As we stated in our previous blog post on Invisible Children, when advocacy campaigns are based on misrepresentations, exaggerations, and near falsehoods, they undermine their own cause and damage the credibility of communications models that aim to advance a moral movement.
With the startling collapse of disgraced activist Mike Daisey’s attacks on Apple, 2012 may very well become the year of bad theater/journalism/truth-seeking gone awry. As with Kony 2012, the same principles hold true here — facts are always more interesting than lies. If Mr. Daisey doesn’t believe that (which apparently he doesn’t, given his recent loquacious defense of his fact-bending), he should just look at the New York Times’ carefully researched account of Apple‘s supply chain controversy.
So for all budding viral-video, monologue, interpretive dance, or other medium producers who want to stamp out injustice, remember: don’t simplify the facts so much that the truth gets skewed. Your audience, and most certainly the media, will thank you for it.
