Absolutely, because they aren't teenagers who have all day to sit around reading court documents or digging for the truth. Most people have very busy lives, so figuring out if Michael Jackson is/was a pedophile was never high up on their list of priorities. They were counting on the press to summarize and condense the information for them, but in MJ's case, the press did their best to make him look guilty. So, I don't get in arguments with people or get upset at their opinions, because I completely understand how they came to their conclusions. The media completely manipulated all the information and made people think what they did.
Bashir went above and beyond what a typical person would do. He was playing on people's suspicions and fears and simply used Michael to play up the drama. Unfortunately, it make Bashir famous and now he's on NightLine.