It most likely was a case of seeing his website in the forefront and thinking he was a strong advocate against the JW religion.
I think they are like every other "activist" ... way too keen to hear criticism of religion in order to validate their own content so they don't do their proper due diligence.
Really, a lot of the issues we have come down to being too eager to hear something bad about the WTS and then rewarding anyone who appears to be saying what we want to hear.
This is why I think it's healthier to be more balanced and recognize both the good as well as the bad. If people are unable or unwilling to point to any positives* then I think they have some agenda that shows a lack of balance and often that leads to a willingness to use people and lie, because their goal is to spread a particular message.
* NOTE: there are a small number of people this doesn't apply to, who were victims of abuse. Just to be clear - I'm talking about the majority who didn't go through that.