In a culture where video media reigns supreme, audio podcasts have cemented their value. One podcast episode of NPR's This American Life has left a particularly indelible mark on me. This episode, "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory," aired in 2012. A show known for its truthful ruminations on-- you guessed it-- aspects of American life, T.A.L. audiences were shaken by Mike Daisey's tale of visiting the Shenzhen factory in China where Apple products are manufactured and the unimaginable horrors he encountered of the workers' living/working conditions.
What T.A.L. either failed to realize or flat-out ignored when they greenlit this episode is that Daisey is a monologist, a performer. Almost immediately after the episode aired, NPR retracted and removed the episode due to multiple "fabrications." Yes, there were fabrications because Daisey is a storyteller who utilized his access to one of the nation's top audio platforms and shared a tragic warning of what could be in our fast-paced, techno-driven future when we ignore "hand-made" objects and the hands that construct pieces of our lives. However, I wonder if it was really appropriate for Daisey to share this story without revealing to NPR that its contents were not entirely truthful? (Or is that the whole story? Did NPR possible know ahead of time and merely responded to audience backlash? The world may never know.)
I had the honor and privilege to see Daisey perform this piece in Washington, DC, and his story is even more visceral in person, due in no small part to his larger-than-life persona and the weight of his tale. That the spoken word remains so powerful via podcasts in the 21st century is truly exciting, and I look forward to discovering what stories unfold next. Let us consider how podcasts can be used not only as a nonfiction outlet, but also as a storytelling medium.
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