'This American Life' Retracts Show on Foxconn Working Conditions over Fabricated Claims

[MacRumors]

Back in January, popular radio show This American Life aired an episode dedicated to working conditions at Foxconn's factories in China, drawing heavily from Mike Daisey's theater monologue entitled "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs". In the monologue, which has been a notable part of the push to address working conditions at Apple's suppliers, Daisey relates tales from his visit to China where he met with Foxconn workers.

In a remarkable reversal, This American Life has now announced that it is retracting its January broadcast of Daisey's content, citing a number of fabrications discovered in a follow-up investigation on his claims.

The China correspondent for the public radio show Marketplace tracked down the interpreter that Daisey hired when he visited Shenzhen China. The interpreter disputed much of what Daisey has been saying on stage and on our show. [...]

Daisey lied to me and to This American Life producer Brian Reed during the fact checking we did on the story, before it was broadcast. That doesn't excuse the fact that we never should've put this on the air. In the end, this was our mistake.

An accompanying press release relates a number of Daisey's claims that were shown to be false, from claims of having met workers injured by use n-hexane to an anecdote in which he described meeting a man who had had his hand mangled in equipment while producing the iPad and showing the man a functional iPad for the first time.

Daisey reportedly lied to This American Life's staff when asked for contact information for the interpreter he used during his travels, but once the interpreter was found through other means his story began to come apart.

For his part, Daisey acknowledges that some of the information he presented was not entirely truthful, arguing that his monologue was created for theater. Consequently, he agrees that it should not have been presented as journalism, although he stands behind the intent of his work.

I stand by my work. My show is a theatrical piece whose goal is to create a human connection between our gorgeous devices and the brutal circumstances from which they emerge. It uses a combination of fact, memoir, and dramatic license to tell its story, and I believe it does so with integrity. Certainly, the comprehensive investigations undertaken by The New York Times and a number of labor rights groups to document conditions in electronics manufacturing would seem to bear this out.

What I do is not journalism. The tools of the theater are not the same as the tools of journalism. For this reason, I regret that I allowed THIS AMERICAN LIFE to air an excerpt from my monologue. THIS AMERICAN LIFE is essentially a journalistic ­- not a theatrical ­- enterprise, and as such it operates under a different set of rules and expectations. But this is my only regret. I am proud that my work seems to have sparked a growing storm of attention and concern over the often appalling conditions under which many of the high-tech products we love so much are assembled in China.

This American Life is devoting the entirety of this week's episode to discussion of the fabrications present in the original report.

Update: Marketplace's Rob Schmitz has written an article addressing his efforts to investigate Daisey's claims.

Article Link: 'This American Life' Retracts Show on Foxconn Working Conditions over Fabricated Claims

 

[apple_iBoy]

No matter where the facts actually lie about the manufacturing facilities, this Daisey character seems like he's in it to make a buck and a name for himself.

 

[disagree]

What a world we live in.

 

[impulse462]

Wow

 

[cxny]

I saw Mike Daisey on the Bill Maher show and wasn't entirely convinced. Now I know why.

 

[Rogifan]

What a loser.

 

[jackc]

It was obvious from his over-dramatic monologue and the fact that he's touring around selling tickets to his "show"

 

[camomac]

did i miss the part that he's been fired? i hope so... i mean theatrically of course.

 

[camnchar]

Can't remember where I read the dialogue, but it still bears true:

"What you call theater, we call lying."

"They are much the same."

 

[samcraig]

No matter where the facts actually lie about the manufacturing facilities, this Daisey character seems like he's in it to make a buck and a name for himself.

More a name than a buck. If he was soley after money he wouldn't have offered his monologue for free (to download) on his website.

 

[topmounter]

I guess it's easier to fabricate this stuff and cite "unverified sources" than it is to actually go out and investigate and report on real issues.

 

[macnerd93]

the simple fact is, this is what the whole concept of consumerism is, make it as cost effective manufacturing as possible and sell it to the masses. Fabrications of working conditions is just plain wrong in my eye.

Just like the video we watched at school about animal testing showing all the awful things they do to animals they forgot to mention in the video that the footage was from the late 1960s and conditions in Labs in the UK have improved vastly since then. To me this and that animal testing film is nothing more than propaganda designed to give people instantly negative opinions on already touchy subjects.

 

[ChazUK]

Glad to see it exposed for what it was.

 

[Kaibelf]

Great, now can someone please get my stupid coworker to retract his assertions that 9/11 was a giant conspiracy executed by the Masons? I'm sick of hearing about that load of B.S. too.

 

[liavman]

What a pompous ass. Instead of admitting he lied, he is glorifying his work. I am reminded of the "apology" of Rush Limbaugh. These guys just can not apologize and leave it at that. They have to provide other stuff to take away the sting of possible negative perceptions their apology might produce. But that is what an apology is for, righting a wrong, and any negative perception due to an apology is part of the mix. Accepting 1% of the blame and glorifying the 99% takes away the apology. Of course, in this case he did not even apologize, he simply agreed to the accusation.

 

[rpaloalto]

BUSTED! The Apple goon squad will be keeping a close eye on him for sure.

 

[samcraig]

I guess it's easier to fabricate this stuff and cite "unverified sources" than it is to actually go out and investigate and report on real issues.

Well welcome to the new "journalism" - blogs, sites like these, etc are all "news" sites - but most don't verify information direct from the source for every article. Mainstream media is just as guilty too.

On the flip side - a theatrical production is just that. I don't excuse what he did - and it was definitely misrepresented - but he wasn't testifying at a town hall meeting. He was delivering a monologue. In a theater. For people who paid to be entertained.

 

[Undecided]

I get that people attack Apple unjustifiably for their own self-serving reasons (ad impressions, theater tickets, air time, etc.) and it's just one more example of how everyone (almost everyone?) only ever acts in a self serving manner leaving nothing sacred - least of all, truth. (One that I see because I follow Apple.) Whether it's wall street, main street, government, private businesses, the military, the guy in the next cubicle, the guy who won't let you merge lanes, the bicyclist, your boss, your employees, whatever - I see now that no one acts with honor and decency. Everyone just tries to get away with as much as they can.

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

This American Life is one of my favorite shows on NPR. I heard the episode and thought it seemed a little extreme. I am a bit disappointed that they didn't fact check extreme claims like his before airing the show. I will definitely be listening tonight. I'm really curious how it will play out in their "Acts".

 

[chirpie]

I listen to, respect, and admire TAL. I'm glad they're owning this. Some broadcasters could take a lesson from it.

 

[macconservative]

I hate when more and more stories are made up and put out as news.

 

[shartypants]

What a scum bag. You can make excuses for purposely trying to deceive people.

 

[*Harlow*]

I saw this guy on Sunday Morning a few months ago and I remember thinking he comes across as a used car salesman type.

 

[RalfTheDog]

I get that people attack Apple unjustifiably for their own self-serving reasons (ad impressions, theater tickets, air time, etc.) and it's just one more example of how everyone (almost everyone?) only ever acts in a self serving manner leaving nothing sacred - least of all, truth. (One that I see because I follow Apple.) Whether it's wall street, main street, government, private businesses, the military, the guy in the next cubicle, the guy who won't let you merge lanes, the bicyclist, your boss, your employees, whatever - I see now that no one acts with honor and decency. Everyone just tries to get away with as much as they can.

I have no problem with letting a fast driver cut me off. If the person wanting to change lanes is a slow driver, they don't care how long it takes them to get where they are going anyway. We need to stop treating the slow moving like they are real people.

 

[nefan65]

I watched this clown on Bill Maher. I thought he was an idiot then, and this just reinforces that initial impression.