"maddog" remembers 20 years of association with Linux, CeBIT, and open source.

Newsweek’s story uncovering the man they claim is the creator of BitCoin caused plenty of buzz. As this issue goes to press, the guy they fingered has announced he is filing a lawsuit, claiming that the assertions are false. But according to the story, his brother said “He’ll never admit to starting BitCoin.” So who should we believe?

Many commentators have argued that the story is not sufficiently corroborated and shouldn’t have been printed, which might be true. But the question of the story’s treatment of facts masks another question that is receiving much less attention: Even if the allegations are true, is this really a news story?