Invisible Children Responds to "Kony 2012" Criticism
One week after releasing "Kony 2012," nonprofit group Invisible Children released a new video defending itself in light of harsh criticism and shedding some light on the little known organization.
The now viral video "Kony 2012" informs viewers about the decades-long campaign of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, the violent leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and compels the world to join the campaign to bring him to justice.
However, soon after the video took off into the social media stratosphere, critics came from all sides, calling the campaign corrupt, claiming its data has been exaggerated and its funds are being mismanaged; with some even claiming that the organization is primarily funded by groups promoting an anti-gay agenda in Uganda.
In response to the firestorm of criticism, Invisible Children's CEO Ben Keesey got in front of the camera to assure supporters that the organization is only involved in making films with a compelling narrative, international advocacy and running local initiatives. Keesey goes on to break down some of the assumptions about how the organization allocates and spends its funds and admits that big ticket items like travel costs are essential to the group's functioning, rather than wasteful as some suggest.
Closing the video, Keesey encourages anyone with further questions about the organization to direct them to the group's Twitter handle @invisible with the hashtag #AskICAnything.
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(Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire/Getty Images)
