The power of media to socialize and indoctrinate consumers—often against their will—should not be underestimated. Young viewers who have grown up in the celebrity news era are more susceptible to this type of programming—positive or negative. Those under 30 years old are more likely to blame the public, rather than the media, for the prevalence of gossip news, whereas those over 30 are more likely to blame media corporations instead of the public. Growing up at a time when celebrity news was not the norm, older Americans know the difference between serious news and news without substance, and they are reacting skeptically to the growth in fluff. It is in this media environment that Michael Jackson was forced to defend himself against well-orchestrated extortion by Evan Chandler, the father of Jordan Chandler.
Extortion cannot exist without the complicity of a media that reports only the side of the story that sells newspapers. In this case, hardly anyone asked what kind of parent would accept money instead of justice. Only one reporter investigated the extortionist. Her story is here.
Was Michael Jackson Framed?—by Mary A. Fischer
