoin, including WikiLeaks.
On May 3, WikiLeaks took the matter to social media to criticize the “fact-checking standards” of BBC, Economist and LRB, the first outlets to report the unsupported and inevident claims of Wright.
We’d like to thank #Satoshi hoaxer Dr Craig Wright for showing how bankrupt the fact-checking standards are at the BBC, LRB & Economist.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) May 3, 2016
Premium financial news networks such as the Economist quickly published a follow up article regarding Craig Wright’s falsified claims, after his attempts to claim his identity as the creator of bitcoin were verified to be false with mathematical evidences. However, BBC was heavily criticized for their lack of due diligence and reporting as if the claims were proven to be accurate. A short excerpt from the Economist and BBC shown below demonstrate the quality check of mainstream media outlets:
The Economist: “Craig Steven Wright claims…”
BBC: “Craig Wright Revealed as Bitcoin creator….”
Financial media outlets such as the Economist suggested a probable situation in which Craig Wright’s claims could be verified and confirmed but reiterated to the readers throughout the article that it is highly likely that Wright’s claims are untrue. However, BBC and other mainstream media outlets in Korea, Japan and China reported that the identity of Satoshi has been revealed, as seen by BBC’s first headline: “Craig Wright Revealed as Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Currently, Craig Wright is still stating outrageous comments regarding the matter, claiming that he could move the original bitcoin of Satoshi Nakamoto to another wallet to prove his identity. It is important to consider that there is a simple reason behind Satoshi Nakamoto’s mystery and his successful intent to hide his figure after and during the creation of bitcoin.
