It is quite strange to see Sam Bankman-Fried, the fallen founder and CEO of FTX, portrayed in a positive light by some newspapers. In principle, he is responsible for the fact that a large group of people lost their hard-earned savings due to the problems at FTX. This time it’s the New York Times wrote an article about Bankman-Fried’s good reputation in the Bahamas.
“He has a good heart”
New York Times journalist Rob Copeland approached people from the local population for his article to ask what they thought of Bankman-Fried. This resulted in quotes like “he has a good heart” and “I feel sorry for him.” Another member of the local community says it doesn’t make sense at all that Bankman-Fried would end up in jail for his actions.
The article further suggests that the good feeling from the community is a result of his multi-million dollar donations to churches, charities and government agencies. According to Copeland, Bankman-Fried even donated money to the local police department.
According to Cryptonator1337, Bankman-Fried acted like a kind of Pablo Escobar. The latter was a famous Colombian drug lord who invested millions in local infrastructure and donated large sums to charities. In the end, that even ensured that he became president of the country.
Also a negative sound
There was only one person in the article who spoke negatively about Bankman-Fried. According to this person, Bankman-Fried’s actions are a bad thing for the crypto industry. “Why would you publish this. This is embarrassing,” said a random Twitter user.
Perhaps most notably, the New York Times called the year 2022 “tough” for Bankman-Fried, while gang violence in New Providence in the Bahamas was far worse. Olayemi Olurin, a member of the local community of the Bahamas, says in a video that the population cares “not at all” about Bankman-Fried.