AV Club Chicago reports:
This American Life, one of public radio’s pantheons of virtue and Ira Glass jokes, has admitted it was totally burned by one of its correspondents. The show said today that Mike Daisey fabricated parts of his story about his trip to China investigating where Apple products are made.
The episode, which was one of the show’s most popular, aired in January 2012 and was widely revered as gospel amongst anti-corporate advocates and even Ira Glass himself, who was bringing Daisey to Chicago for a now-canceled speaking event at the Chicago Theatre.
Now, This American Life is airing an entire hour-long retraction episode this weekend, detailing the errors in the story. Glass will also interview Daisey about why he misled the show during fact-checking.
Well, that’s what National Public Radio listeners get for relying on them to disseminate, like, facts.
The show has removed that episode from its archive, because that always works. For the first time, I actually want to listen to Ira Glass. I’m looking for it now. It’s episode 454, “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory,” and it aired on 1/6/12. If you’ve got a link to it somewhere else, please let me know.
Update: You can listen to it here. For now.
Update: And here, with a download link.
Update: Ira Glass: “I have difficult news.” Guess it all depends on your perspective.
Update: Sure, Ira Glass got snookered, but there really are some serious downsides to the iPhone.
Update: Another download link.
Update: “Fake But Accurate” redux.