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Conviction by media

by Taylor Kingsbury
Staff Writer

Defamed pop superstar Michael Jackson has found himself in a spot of trouble yet again.

You may remember my previous defense of Jackson in these pages. Everything I said then still stands, but there are now weightier concerns to address.

We now have an alleged victim to consider, not just a reclusive alien being who has been mercilessly maligned for more than a decade.

While the molestation charges against Jackson will not be aired in a courtroom for at least a year, the court of public opinion is open for business, and the masses have made their decision: Michael Jackson is a guilty man.

This is a rather curious determination, however, especially considering that we do not know whom the victim is, or the nature of the alleged crimes, and the public has not seen a single piece of evidence.

The fact that Jackson was previously accused of molesting a minor has helped cement the public’s ruling.

However, the short-sighted populous is overlooking the fact that no formal charges were ever filed during that investigation, and the family of Jordie Chandler apparently decided that whatever went on between Jackson and his young accuser was perfectly okay once they received a multi-million dollar settlement.

I’m sure there are parents reading this column. I am not one myself, but I can say with absolute certainty that if someone molested my child, that case would never see a courtroom. Instead, I would find myself on trial for murder after tearing the piece of garbage who hurt my child into tiny, unrecognizable chunks.

Even if police custody kept the perpetrator from my vengeful hands, no amount of money would persuade me to decline the pursuit of the most extreme punishment the law allows. I’m sure any parent would agree with me. That is, except for Jordie Chandler’s.

So, either the Chandler family allowed their son to become the highest-paid whore in history, or the allegations made in 1993 were concocted for the very purpose they yielded. The latter seems not only likely, but absolutely accurate, especially since according to the files on the closed case, there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that a crime had been committed.

Now, given that Jackson has been targeted previously, and the accusing family was rewarded handsomely for their deception, isn’t it just a little possible that we are seeing a reoccurrence of 10 years ago?

Consider the fact that Jackson turned himself in to face the charges.

Generally, guilty people do not submit to custody unless doing so is part of a plea bargain attempt. Instead, Jackson is proclaiming his innocence, and vowing to fight the charges in court. There will be no payola this time.

On the surface, this may seem an adequate solution to thwart the possibility of greedy accusation by the alleged victim. However, you don’t need to have read the Campus Times three weeks ago to know that, even if Jackson is found innocent of criminal conduct, his accuser can still look forward to a fortune in book deals and interview specials.

There is a clear double standard here, since the alleged victim’s name cannot be legally revealed at this time. This is done to protect the accuser in situations like these, but if the scenario I am describing is accurate, then Jackson is the real victim; an innocent man who will forever linked to this atrocious crime.

Given that the alleged victim in this situation is a minor, the mandatory discretion is understandable.

However, are we not seeing the same events unfolding for Kobe Bryant? Bryant’s accuser is no child, yet her name is shrouded in secrecy, while Bryant has been very publicly outed as a rapist.

In this case, inconsistencies in the alleged victim’s story have already been revealed, leaving the more than minute possibility that Bryant is innocent of the crime he is being charged with.

Like Bryant, Jackson now has an unflattering stigma attached to his already tarnished media image.

The majority of Americans who have heard the thumbnail facts of Jackson’s case and decided he is guilty will not stick around to make sure they hear the whole story.

Because of the way our media shapes their meager facts into something entertaining for the mindless morons who consume such gossip, Michael Jackson is now the “King of Child Molestation.”

The word around the water cooler is not “Did you hear that Michael Jackson has been accused of lewd activity with a minor?”; it’s “Did you hear that Michael Jackson had sex with a teenage boy?”

All right, I’m with you: Michael Jackson is a freak. I, too, have been plagued with chronic nightmares since the police released his horrifying mug shot.

But, as I have said before, our media does not want to inform us, just entertain. “Michael Jackson – Innocent Target for Money-Hungry Vultures” does not sell commercial time, but the public absolutely devours “Michael Jackson – Baby Raping Monster.”

Don’t get me wrong. If Michael Jackson is truly guilty of the crime he is alleged to have committed, then he deserves the most severe punishment the court can deliver. I say that knowing that if Michael Jackson goes to prison he will die, and if that were the case I would concur that he got exactly what a child molester deserves.

But, considering that we don’t know a damn thing about this case yet, let’s reserve our judgment until we see that facts presented in court. Our system doesn’t work well enough as it is, so let’s not further corrupt it by changing our battle cry to “innocent until proven guilty- unless you’re a celebrity.”

Taylor Kingsbury, a senior journalism major, is a columnist for the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at happyendingrocks@hotmail.com.