from MJJF:
========================================================
Here's an abstract of a paper that will be presented at a conference at Yale
Abstract:
"American Whacko: Media, Democracy and Michael Jackson"
Media’s obsession with all things Michael Jackson is not new: from rumors of the eccentric star sleeping in oxygen chamber to ever-changing shape of his nose — Jackson’s persona remains a cheap way to please an easily distracted and increasingly fickle audience. However, current developments in the criminal case against Jackson bring to light a much more troubling trend — the ability and willingness of the law and government officials to manipulate the media to further their personal and/or political agenda. A look at the publicly available information from credible sources, including major news agencies, suggests that both recent and decade-old allegations against Michael Jackson were driven by greed and corruption. This paper presents evidence of the Santa Barbara officials trying to influence public opinion through spectacle hungry media and contrasts it with strikingly similar methods employed by the U.S. government during the recent Medicare debate as well as war in Iraq. Although the public appears to be engrossed by scandalous and celebrity-driven news, the decline in analytical coverage threatens not only the credibility of the media but that of the government and other democratic institutions.
=======================
The conference is scheduled for the end of September. The organizers will provide a more detailed program shortly.
========================================================
Here's an abstract of a paper that will be presented at a conference at Yale
Abstract:
"American Whacko: Media, Democracy and Michael Jackson"
Media’s obsession with all things Michael Jackson is not new: from rumors of the eccentric star sleeping in oxygen chamber to ever-changing shape of his nose — Jackson’s persona remains a cheap way to please an easily distracted and increasingly fickle audience. However, current developments in the criminal case against Jackson bring to light a much more troubling trend — the ability and willingness of the law and government officials to manipulate the media to further their personal and/or political agenda. A look at the publicly available information from credible sources, including major news agencies, suggests that both recent and decade-old allegations against Michael Jackson were driven by greed and corruption. This paper presents evidence of the Santa Barbara officials trying to influence public opinion through spectacle hungry media and contrasts it with strikingly similar methods employed by the U.S. government during the recent Medicare debate as well as war in Iraq. Although the public appears to be engrossed by scandalous and celebrity-driven news, the decline in analytical coverage threatens not only the credibility of the media but that of the government and other democratic institutions.
=======================
The conference is scheduled for the end of September. The organizers will provide a more detailed program shortly.
