This is my take on KONY 2012 using the Potter’s Box Process Approach from Media Now.  This is on Page 476 of the Seventh Addition, just in case you are curious.  Although the way I use it is a lot different from the book example, I think it’s a good way for those of us who view media (not just create it) to think through ethical situations we see in media daily.

In Quadrant One, we first have to take the situation at hand and identify all of the facts.  Honestly, one of the most frustrating parts of this KONY 2012 saga is that it is so unclear what is fact and what is fiction!  Of all of the media outlets and coverage out there on this subject, it is extremely unclear to me who is ethical and who is not.  Although there are not many, these are the facts I am confident about:

1.     Invisible Children, INC. created the video KONY 2012

2.     Joseph Kony has committed thousands and thousands of war crimes over decades in Uganda

Those are literally the only things I can think of surrounding this topic that I know to be definite truths.  I don’t know about anyone else, but that just seems kind of crazy to me.

In Quadrant Two of Potter’s Box, we identify our values.  By doing so, we have to decide whether the situation at hand is actually helpful, or whether the tools used are unethical/in bad taste.  I think that the actual video KONY 2012 is a very powerful tool for a seemingly great cause.  This video single handedly shows the power that we have in the world of media.  The real question is, when is that power truly used for good and not outweighed by bad?  Like most things in today’s media, the scandal and possible “conspiracies” surrounding an issue have outshined the original problem at hand.  No longer is the KONY 2012 video merely about putting a stop to something that is evil and against most people’s morals, it has become a media storm of conspiracy, mud slinging, lies and scandal.

We use Quadrant Three to look for general principles to make sense of the ethical issue at hand.  I think that the Social Contract Theory is a great way to easily outline what has happened with this video.  As someone who is a philanthropist and honest person in their daily life, we expect the people involved and the organization Invisible Children to be the same.  If we plan to give time or money to these people, we expect them to uphold values that are in line with ours.  When stories begin to develop, such as the news that founder Jason Russell was arrested for being naked and possible under the influence of something in public recently (yikes), and countless of other things surrounding the KONY 2012 campaign we start to question whether Invisible Children is upholding their end of the contract.

Lastly, in Quadrant 4, we have to make our final decision and clarify our loyalties.  Do we believe the media that reports Invisible Children and KONY 2012 to be a scam purely to make profit, or do we decide that Invisible Children really is helping war efforts in Uganda and other African countries and they do deserve our help?  Well, for me this Quadrant remains undecided… 

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KONY 2012 SCAM... Bankers Outsmarted by Millions of Young Activists?

I'm not saying this video is a reliable source or all facts, I just found it extremely interesting.  Also, read the little changing captions in the left corner above the KONY picture.  I just find them interesting and, quite frankly, entertaining.

Word Count 507)

From InvisibleChildren.com:

WE ARE A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

We are storytellers, activists and everyday people who use the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running armed conflict in Africa. We make documentaries, tour them around the world, and lobby our nation’s leaders to make ending this conflict a priority.

But we don’t stop there. Our development professionals from Central Africa partner with local communities to implement and maintain education programs and economic initiatives in the war affected region. Recovering communities require stability when it comes to education and economic initiatives, but the ever-changing conflict demands innovative solutions and quick mobilization. Our initiatiatives attempt to meet the region's need for both stability and flexibility.

 This is the text from Invisible Children about "What We Do".  I highlighted in red the parts of this that concern me.  First off, they're making documentaries, traveling around on tours, advertising their message to young people, and lobbying national leaders.  All of this costs money.  This isn't just chump change either.  So who is this money coming from?  It must be coming from people who donate to this organization.  What bothers me, is exactly how much of what is being donated goes to the actual cause and how much is spent on the business tools from the first paragraph.

 "Development professional"...what does that even mean?  Who pays for their trip and living expenses in Africa?  Do they receive a salary? If we're going to get on that topic, how does anyone who is a part of this company receive a salary?  Is the answer the people who are donating to them?  If so, then what is the ethical dilemma here?  When does an organization become a corporation and when does it become wrong for them to turn profit from their donations? 

As you can tell, I have a lot of questions about the validity of this campaign and the people behind it.  It just really worries me that so many people can jump into a cause with so many question marks.  Even through doing a lot of research, what is true and what is not is very unclear.  It all comes down to what each individual wants to believe about this cause.  The fact that there is so much political and financial mystique around something that sad and inhumane really saddens me.  Questioning the ethics of Invisible Children, its affiliates and the media tools they use to gain support is just the tip of the iceberg.

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Super Interesting Article about one of the Major Issues that has come up regarding Invisible Children and their Motives

This image is what this article is centered around.  A picture taken in 2008 of the Invisible Children founders posing with violent Sudan army SLRA (interestingly enough an army that has had conflict with the LRA in the past)

I’m sure that pretty much everyone in this class has already at least heard of or seen the video I posted previously about the KONY 2012 campaign.  As I have watched this story develop, I thought it was a prime example of the media and ethical issues.  Regardless of your stance on the campaign as more controversy begins to circulate around the video and the corporation who created it, on first watch, there is no way the video didn’t have some sort of affect on you.  This video was cleverly created to appeal to us.  It constantly reminded you that we all have the same human connection to each other and there was a clear issue and message at hand.  In the same token, I felt like the editing and songs used, along with the clips showing masses of young people working together were a bit odd.  What exactly did any of that have to do with helping stop Joseph Kony?  The video was upsetting, on multiple levels. 

So let’s start from the very beginning.  On March 5^th, 2012 the Kony 2012 video was posted to youtube by the organization Invisible Children, INC.  In a matter of days this video went viral and whether you use facebook, twitter, tumblr, instagram or other forms of social media to communicate with others, there was no doubt you had heard about this movement.  This video was made by that organization in order to raise awareness about a man named Joseph Kony.  He is an African “general” of sorts.  The only problem with this?  His army is made up of young children.  Boys are made into mass murderers and girls are mercilessly raped and beaten.  The whole point of the youtube video created about him is to make the man famous.  If he becomes famous in 2012, the world can know about him and the horrors he has committed.  Additionally, if people know about him there are certainly many who will work to help the Ugandan army stop him and bring him to justice.  Invisible Children is an organization turned corporation that aims at funding and helping children in third world countries who have been the victims of various war crimes.  The hunt for Joseph Kony is the ultimate goal of Invisible Children and now that they have raised enough funds to create this video about him and spread the word, they are finally putting their goal to catch him into action.  From an Ethical stand point, the beginning effects of this video seemed to show how the media can be used for good.  Invisible Children was able to show the world an ethical issue that most of us had no idea was even happening and they created a way for us all to help.  What could possible be wrong with that?  What ethical dilemma could there possibly be here?  Well, as people began to delve deeper into the background of KONY 2012, questions began that created a moral and ethical dilemma much greater than many of us would have expected…

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KONY 2012