The one-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death is like déjà vu all over again.
It isn't hard to spot the stories revolving around the “mysterious” events of Jackson's death. CBS' “Early Show” devoted a full hour of the June 25 show to MJ-related stories. ABC's “20/20” was scheduled to air a 2-hour special that night. Time magazine contributed a 1,000-word feature to the growing pile of “In Memory of MJ” articles.
Jackson is still thrilling the media one year after his much-publicized sudden death on June 25, 2009. And once again, the media are staying silent on Jackson's controversial past and focusing instead on his ever-expanding empire.
Jackson's concert documentary “This is It” grossed a total of $200 million in sales last year, according to NBC reports. His Neverland estate raised a whopping $780 million dollars for charities. His “Number Ones” album, released last year, made it to No. 1 on Billboard's top digital album artist list of 2009 with 31 million albums sold.
In addition to the highlighting his posthumous sales, the media put the spotlight on adoring fans and the good things he was remembered for. Neither CBS' “Early Show” nor NBC's “Today” show gave more than a quick mention of the numerous child molestation allegations and Jackson's drug addiction.
Jackson's most devoted fans may have forgiven and forgotten about Jackson's blemished past, but they're not being shown the full picture of the musician's legacy and impact.
Jackson's death last year received an enormous amount of media coverage and public attention, overshadowing all other news events for at least two weeks, from passage of cap-and-trade legislation to the deaths of seven American soldiers in Afghanistan.
The MRC also found that in the 13 days following his death, the major broadcast networks devoted at least two minutes every single night to stories revolving around Jackson's death. Jackson also received 20 times more media attention than stories about combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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