On the Michael Jackson media debacle

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Denise Caruso <denise () caruso com>
Date: June 16, 2005 10:38:26 AM EDT
To: farber () dsl cis upenn edu
Subject: On the Michael Jackson media debacle


Dave,

I thought this was a very well done summation of everything that was  
wrong with the Michael Jackson trial, which thank God I didn't have  
to deal with much since I don't have a TV.  For IP if you'd like; I  
know it's not the usual fare for the list, but it's an important  
message.

Denise

Michael's Media Circus
By Monica Mehta, AlterNet
Posted on June 16, 2005, Printed on June 16, 2005
http://www.alternet.org/story/22239/

The debacle known as the Michael Jackson case is finally over, with  
the pop star acquitted of all charges, and the country is the worse  
off for it. It didn't have to be this way. We could have learned  
something.

At its heart, the case was about one of the most despicable of  
crimes: child sexual abuse. It's difficult to think of anything worse  
a human being could do than prey on an innocent, defenseless child.  
In prison, child sex abusers are the bottom feeders, below even  
murderers. They must often be separated from the rest of the  
population for fear of being killed by other inmates.

But precisely because of its taboo nature, there are also few topics  
the public is more fascinated with. Daily news reports on the Jackson  
trial fed this obsession: A former security guard claimed he saw  
Jackson kneeling to perform oral sex on a naked boy. The younger  
brother of the accuser said he saw Jackson masturbating with his hand  
down the accuser's pants. Police found a pornographic book with nude  
prepubescent boys in suggestive poses at the ranch. The sordid  
details went on and on.

And then, somehow, it was suddenly okay to joke about kids being  
molested. "Saturday Night Live" comedian Amy Poehler joked, "The  
judge in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial selected 250  
candidates for the jury pool, while Jackson himself has selected 20  
for the kiddie pool." An online movie showed an animated Jackson  
singing, "Hey little Billy with the high tops on, Check out this  
nudie mag but please don't tell your mom; Let's have a party at  
Neverland, pay no attention to where I put my gloved hand."

Another website featured a game called "Escape from Neverland," in  
which players could shoot little boys trying to flee from the ranch.  
Jay Leno was the worst of all, with nightly routines like, "Michael  
Jackson is broke and can't even afford the payroll at Neverland  
Ranch. So the next time you see Michael with his hands in a 12-year- 
old's pocket, he might just be looking for lunch money."

The barrage of nauseating particulars by day, coupled with the  
merciless jokes by night, served to desensitize Americans to the  
seriousness of the allegations. Amidst all this, the media gave up  
the opportunity to focus responsibly on what was at the heart of the  
case.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7  
boys are molested before the age of 18. Sixty-seven percent of all  
reported victims of sexual assault are minors, and 34 percent of  
those victims are under the age of 12, according to the National  
Incident-Based Reporting System -- and these figures are considered  
low. Ninety-three percent of juvenile sexual assault victims know  
their attacker. Media and community groups might have encouraged more  
responsible awareness of the issue, while avoiding the climate of  
near-hysteria in cases such as Elizabeth Smart's abduction. There is  
a precedent for such public information campaigns; when O.J. Simpson  
was tried for allegedly killing his wife after many incidents of  
violence towards her, the topic of domestic violence was spotlighted  
in the media. But in this case, the public, and the press, were too  
busy focusing on what was in the King of Pop's porn collection.

Now, it's all over. Jackson will remain a social pariah. The  
prosecutor who spent 12 years trying to get him has lost face. The 15- 
year-old known only as "the accuser" will likely continue to suffer  
the consequences of irresponsible parenting; a mother who put her son  
in harm's way and seemingly cost him the case; and a father who  
pleaded no contest to child cruelty charges in 2002.

Yet another media circus has made us even more desensitized, and  
increased our appetite for destruction.

Monica Mehta is an associate editor at AlterNet. For resources on  
this issue, visit Stop It Now! The Campaign to Prevent Child Sexual  
Abuse.

© 2005 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/22239/


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