The disturbing legacy of Michael Jackson
Good Thursday morning. This is a (mostly) Michael Cohen-free newsletter. By this point, the guess is you’re either fatigued by the coverage or you’re getting the spin you want from the opinion-makers you follow. It’s also a safe bet there’s plenty more Cohen news to come.
Instead, another story is capturing my attention and that’s the upcoming HBO presentation of “Leaving Neverland,” which chronicles the sexual abuse allegations leveled against the late pop star Michael Jackson. The two-part, four-hour documentary will air Sunday and Monday from 8-10 p.m. Eastern. It explores the alleged experiences of two boys, James Safechuck (at age 10) and Wade Robson (at age 7), who claim Jackson sexually abused them. Safechuck is now 40; Robson is 36.
Jackson’s family went on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday and slammed director Dan Reed’s documentary, saying the allegations were false. That interview came a day after Reed was on “CBS This Morning” to defend his decision not to talk to Jackson’s family for his film because Reed claimed they knew nothing about the alleged abuse.
Allegations of Jackson having inappropriate relationships with minors are not new, yet he and his music remain wildly popular as we approach the 10th anniversary of his death. He is still the King of Pop, yet as Jack Hamilton writes for Slate, it gets complicated as his fans try to sidestep the possibility that Jackson might have molested children.
As Margaret Sullivan wrote earlier this week, a documentary on Lifetime had real impact on the R. Kelly sexual assault allegations. Might this documentary change the world’s predominantly positive view of Jackson, and how the media treats Jackson from now on? Up until now, and for the most part, the media has been fairly kind, or at least tolerant, to Jackson.
But that could shift. “Leaving Neverland” has allegations so disturbing and graphic that when it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last month, Sundance had counselors in the lobby for any viewers who needed psychological help. US Weekly film critic Mara Reinstein tweeted she was “sick to her stomach” after watching the first half.
Now there’s more. It was announced Wednesday that Oprah Winfrey will do a taped interview with Safechuck and Robson that will air at 10 p.m. Eastern on Monday, immediately following part two of the film. Winfrey’s interview, which will be taped Thursday before an audience that includes survivors of sexual abuse, will air on both HBO and Winfrey’s OWN network. Reed also will reportedly be included in the conversation.
It’s impossible to say what Winfrey’s approach will be, but given that it will be done in front of sexual abuse survivors, it seems unlikely that Winfrey will push too hard. Perhaps it would have been better for Winfrey to do the interview without an audience, but she shouldn’t be critiqued until the interview actually airs.
Barring reporters over Cohen?
OK, we do have a Michael Cohen mention. Sort of.
CNN’s Brian Stelter reports that several American reporters were blocked from attending a media availability with President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un early Wednesday during the leaders’ meeting in Vietnam, possibly because Trump did not want to answer any more questions about Cohen ahead of his former attorney’s Congressional testimony. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said some reporters were not allowed because of “the sensitive nature of the meetings.” But Stelter wrote, “press limitations were an abrupt change — suggesting that the president didn’t want to hear any more questions about Cohen.”
Another journalist abducted in Venezuela
These are dangerous times to be a journalist in Venezuela. On Monday, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and his team were detained for more than two hours by President Nicolas Maduro’s regime because Maduro didn’t like the line of questioning and a Univision video of children rummaging through a garbage truck for food, Ramos alleged. That prompted a thoughtful piece from the Washington Post’s Leon Krauze about Mexico’s relationship with Maduro.
Then Tuesday, another reporter was detained. Noticias Telemundo’s Daniel Garrido said he was abducted and held for six hours and questioned by a group of unidentified armed men. His equipment was seized and he was freed without explanation.
As part of a lengthy statement that detailed the abduction, Noticias Telemundo wrote that it “repudiates this type of harassment that threatens freedom of expression and human rights. It demands that the Venezuelan government guarantees our right to inform, as well as the physical integrity of journalists operating in Venezuela, as established by international agreements and local legislation.”
A potential blow against journalism in Kentucky
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that a Kentucky House panel wants to expand the scope of a bill that would weaken the state’s Open Records Act. Amye Bensenhaver, a former assistant attorney general who is well-versed in Kentucky’s open records and open meeting laws, told the paper, “They really want a government that operates in darkness.”
The original bill had several exemptions in the open records law to conceal information about the state economic development incentives offered to companies. The new bill would allow only Kentucky residents to use the Open Records Act. That means no one outside of Kentucky, including journalists from just over the state lines in Cincinnati, could make open records requests. Bensenhaver said the changes “absolutely horrify” her and that “they’ve taken a wrecking ball” to the government transparency laws.
New Media results
For this item, here’s Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds:
New Media Investment Group, parent of the GateHouse chain, reported moderately stronger financial results for the last quarter of 2018 than have other publicly traded newspaper companies. New Media squeezed out a $13.3 million profit for the quarter on revenues of $416 million, a margin of 3 percent. Print ad revenues were down 15 percent year-to-year for the quarter and 13.7 percent for the full year — not good, but not as bad as the 20 percent declines reported recently by Gannett, Tribune Publishing and McClatchy. And with growth in several specialty digital businesses, the company held total revenue declines to 5.6 percent.
The acquisitive chain has now spent $1 billion over three years and publishes 156 dailies — well over a tenth of all U.S. newspapers.
Worth mentioning
The Hollywood Reporter has a really smart piece about why Jussie Smollett might have faked a hate crime.
The Columbia Journalism Review has started rolling out “The Perception Issue,” looking at how the media is viewed.
Jenna Bush Hager will be joining Hoda Kotb as the co-host of the fourth hour of the “Today” show after Kathie Lee Gifford departs in April.
The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch continues his addictive series of sportswriters recalling the most memorable games they ever covered. The latest is from hockey writers.
Love this story from the Tampa Bay Times’ Christopher Spata about wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista.
I wrote yesterday how today is the last time Dan Patrick’s radio show will be simulcast on NBCSN. Now we know where he’s headed. The Big Lead broke the story — and Patrick confirmed it on his show Wednesday — that his show will aired on B/R Live, which is Bleacher Report’s streaming platform. That’s available on iPhones, Androids, web browsers and smart TV devices such as Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Patrick’s show also will continue to air on DirecTV.
Upcoming Poynter training:
- Poynter Producer Project. Extended Deadline: Tomorrow!
- ACES In-Depth Editing (Online Group Seminar). Begins March 1.
Want to get this briefing in your inbox? Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.
