Open Letter from MJ Fans: Tired of Schemes: Michael Jackson Fans Scream For Justice

[Member Service]

The following letter was composed and sent out to the fan base for signatures by a group of concerned Michael Jackson Fans, who are also allies with MJJC. That being stated, They and MJJC note that this campaign would not be possible without all The fans and fan bases who supported it and who will promote it far and wide to bring attention to the media and general public of our anger and concern over the vicious attacks on Michael Jackson in the media _ Team MJJC

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Open Letter: Tired of Schemes: Michael Jackson Fans Scream For Justice



To the members of the media,



Re: The Sunday People’s Michael Jackson Fabricated Stories


A few days ago, The Sunday People, a well-known British tabloid, published a misleading and titillating report stating that Michael Jackson had paid off dozens of boys to keep quiet about abuse they suffered at his hands. The Sunday People cited the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as their source for these incredulous allegations, and very quickly, media outlets around the world (from People Magazine to Huffington Post) have copied and pasted the fabricated story without first vetting it. Had they read the story before pasting it onto their own sites or papers, many would have noticed the inconsistencies in the Sunday People's story. Roger Friedman pointed this out first, while it took CNN mere days to debunk the original piece.


Following CNN’s lead, several legitimate media have since come out and challenged or dismissed The People Sunday’s fabricated FBI stories. These allegations are categorically false. The ONLY Michael Jackson files, which the FBI published a few months after his death in 2009, DO NOT corroborate the tabloid’s stories.Tom Mesereau, Jackson’s lead defense attorney in the 2005 molestation trial, confirmed this point, as he read Jackson’s released FBI files and none of the claims reported in the Sunday People, were true.


In fact, these very stories date back several decades.They were first published by another tabloid over two decades ago, only to be disproven by a handful of ethical journalists and Jackson’s activist fans. The People Sunday’s faux-FBI files are nothing more than statements made by a Jackson’s disgruntled ex-employee, who admitted on tape to fabricating and selling his stories to the tabloids. In addition, this former employee admitted to embellishing his version of events, based on how much the tabloids were willing to pay. The more outlandish the stories, the more money they would collect. Quite simply, The Sunday People have recycled an already debunked story from decades ago.


The Michael Jackson fan community will no longer turn a blind eye to these blatantlies, and outlandish stories. The lack of journalistic integrity coupled with the need for website hits and fierce competition for ad revenue, have allowed the media to forgo ethics for profit. This “break the news first and vet the story later” attitude is irresponsible, reprehensible and does a great disservice to the public and the profession.


We implore the media to apply due diligence and restore some level of integrity in their news coverage. Allow the public to have some confidence that the stories we are reading from our favorite newspapers, magazines or websites were vetted...not fabricated. If the tabloids continue to knowingly publish false stories about Michael Jackson, his fans will have no other choice than to contact their bottom line; their sponsors, advertisers and ultimately, their profit.



Signed by the following seventy-two (72) Michael Jackson fan organizations

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[Ankita]

I have been a warrior in Michael's Army of L.O.V.E for the past 20 years...and I will not give up the fight until the WHOLE world realizes, admires, appreciates, honours and salutes the true light and legacy of our beloved hero who dedicated his truly unparalleled creative talents, his precious time, resources, his genuine love, compassion and kindness and unmatched humanitarian work all his life to raise people's consciousness, to make this world a better place and to inspire us all to do the same...Like he said..."Lies run sprints but truth runs marathons..." , ..we love you Michael...and thank you for continuing to shine your Light on this dark and desolate world that would do anything for greed and money..the Light of your Love and Truth shall prevail...

 

[Paris78]

weLoveMJImmortal ‏@mjThisisitlove 18h

@JoeVogel1 Please read and share. #MichaelJackson fans Open Letter to the Media. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j84hff6js8tp115/Open Letter To Media Outlets FINAL.pdf …
Retweetet von Joe Vogel

 

[Amy Jackson]

Always standing for Michael! Honouring his legacy, spreading his L.O.V.E. and preserving his life achievements!

We must start with us, no one else, guys, we must stand for MICHAEL!

