Newsweek returned to print on March 6th with a genuine bombshell: it had found the real Satoshi Nakamoto. The article, written by Leah McGrath Goodman, claimed to have accomplished what previous articles from The New Yorker, Fast Company and other publications had failed to do. Its claims were stunning: after years of searches from very capable journalists, Newsweek claimed that the secretive person who used the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto had, in fact, not used a pseudonym at all – his name was Satoshi Nakamoto. Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto.

On its surface, it sounded too good to be true. Bitcoin's creator, who had gone to great lengths to anonymize his email, domain and personal information, used his real name as his online username? It seemed unlikely. And there were other signs that something was amiss: Bitcoin required a near-genius level understanding of cryptography and mathematics, as well as a deep knowledge of C++. Dorian's background, while shrounded in mystery due to numerous classified projects, suggested nothing near that level of expertise.

Almost immediately upon its publication, the narrative Goodman had spun began to come apart at the seams. Dorian Nakamoto immediately denied it. The real Satoshi temporarily returned to the internet and also denied it. Four of the sources interviewed for the article – three Bitcoin developers and Dorian's brother – publicly regretted their involvement.

Now, more than a week after the story's publication, it seems clear that Newsweek fingered the wrong man. So the question now turns to Newsweek and the level of irresponsibility they displayed in publishing this at all.

So we ask: could Newsweek have known? Prior to all the denials, prior to Dorian's interview with the AP where he said nonsensical things like "I have never communicated with bitcoins" – could Newsweek have found details that would have suggested that Dorian and Satoshi were different people?

I believe the answer is yes.

To prove it, let's go point-by-point through the inconsistencies with Newsweek's premise – that Dorian was the Bitcoin creator – and the public facts we know about Satoshi Nakamoto.