Is there a real article written by "Barry Mdikkin" titled "Teen Tycoon: Young Black Entrepreneur Karmelo Anthony Nears Millionaire Status Before Graduation" on CNN's website? No, that's not true: A Google search for the article title limited to CNN's website revealed no such article. There is also no trace of an author by that name on the site.
A screenshot purporting to show such an article appeared in a post on X (archived here) on April 22, 2025 and on other places on social media. The X post remarked:
CNNNNNN, really? 🤦♂️ Karmelo Anthony, the 'outstanding young man' who raised $400K to flex a gated community, also STABBED a kid to death at a track meet over a seat. 🔪💀 'Smart hustle,' my ass--this is a masterclass in media spin. Y'all forgot to mention the murder charge while handing out his 'millionaire before graduation' trophy? 🏆 Congrats on rewriting the narrative so hard you erased the victim.
#JusticeForAustin #CNNClowns #KarmeloAnthony #AustinMetcalf #Liberals #Democrats #BLM #Trump #MAGA
This was the screenshot in question:
The text of the article in the screenshot read:
At just 17, Karmelo Anthony is shattering expectations-and not in the way critics assumed. With over $400,000 raised through a GiveSendGo campaign, the young entrepreneur has moved his family into a gated community and bought them a new car. Unbothered by stereotypes linking success to violence, Karmelo is rewriting the narrative. CNN calls him "an outstanding young man" who's showing that smart hustle-not crime is the real flex.
However a Google Search for the phrase "Teen Tycoon: Young Black Entrepreneur Karmelo Anthony Nears Millionaire Status Before Graduation" limited to cnn.com brought up no results (archived here). Similarly, a search for "Barry Mdikkin" on the CNN website also returned no results (archived here).