 

[hrp102]

Trying to respond to every story like this is not the smartest approach (unless it's something in a reputable newspaper). More often than not you're putting yourself in the difficult position of proving a negative. Even if you accomplish that in one case, all it takes is another writer to make something else up. It's basically a weak position both in terms of the low barrier to producing such a story and the difficulty in demonstrating that something didn't happen. If instead the focus is on a unified effort to support the charities Michael Jackson supported (like with actual money that you work for and save), you put yourself in control of the story with the added benefit that whatever doubt there is about relationships with kids, MJ's contributions to charity are supported by factual hard data. If you lead with that approach it becomes much easier to define what Michael Jackson represents (outside of creative work). That type of effort also distinguishes MJ fans from those of some average pop star. The correct move for anyone bothered by stories like the one above is to fuel with charitable contributions the more tangible, better supported idea that Michael Jackson for the most part was about helping people in need. The more clear that becomes, the less relevant all the rest of it will be.

 

[HIStory]

Trying to respond to every story like this is not the smartest approach (unless it's something in a reputable newspaper). More often than not you're putting yourself in the difficult position of proving a negative. Even if you accomplish that in one case, all it takes is another writer to make something else up. It's basically a weak position both in terms of the low barrier to producing such a story and the difficulty in demonstrating that something didn't happen. If instead the focus is on a unified effort to support the charities Michael Jackson supported (like with actual money that you work for and save), you put yourself in control of the story with the added benefit that whatever doubt there is about relationships with kids, MJ's contributions to charity are supported by factual hard data. If you lead with that approach it becomes much easier to define what Michael Jackson represents (outside of creative work). That type of effort also distinguishes MJ fans from those of some average pop star. The correct move for anyone bothered by stories like the one above is to fuel with charitable contributions the more tangible, better supported idea that Michael Jackson for the most part was about helping people in need. The more clear that becomes, the less relevant all the rest of it will be.

I completely disagree with this approach. Supporting charities and defending MJ from the allegations are not mutually exclusive. And just because Michael supported charities and his fans continue to support charities that won't make people convince of his innocence. People will only say things like "Jerry Sandusky supported lots of charities as well, so what?" It's absolutely the wrong approach about the allegations to remain passive and silent about them just out of fear that if we refute one story they will come up with the next. They will and it sometimes does seem like an uphill battle with the flood of lies put out there about him by the media, but that doesn't mean we should give up putting out the truth. If we do then they already won. The evidence for Michael's innocence is strong - it's not a "weak position" to defend him. You do not have to "prove negative". But you can point out the origin these lies come from, the motives behind them, the shady dealings of these people etc. For example, in this particular case it was actually pretty easy to prove that these were not FBI files, that they come from a tabloid broker Paul Barresi, that they are old, already rebuted stories rehashed. You do have to do that as a fan, IMO, not just passively sit and watch as the "lie becomes the truth" and get referred to as "fact" in public.

 

[SheilaMJFan4Ever]

I completely disagree with this approach. Supporting charities and defending MJ from the allegations are not mutually exclusive. And just because Michael supported charities and his fans continue to support charities that won't make people convince of his innocence. People will only say things like "Jerry Sandusky supported lots of charities as well, so what?" It's absolutely the wrong approach about the allegations to remain passive and silent about them just out of fear that if we refute one story they will come up with the next. They will and it sometimes does seem like an uphill battle with the flood of lies put out there about him by the media, but that doesn't mean we should give up putting out the truth. If we do then they already won. The evidence for Michael's innocence is strong - it's not a "weak position" to defend him. You do not have to "prove negative". But you can point out the origin these lies come from, the motives behind them, the shady dealings of these people etc. For example, in this particular case it was actually pretty easy to prove that these were not FBI files, that they come from a tabloid broker Paul Barresi, that they are old, already rebuted stories rehashed. You do have to do that as a fan, IMO, not just passively sit and watch as the "lie becomes the truth" and get referred to as "fact" in public.

