Mike Daisey lied about work conditions in contract manufacturing factories in China where iPhones and iPads are made. He lied on stage in a theatrical monologue ... He lied on NPR in a now-retracted episode of "This American Life." And his lies were picked up by The New York Times, The Associated Press, MSNBC and HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" to name a few.
Daisey painted a vivid and dramatic picture of horrific work conditions in slave-labor factories designed to exploit workers for the benefit of Apple and you, the selfish, greedy American who demands your iProducts at a reasonable price point. The lies were exposed, ironically, by a reporter for another public-radio program, Rob Schmitz.
At this point, the interesting part of the story is not Daisey's lies, but who bought his lies and why.
The media outlets were all too willing to publish and broadcast Daisey's lies because it fit perfectly into their narrative of evil American corporations (even one headed by liberal champion Steve Jobs) exploiting the downtrodden and vulnerable of the world (especially people of a non-caucasian race) for the benefit of Wall Street and Wal-Mart. Daisey's story had everything the American media is looking for. So fact-checking was left on the back-burner.
