Yahoo News Mike Daisey Apologizes to Journalists, Human Rights Groups and Audiences -- But Not Apple
After a public shaming and "This American Life" retraction, Mike Daisey has written an extensive mea culpa that apologizes to the journalists, theater-goers, activists and colleagues who were misled by his monologue about human rights abuses at factories that supply Apple.
But one party was absent from Daisey's wide-reaching note.
The performer did not apologize directly to Apple, the company at the center of his caustic examination of factory conditions.
"When I said onstage that I had personally experienced things I in fact did not, I failed to honor the contract I'd established with my audiences over many years and many shows," Daisey wrote on his blog. "In doing so, I not only violated their trust, I also made worse art."
Daisey already offered up an apology on the hour-long "This American Life" episode that examined the falsehoods at the core of his performance piece, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." But this ranks as his most wide-ranging apology yet.
Also read: Apple in China & the Mike Daisey Problem: Bad ‘Journalism' Clouds Jobs Issue
Daisey's trip inside Apple's major Chinese manufacturer inspired a rash of stories about Apple's connection with FoxConn. All described inhuman working conditions at the plant. The New York Times also conducted its own high-profile investigation.
However, Daisey's work did not withstand scrutiny. He later admitted under questioning from "This American Life" that many of the incidents in his monologue were partially fabricated.
Daisey said Monday that even though he played fast and loose with facts, his intentions were honorable.
"In my drive to tell this story and have it be heard, I lost my grounding," Daisey wrote. "Things came out of my mouth that just weren't true, and over time, I couldn't even hear the difference myself."
After news broke that Daisey had manipulated the truth, the monologist hit back at his critics, claiming that "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs was first and foremost a piece of theater.
He also argued that the basis of his story, that Apple supplier Foxconn treats its workers inhumanely, remained true.
In his post on Monday, Daisey said the media censure has led him to re-examine his standards for truth in theater.
"All my stories, even when I've fallen short, have been attempts to experience the truth with my audiences," Daisey wrote. "I am sorry for where I have failed. I will look closer, be more patient, and listen more clearly."
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