What you fail to realize is you can NOT change public opinion, regardless if they are faced with facts or not. There will always be those that think Michael abused children and no amount of facts will change their minds. Constantly harping on that, instead of focusing on what truly cannot be put to question and/or smeared is his philanthropy and his MUSIC. Stop feeding the negative beast, because that's a waste of time, emotion and common sense (which they lack).

 

[HIStory]

What you fail to realize is you can NOT change public opinion, regardless if they are faced with facts or not. There will always be those that think Michael abused children and no amount of facts will change their minds. Constantly harping on that, instead of focusing on what truly cannot be put to question and/or smeared is his philanthropy and his MUSIC. Stop feeding the negative beast, because that's a waste of time, emotion and common sense (which they lack).

I'm not naive to think that we can change everyone's opinion. But the truth should be told nevertheless. Even if the majority of people won't listen if there are some who will then it is worth. I don't get this thinking that you cannot focus on more than one aspect of Michael. I have a blog in my country which focuses on the music and another which explains the allegations (and I got a lot of positive feedback about that, how useful it was because the media doesn't tell the full story and twists things). One absolutely can do both. If someone considers putting out the truth about the allegations a "waste of time" that's their opinion, but you should know that the allegations is the single most threatening thing to Michael's legacy. THE stumbling block for most people when it comes to Michael. Even if there won't be mass conversions to the Michael was innocent side but the truth should be out there to be available for those who do care and if we can challange a lie with facts we should do that and not leave it unchallanged out of passivity or lazyness. If someone does not feel like dealing with the allegations I can understand that but I don't think they should put down fans who do.

 

[hrp102]

The issue is not how many things you can focus on. It's the futility of promoting a "truth" that involves something not happening. Obviously if the NYT wrote something like that you'd have to write in or organize a response, but chasing around tabloids is a waste of time. Strategically speaking it's just a weak position to be working from. You can drown that stuff out by focusing on what is irrefutably true - complexity and impact of music/art and commitment to helping people. It also keeps you in control of what is being discussed as opposed to playing some kind of perpetual whack-a-mole game with lesser publications.

 

[HIStory]

The issue is not how many things you can focus on. It's the futility of promoting a "truth" that involves something not happening. Obviously if the NYT wrote something like that you'd have to write in or organize a response, but chasing around tabloids is a waste of time. Strategically speaking it's just a weak position to be working from. You can drown that stuff out by focusing on what is irrefutably true - complexity and impact of music/art and commitment to helping people. It also keeps you in control of what is being discussed as opposed to playing some kind of perpetual whack-a-mole game with lesser publications.

Had it been only published in the Sunday People you might have been right, but it wasn't. Actually it spread like wildfire (oddly enough more so than the Wade Robson allegations) and crossed over even to mainstream, so called "serious" media as well, many of which reported it as a fact that the FBI released files which prove MJ abused and paid off 24 boys. Why do you think it should be left unchallenged when it's simply not true and when we have proof to show what these documents really are and how the media twisted them?

It's irrefutable truth (without quotation marks!) that these documents do not prove what the tabloid claimed they did (you only have to read them to see that) - ie. that MJ abused abused and paid off 24 boys. It's not "proving negative". It's pointing out that the tabloid simply lies even about what the very documents they attached include. There was also proof found about where these documents come from - ie. from Paul Barresi, as one of these very documents was featured in a documentary in 1994. There Barresi even explains how and why it was produced. It's not an "FBI file". So there is pretty strong evidence for the fact that these documents are not what the tabloids claim they are and it does not involve having to "prove negative", but it involves showing what these documents really are and where they really come from, as well as comparing the tabloids claims in their article with the actual documents they attached.

 

[Lil]

The correct move for anyone bothered by stories like the one above is to fuel with charitable contributions the more tangible, better supported idea that Michael Jackson for the most part was about helping people in need. The more clear that becomes, the less relevant all the rest of it will be.

