I think what happens with white collar crime is that it seems so distant from regular people that they just are not capable of sizing its dimension and impact. Yes this guy stole, misplaced, lost, billions of dollars but... what even is a billion dollar? It's abstract, it's not real. That kind of money just doesn't feel real.
On the contrary, shoplifting, maybe being assaulted at gun point even so that your iPhone is stolen. That feels threatening and real, that's something people have seen or know of someone not too distant that has experienced it. It's easy to understand the gravity of the crime and so it becomes more difficult for people to dismiss it.
But that's public opinion, what's the excuse of educated journalists? SBF has committed some of the most egregious financial crimes in history and he needs to be made responsible.
I don't think I've ever read any substantive analysis that thought he was too young to know he was committing fraud. Not saying it never happened, but none of the analysis I've seen is suggesting he shouldn't be tried as an adult.
However, I have seen (and agree with) quite a bit of analysis suggesting that a person in their mid-20's with limited experience in the world of finance should not have been given this much money to work (gamble) with. He didn't just make a lot of money on crypto; he was given a lot of money by VC investors, who should have known better. The emphasis on his youth is, I think, meant to suggest that the investors were not doing their job, which is after all to determine whether a person should be given money to invest, and if so how much. Someone who plays video games during a pitch, unless they are pitching their new video game, should not have been given other people's money.
Are there any examples of media reporting that is not bad?
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I agree a lot with what she's saying about press trying to build an image of him as a young kid. But, at the end of the day, regardless of how the press frames things, it isn't like he's going to end up in juvenile hall. He will be tried as an adult.
As someone who's turning 50 soon, 30 seems like several lifetimes ago for me. Age is this weird thing and you only realize it more and more as you get older.