Perhaps this has been something simmering under my skin for a number of years – but when I saw this news headline, “Apple admits using child labour” I had a repeat vision of an old peddled story that is indicative of trash reporting at its worst. First off – child labour seems to imply (to me at least) a 7-year-old anemic, malnourished child not the 11 instances Apple reported themselves of 15-year-olds working in a factory manufacturing parts for the iPhone in China.

I’m not here to defend Apple but rather provide a personal alternative view based on personal experience – so yes this is a disclaimer that this is a personal point of view – not one necessarily shared by the Company.

10 years ago I worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a well-respected English newspaper, The Cambodia Daily. One Sunday, a small band of high-profile investigative reporters from the Big Smoke descended upon the little capital of Cambodia hot on the tale of a hard story: Child labour at clothing factories. As a result of the “investigation” both Gap and Nike suspended their activities in the country, which meant they also suspended the wages of thousands of people, with tens of thousands of family members dependent on the best honest wage in town.  Should Nike and GAP have pulled out? No but that’s another story. Thousands of families who relied on the clothing factory wage of $40 per month (nearly four times the wage paid to civil servants at the time) were laid-off. Families who lived on this lifeline were left with scant alternatives – perhaps other factory work but prostitution and begging were also high among those alternatives

The right of journalists and pressure groups to investigate should always be defended whether it’s to verify that strict codes of conduct are followed by large corporations or the factory conditions in developing countries that manufacturer for multinational corporations. However, journalists also have a responsibility to provide the full story – not just headlines aimed to grab attention and point the finger for the sake of readership or a personal career notch on the belt. The incident in Cambodia was a disaster for many families.

So with this latest headline trotted out, I see the danger in repeating the same bad journalistic mistake. The question of why were 15-year-olds working in these factories should be asked and what is going to be done to resolve the issue?  Child labour does happen (and no I’m not condoning child labour) and will continue to happen, sometimes because families need to survive. However, the alternatives can be much worse. To Apple’s credit they published the report that identified the instances of child labour. It’s a good example of corporate responsibility – it’s not perfect but the Company is striving for improvements:

“Apple discovered three facilities that had previously hired 15-year-old workers in countries where the minimum age for employment is 16. Across the three facilities, our auditors found records of 11 workers who had been hired prior to reaching the legal age, although the workers were no longer underage or no longer in active employment at the time of our audit.”

A rising tide lifts all boats and with improved corporate social responsibility from multinational companies, the standards in developing countries can rise.