Open letter Project
The idea of the Open Letter to Mass Media and
Journalists Community belongs to Miranda Meyer (MirandaM, who
posted the thread with the topic: “Open letter to Newspaper
Stop with the lies and assult - Who is with us?” to the
MichaelJackson.com open forum in October 2009. - http://www.michaeljackson.com/hk/node/374141
Many Michael´s fans participated, commenting this post. The Open letter was composed by Henrietta Belaya (hb), Teresa Tayag (MJJMahal) and Miranda Meyer with the use of quotes from “CELEBRITY SCALES: Michael Jackson, the Wounded Messenger” - Star-Studded Legal Commentary for the Celebrity Obsessed by Matt Semino (with his permission).
It had been formed the team “International Project Team
(IPT)” of Michael´s fans -from michaeljackson.com
- for this project of Michael Jackson´s vindication, and
had been created an address of the team: “MJ Fan Worldwide
Community ”. This is the link of the work: http://mjjmahal.wordpress.com/
Committed to Michael´s Legacy of Love
Appeal to the News Media and Journalist Community
We hereby call on the news media and journalist
community to express our disappointment at the sensationalized
and biased coverage of any news or other information related
to the late Michael Jackson.
News media plays a crucial role in influencing public opinion.
Reporters, editors and the entire journalist community are expected
to observe the Code of Ethics of Professional Journalists, share
a dedication to ethical behavior and commitment to objectivity.
Regrettably, this cannot be said about media treatment of Michael
Jackson. It is painfully clear that the media, in their quest
for sensationalism, has completely forgotten the notion of objectivity,
human dignity, and integrity. Opinions are routinely disguised
as news, distortion of facts runs rampant, selective omission
of facts and misuse of true or partially true information are
commonplace. The extent of misinterpretations, falsifications
and gossip spread by the media about Michael Jackson is atrocious.
All this creates an impression that, chasing ratings, the media
does not care about truth or proof. Barely having any evidence
to back up their allegations, reporters continue to portray
Michael Jackson as an oddity and a monster, gleefully using
humiliating labels like “Wacko Jacko”. Any positive
story is dismissed, sources of positive information are derided,
and facts not salacious enough for coverage are purposefully
ignored. We hereby call on the news media and journalist community
to express our disappointment at the sensationalized and biased
coverage of any news or other information related to the late
Michael Jackson. News media plays a crucial role in influencing
public opinion. Reporters, editors and the entire journalist
community are expected to observe the Code of Ethics of Professional
Journalists, share a dedication to ethical behavior and commitment
to objectivity. Regrettably, this cannot be said about media
treatment of Michael Jackson. It is painfully clear that the
media, in their quest for sensationalism, has completely forgotten
the notion of objectivity, human dignity, and integrity. Opinions
are routinely disguised as news, distortion of facts runs rampant,
selective omission of facts and misuse of true or partially
true information are commonplace. The extent of misinterpretations,
falsifications and gossip spread by the media about Michael
Jackson is atrocious. All this creates an impression that, chasing
ratings, the media does not care about truth or proof. Barely
having any evidence to back up their allegations, reporters
continue to portray Michael Jackson as an oddity and a monster,
gleefully using humiliating labels like “Wacko Jacko”.
Any positive story is dismissed, sources of positive information
are derided, and facts not salacious enough for coverage are
purposefully ignored.
An example of the gross misrepresentation of Michael Jackson
is Martin Bashir´s 2003 TV documentary “Living with
Michael Jackson”. While the media gloated over every detail
of Bashir’s controversial documentary, “The Footage You
Were Never Meant to See” which gave the true story behind
the documentary subsequently received very little coverage.
Another example is the child molestation charges against Michael
Jackson. The media seems to be completely oblivious of the fact
that Michael Jackson was fully exonerated in 2005 and continues
to call him a child molester. Proof of his innocence of these
charges is well documented in “The Untold Story of Neverland”,
a documentary by Larry Nimmer, “Michael Jackson Conspiracy”
by Aphrodite Jones, and “Redemption” by Geraldine
Hughes.
Throughout his entire paparazzi-tortured life
Michael Jackson was the target of ruthless media attacks. It
is frustrating to see that more media voices are joining the
cacophony of unfounded and malicious reports after his passing.
Derogatory press comments and disproportionate, inaccurate and
hostile coverage of Michael Jackson´s life and personality
reinforce preexisting public misconceptions and prejudices.
This is an open appeal to all conscientious media outlets and
honest journalists to undo the harm already inflicted. The public
needs a thoughtful analysis of Michael Jackson´s legacy
and unprecedented cultural impact. Michael Jackson´s contribution
to music is quite possibly the greatest within the recent decades.
It has earned him the status of a world-scale megastar. Five
of his solo albums are among the top-sellers of all time. His
1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time.
Michael Jackson was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
twice. He was named “Most Successful Entertainer of All
Time”, the “Artist of the Decade”, “-Generation”,
and “-Century”. In 2002, he was inducted in the Songwriters
Hall of Fame. Major awards won by Michael Jackson total 209,
including 22 American Music Awards, 40 Billboard Awards, 7 BRIT
Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award, 14 Grammy Awards, 13 Guinness
World Records, 1 MOBO Award, 13 MTV Awards, 9 Soul Train Awards,
14 NAACP Image Awards, 56 RIAA Awards, 2 American Video Awards,
and 15 World Music Awards.
Michael Jackson was much more than as a musical genius, a versatile
artist, and a magnificent entertainer. He was a humanitarian
and philanthropist of historic import. Throughout his life,
Michael Jackson contributed over 300 million dollars to a record
number of 39 charities. The Millennium-Issue of the “Guinness
Book of Records” named Michael Jackson as the Pop Star
who supports the most charitable organizations.
“A deeper analysis of Michael Jackson´s work reveals
an individual with a burning concern for improving the lives
of the disadvantaged and persecuted around the world. Through
his prolific body of work, advocacy initiatives and multi-million
dollar charity efforts, Michael Jackson raised international
awareness and support for some of the most complex and timeless
issues confronting the human condition. AIDS, cancer, famine,
homelessness, gang violence, racism, totalitarianism, environmental
degradation, child abuse, violations of animal rights, restrictions
on freedom of speech and other infringements upon basic civil
liberties are just some of the difficult subjects Jackson tackled
by leveraging the power of his celebrity. Michael Jackson’s
intuitive understanding of the problems besetting the human
ecological system was uncanny and uncharacteristic for any entertainer
close to his magnitude.”[1]
Michael Jackson gave us one of the biggest lessons on how to
change the world for better. He was particularly conscious of
the sufferings of the deprived and the disadvantaged and offered
them his unfailing and selfless support. Michael Jackson “forces
us to look in the mirror and face the difficult and sometimes
intractable problems of our society and in ourselves that we
may not want to acknowledge.” [2]
In conclusion, we duly request the media to:
These actions will restore the general public´s trust in truth in reporting and promote good will for the legacy of a man who deserves respect and appreciation for his life´s work.
Signatures:
[1] CELEBRITY SCALES: Michael Jackson, the Wounded Messenger : Star-Studded Legal Commentary for the Celebrity Obsessed by Matt Semino
[2] See the above
