Comments on: Mike Daisey’s brief guide to answering difficult questions http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/03/20/mike-daiseys-brief-guide-to-answering-difficult-questions/ Sat, 25 May 2013 13:40:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Indianapolis http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/03/20/mike-daiseys-brief-guide-to-answering-difficult-questions/#comment-1050 Indianapolis Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:06:20 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=723#comment-1050 This American Life got duped. Fine. It happens to everyone. It’s embarrassing, it’s a black eye, but ultimately it’s a pardonable offence. But here’s the thing: TAL also lied. Knowing that Daisey’s story strained credulity, it promised us that its editors had fact checked the story nine ways to Sunday. Except that they hadn’t—and TAL knew that they hadn’t even as it was assuring us that they had. Now, instead of coming clean, TAL has cast itself as a victim of Daisey’s fabrications. It has turned this into a story of how it got taken in by a master fabricator. It wants us to see this as TAL’s Stephen Glass or Jason Blair moment. But it isn’t. TAL didn’t just fail to do its due diligence. It told us it had while knowing it hadn’t. TAL needs to acknowledge that it too lied to us and it needs to sanction the people responsible within the organization who authorized the lie. Its mea culpas will continue to sound awfully hollow to this loyal NPR listener until it does. This American Life got duped. Fine. It happens to everyone. It’s embarrassing, it’s a black eye, but ultimately it’s a pardonable offence.

But here’s the thing: TAL also lied. Knowing that Daisey’s story strained credulity, it promised us that its editors had fact checked the story nine ways to Sunday.

Except that they hadn’t—and TAL knew that they hadn’t even as it was assuring us that they had.

Now, instead of coming clean, TAL has cast itself as a victim of Daisey’s fabrications. It has turned this into a story of how it got taken in by a master fabricator. It wants us to see this as TAL’s Stephen Glass or Jason Blair moment.

But it isn’t. TAL didn’t just fail to do its due diligence. It told us it had while knowing it hadn’t.

TAL needs to acknowledge that it too lied to us and it needs to sanction the people responsible within the organization who authorized the lie. Its mea culpas will continue to sound awfully hollow to this loyal NPR listener until it does.

]]> By: facchecker http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/03/20/mike-daiseys-brief-guide-to-answering-difficult-questions/#comment-1044 facchecker Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:19:04 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=723#comment-1044 Early Warning Sign? From page 61 of his downloadable monologue: "The monologue...has been performed over 200 times...Over 75,000 people have been in attendance around the world." Has anyone done the math on this i.e. looked at the capacities of the theaters where he's performed and determined whether this is even POSSIBLE? (That's 375 people PER SHOW.) Capacity at the Public: 199. Early Warning Sign? From page 61 of his downloadable monologue: “The monologue…has been performed over 200 times…Over 75,000 people have been in attendance around the world.”

Has anyone done the math on this i.e. looked at the capacities of the theaters where he’s performed and determined whether this is even POSSIBLE? (That’s 375 people PER SHOW.)

Capacity at the Public: 199.

]]> By: r.felder http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/03/20/mike-daiseys-brief-guide-to-answering-difficult-questions/#comment-1028 r.felder Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:49:20 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=723#comment-1028 I'm missing something here. Why didn't This American Life check out what Daisy said independently BEFORE they aired the piece? I’m missing something here. Why didn’t This American Life check out what Daisy said independently BEFORE they aired the piece?

]]> By: upstater http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2012/03/20/mike-daiseys-brief-guide-to-answering-difficult-questions/#comment-1027 upstater Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:41:51 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/?p=723#comment-1027 Daisey lies do not change the fact that Apple has routinely uses contractors that grossly abuse and underpay their employees. Apple could have taken 10% of the cash hoard from Q4-2011 and DOUBLED the pay of their wage-slaves in China. What a difference in the lives of their workers; how it could begin a process to address the huge imbalances of trade. But this doesn't matter to MSM; the "lies" matter more. The MSM is so enamored with all things Apple and Apple is such a huge company, it is no surprise to read these articles and columns disparaging Daisy again and again. I suppose the truth squads will next want to start pulling copies of Harriet Tubman's and Upton Sinclair's "lies" from libraries. How about for good measure we start burning piles of books to insure only corporate truth is heard? Daisey lies do not change the fact that Apple has routinely uses contractors that grossly abuse and underpay their employees.

Apple could have taken 10% of the cash hoard from Q4-2011 and DOUBLED the pay of their wage-slaves in China. What a difference in the lives of their workers; how it could begin a process to address the huge imbalances of trade. But this doesn’t matter to MSM; the “lies” matter more.

The MSM is so enamored with all things Apple and Apple is such a huge company, it is no surprise to read these articles and columns disparaging Daisy again and again.

I suppose the truth squads will next want to start pulling copies of Harriet Tubman’s and Upton Sinclair’s “lies” from libraries.

How about for good measure we start burning piles of books to insure only corporate truth is heard?

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