Media Manipulations Surrounding Cryptocurrency Cases: How a “Convenient” Narrative is Formed and Whom It Excludes

Published
February 2, 2026
Author
Khrabrykh S. A.
Original language
English

This report provides a critical analysis of how media outlets shape public and institutional perceptions of cryptocurrency crimes. It focuses on the strategy of deliberately simplifying complex, multi-level cross-border schemes into personalized stories centered on individual “villains,” a tactic that obscures systemic enforcement defects and regulatory failures.

The study reveals mechanisms of selective damage reporting that ignore the interests of transborder victims, showing how media narratives are used to legitimize asset redistribution and mask institutional errors. Special emphasis is placed on the role of controlled information leaks and the dependence of journalists on official sources, leading to the marginalization of independent analysis and the secondary victimization of those affected.

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