By now most of you will have seen the infamous Kony 2012 video which, as of this morning, has become the most viral video ever. You’ll also have seen the considerable backlash, both from Ugandans and elsewhere. Now, watch how the original video’s creators responded to criticism, live.

The latest video, posted yesterday, sees Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey and Co-Founder Jason Russel answering to widespread criticism in a live interview with CNN’s Don Lemon. Rather than answer questions directly, the duo mince words and quickly shift focus onto another topic or jump on the defensive.

The video opens with short clip of Evelyn Apoko, a survivor of LRA imprisonment, giving her opinion of the video. In it she says,

It’s very painful for me to hear that Joseph Kony is right now in the United States…a celebrity.  And I ask myself, what is a celebrity? The kids are the ones who are supposed to be a celebrity because they have been through a lot.

Keesey begins his response by saying that he couldn’t agree more and that Evelyn is a close friend of theirs. However, after the interview the claim is challenged by Lemon who spoke to Apoko just before filming at which time she said she the exchange was not as amicable as the founders claimed.

The video also features two short clips of Ugandans responding to the initial Kony film. Both of the Kampalians interviewed questioned the organization’s motives, particularly where funding is going. Keesey and Russel both laugh off the implication that they’re personally benefiting, claiming that 81% of their profit from 2011 went into “programs” and that they have always considered the funds as “the children’s money”.

Interestingly, Jedidia Jenkins, Invisible Children’s Director of Ideology had the following to say about their budgetary breakdown,

Thirty-seven percent of our budget goes directly to central African-related programs, about 20 percent goes to salaries and overhead, and the remaining 43 percent goes to our awareness programs. […] But aside from that, the truth about Invisible Children is that we are not an aid organization, and we don’t intend to be. I think people think we’re over there delivering shoes or food. But we are an advocacy and awareness organization.

This is particularly interesting when considering that over 500 000 action kits have already been ordered at $30 a pop. That equals at least $15 million in the last couple of days alone.

It’s also worth mentioning that both Keesey and Russel agreed with those questioning why the campaign wasn’t launched six or seven years ago when it was actually relevant to Ugandans, but they could offer no reason. The pair also acknowledge that Kony is no longer in Uganda but give no explanation as to why they portray him to be so in their film.

Throughout the interview it seems the pair was trying to drown out Lemon and his questions with a flood of meaningless words. Unfortunately he found little joy when asking them for direct answers and speculation surrounding the issue continues.

[Source: CNN, Invisible Children, Visible Children]