Lao Voices

Did you know there is an organization at work creating animosity among Lao people cloaked under a veil of charity and factuality? This organization is called the Fact Finding Commission (FFC). There are two main reasons why I qualify the Fact Finding Commission this way: continuous one sidedness, bias and FUD tactics.

For those who are not familiar with the infamous FFC, I will quote their website. After going through their very peculiar Flash animation (no, the FFC does not allow you to skip that pointless animation) you will find that the FFC

… helped America to fight communism. In 1975, they left and we run into the forest. Now we ask for their help. We are all about to die

Not a very “light” statement. Next to their bold and unfunded claims, such as genocide and we are all going to die (who?), the FFC is well-known for their bloody & gory snuff movies of, supposedly, Hmong people being killed in many sadistic ways by the Lao government. Truly, the FFC are Hmong (associated) lobbyists with one single goal: get the US to improve the political position of Hmongs in Laos.

In itself, there is nothing wrong with the goal of improving the position of any people in Laos. Who could be against that? However, it is the way in which the FFC conducts their business that I consider a potential danger to peace and stability of Lao people in Laos and abroad.

The FFC is a one trick pony that figured one instrument always gets your attention in Western societies such as the US: guilt. The Hmong assisted the US in the Vietnam war over 30 years ago and now are left with the vengeance of the Lao government about that. Or at least, so they say.

And the FFC will milk this.

They will play the Vietnam card again and again, especially when anyone raises a voice of reason about what really is going on.

Guilt is quickly ignited and all reasonable doubt is out of the window. The FFC uses a classical underdog position and leverage. Their specialty seems to be women and children starving because they know portraying this image of evil in Laos works extremely well with Americans.

They master the art of creating Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD). They do this by supplying their snuff movies and biased information to real journalistic sources. And, sometimes they get lucky. It happened when FFC material was admitted in “hunted like animals“, a documentascary of filmmaker Rebecca Sommer.

These ” public journalists” do not check facts but simply forward any questionable material the FFC fed them to their audience. Why? Guilt and FUD. Do not question something so serious it must be true. It is scary, therefore, true. A dangerous position to take. What happened to finding out both sides of a story?

The FFC supplies unverified material to various sources from their private organization (not regulated by any governmental institution) that resides to shady public journalism. Keep in mind that the FFC is not really into Fact Finding but opinion making.

The Fact Finding Commission is an Oxymoron.

Two features of public journalism stand out. One is its proponents’ ready acknowledgment that their values shape what they do. In contrast to the real fact finding stance of the traditional journalist that intents on maintaining objectivity, neutrality, and detachment, public journalists believe their values not only do, but ought to, shape their reporting.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry is into public journalism these days and call themselves fact finders or fact bloggers. This is certainly not my standard of fact finding; in that way I am very old school.

The FFC is not worth any attention.

Check your sources

Are there more sides to a story? Always keep this in the back of your mind, even when confronted with the worst of FUD and snuff movies that will stir your heart. Don’t let the FFC hijack your mind.