TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Joshua Topolsky:

In some immediate way, this defense rings true. There are many documented cases of worker mistreatment and injuries in Foxconn factories. There have been reports of underage workers. There have been suicides. Some of the most important and honest revelations of these issues have come from Apple itself, which issues a supplier responsibilty statement every year detailing both the improvements and problems it’s having with international partners.

But until the radio broadcast Daisey took part in — and many of the follow-up interviews he gave — this problem was never discussed in a such a big, public way. Daisey’s lies inspired honest questions about the gadgets in our pockets. Did he betray the trust of the public and journalists by lying? The answer to this question is easy: Yes. But were the lies necessary?

Let me quote Jim Dalrymple, because his response to this is precisely right:

Bullshit.

Daisey’s argument wasn’t that there have been abuses at Foxconn. We know that, and we know it in large part because Apple has been uniquely forthright with detailing working conditions and abuses in their supply chain. No, that wasn’t what Daisey argued. What Daisey argued was that the abuses he claims he saw—underage workers, maimed workers—is commonplace, Apple knows about it, but does nothing to change it. That is a lie, a lie which mislead his audiences and This American Life’s listeners about the reality of the situation.

Topolsky thinks that’s okay because now more people are aware of abuses happening at Foxconn. What Topolsky neglects to consider is that those people, having listened to Daisey’s bullshit, are now even less well-informed now than they were before, if they took Daisey at his word. It may have created coverage for the issue, but it created misinformed, inaccurate coverage and understanding of the issue. There’s nothing defensible about Daisey’s actions, and it’s disappointing to see Topolsky throw his support behind him.

No. “Disappointing” is too weak a word. Jim had it right: it’s bullshit.