Report: Fake story about Steve Jobs planted by teenager
The teenager who submitted a fake story to CNN's iReport about Steve Jobs appears to have stayed away from the stock market that day, according to a report.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News)The fake story submitted to CNN's iReport site that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack was the work of an 18-year-old, according to a report.
Bloomberg is reporting that investigators have determined that the teenager planted the story on CNN's user-generated news site. But they have found no evidence that the suspect attempted to profit from the sharp drop in Apple's stock that occurred after Silicon Alley Insider picked up the CNN posting and published it before verifying whether it was true. The suspect was not named, but the Securities and Exchange Commission has been trying to determine if the story was planted with the idea of making money in the stock market, which would be a crime.
Apple has been forced to deal with all kinds of speculation regarding Jobs' health this year, and any report that his health might be in danger is sure to be met with a frantic response from Wall Street traders who believe Jobs' impact on Apple cannot be overstated.
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 




Just kidding - but they should hold this kid and CNN responsible.
"outright lying when it benefits them"
Stretching the truth is called marketing. Nothing unusual here, let alone evil.
Get a grip.
Thats what Putin did with Medvedev.
- by cprincipe October 25, 2008 10:07 AM PDT
- Absolutely ridiculous that an 18 year old can plant a fake story on a user-contributed news site and it can actually cause changes the market.
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