CoinDesk Faces Pressure Over Justin Sun Article

Bullish, the parent company of CoinDesk, demanded the removal of an article that mentioned Tron founder Justin Sun in an “inappropriate” manner. This was reported by Fortune, citing unnamed sources.

The conflict arose from an article about Sun purchasing and consuming a banana taped to a wall, valued at $6.24 million. The author expressed confusion over the cultural value of the art piece. The article also included episodes from the entrepreneur’s biography, including his dealings with the SEC.

According to Fortune’s sources, Sun’s team soon complained about the article’s tone. Bullish, the owners of CoinDesk, allegedly demanded the article be removed from the magazine’s website. At the time of writing, the original article is unavailable, but a copy exists on Yahoo’s news aggregator.

It is reported that during a meeting attended by Bullish CEO Tom Farley, the publication’s journalists requested the article be reinstated with an editorial note.

Tron is one of the main sponsors of the Consensus conferences organized by the CoinDesk team.

In 2023, the cryptocurrency exchange Bullish, associated with EOS and Block.one, acquired the magazine from Digital Currency Group for $75 million. The new owners promised that CoinDesk would continue to operate as an “independent subsidiary” of the exchange.

As part of the deal, a special committee was established to maintain journalistic independence. Matt Murray, the editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, was appointed as its head and sole member. He resigned on December 16.

Sources from Fortune report that Bullish is preparing for an IPO and has warned CoinDesk journalists to keep these plans confidential.

On December 17, in a legal proceeding, Coinbase’s lawyers explained the delisting of the WBTC token due to distrust in Sun.