I think it's tricky to 'keep quiet' about the allegations and instead try to shift the focus to his humanitarian work. You could do both, defend him and focus on his philanthropy and music. Because I've seen a lot of people say 'giving money to charity doesn't make up for abusing children'. They think we try to condone it by saying 'but look at everything he did to help!'.. Because honestly, it doesn't really have anything to do with it imo. Being a child molester doesn't mean you can't give to charity..
Proving Michael didn't do what he was accused of doing by explaining how good of a person he was and all of his efforts to help and heal the world is not going to work, a lot of people already recognize he did good but still think he was a 'freak' in his personal life.
I do think we should try and set them straight, using the facts. It doesn't even really matter if it's pointless, when you know it's the truth you should stick to that and stand up for it. Some people just want to hate/don't care and you will never convince them but the ones that are open to it should at least be able to find the right info to make up their minds. I agree you shouldn't run after every silly tabloid story but this is a serious LIE esp. because of the whole WR thing going on..

 

[hrp102]

Sorry - maybe I misunderstood the nature of the article and I hadn't even heard about it until I saw it on here so I didn't realize it was something that was spreading. If it's the fact about FBI files you were correcting then I'll concede it makes sense to respond . I was just picking on your post to make a general point about the correct way to deal with legacy preservation, etc. .

I'll still defend my main idea because the people that believe the allegations are usually not making their decision based on evidence. For example, they'll say Macaulay Culkin was abused even if he's personally said that that was untrue many times, including under oath. Even if you can force a retraction by lots of news outlets (pretty unlikely), people that believe that sort of thing would just say that there's a "secret" FBI file, or that his lawyers hid the file using money, or some other idiotic thing like that. A handful of publications of record might be important to respond to because people in the future will look back to them for evidence, but really most of these things will just disappear on their own despite how dramatic the short term flare up feels. Think about how many false stories with fake evidence came out in 1993. How many of those does anyone remember or make reference to? How many of those will anyone care about in as little as 5-10 years from now?

Given the circumstances - and I guess no one on here will like this - the alleged acts are not logically impossible and you'll never erase all doubt. The advantage of raising money for charities and supporting books and docs that analyze his work is that in doing so you're actively adding chapters to a larger story. The goal should be to make the allegation chapter (which will exist no matter what anyone does) appropriately small by comparison within a larger context. It's a long term view. The Sandusky example is not really the same thing because he didn't produce a fan base focused on helping people - he wasn't motivating some larger vision about how to contribute to your world. A focused vision carried out into the future will outlast anything else. Yes, you can do more than one thing, but the time invested in fan responses to allegation stories has so little value (with rare exceptions) that it would be better to focus elsewhere. I guess the reason I'm stuck on this point is that that hardly any music focused books have been written and various efforts I've seen to raise money for MJ's charities of choice have received embarrassingly little support from what should be a pretty large fan base. At the same time, emoting over tabloid style stuff draws so much attention. Something about that seems wrong.

 

[WhoIsIt89]

People are going to believe what they want. I know this from experience, there's a handful of people who are the type who actually look at the facts and alter their opinions. But when it comes to Michael, the majority, from what I've experienced, the majority of the people who continue to say these disparaging things about him are the ignorant kind. The type that regardless of what you prove to them, they will continue to believe what they want despite everything telling them otherwise. The people that leave these comments on these articles are simply internet trolls, they won't change their opinion, and they do what they do because they know it will rile people up. You can't have a thoughtful conversation with a ignorant individual.

 

[windy09]

Many good points here. I think it's important to do both. I have seen cases where presenting the facts was successful in changing people's minds and I have seen where it has not. We do what we can, where we can and keep going forward. Seeing what the tabloids have done and are doing to Michael literally turns my stomach. Michael was also targeted by other people to the point of destroying his legacy. . Read the book called The Trials of Michael Jackson. There was and now still seems to be a campaign to hurt Michael. Michael never really had a chance to be free of the greed and inhumane treatment. My heart breaks even more when I read this rubbish. We, as Michael's supporters need to stand up to the tabloid media on his behalf and say "We've Had Enough!" I thought the letter was very good. I hope it has some impact.

 

[sherj]

I truly wished they would get their facts straight before spreading trash about Michael.

 

[soulmum]

Facts and tabloids and even some broadsheets should not be mentioned in the same sentence, lol :no: