Weigel

Mike Daisey on Objective Journalism

The newly scandalized monologist happened to be on Up With Chris Hayes last weekend, talking about his style of storytelling – he never says “reporting” – and whether it’s ever proper to fudge things in order to get people interested. The clip is here.

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“I really feel certain,” he says, “that where we are now in this conversation about manufacturing in China – we wouldn’t be able to be in this conversation if I hadn’t created the work in the way I did so I could create emotional connections to the people in the piece. And so, I really feel like we often give that short shrift, because the conversation is among objective journalists, who give an incredible amount of weight to the objectivity, which I think is very valid. But the emotional story that runs through things – that’s what was missing.”

Mostly unrelated: Here’s video of the 2007 incident in which tourists, angry at the language that Daisey was using in a monologue, tossed water on his monologue notes.