Inside the Daily News, there’s some debate as to whether John Liu really worked in a sweatshop, as he says he did.
Reporter Erin Einhorn has reported that Liu’s initial claim of working alongside his mom at a sweatshop wasn’t supported by his mother’s own recollection.
The Daily News coverage basically says Liu is fabricating the story.
But Errol Loius, a columnist at the Daily News and member of their editorial board, says that the problem is less with John Liu than with his colleagues.
On his radio show this morning, Louis–who disclosed that his wife works for Liu’s campaign and that he, Louis, has recused himself from the editorial process as it applies to the comptroller’s race–said it doesn’t matter if the work was taking place at home or in a factory.
Louis said, “Working at home, industrial work at home is illegal, it’s part of the sweatshop system. That’s the whole thing, that’s whole point. That’s the whole point. Sweatshops exists because they have tentacles in all kinds of hidden places.”
Louis went on to say that sweatshop work takes place in a lot places around the city (restaurants, car washes) and that the issue is mistakenly thought of as only happening in factories.
“We need to educate the media about some of this stuff. I got some colleagues who I think need to learn how to do their jobs maybe just a little bit better,” Louis said.
