 |
         
|
On such a busy day of news there really was no excuse for NBC to treat the housekeeping follow-up to last week's blockbuster as its lead item. There was nothing compelling in the tidbits of information about Michael Jackson to make the late singer occupy the top spot on a nightly newscast. Such gossipy fare belongs on Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight instead.
Anyway, NBC's Lee Cowan told us that some of Jackson's kinfolk believe he died intestate while "others say there is a will." CBS' Ben Tracy (no link) saw "a potential legal battle brewing" over the custody of the Jackson orphans, now temporarily in the custody of grandmother Katherine. Tracy quoted TMZ.com, "which broke the news of Jackson's death" as quoting "one of the singer's former lawyers" as claiming to be in possession of a signed will. ABC's Jim Avila quoted the attorney for Jackson's physician as denying that he injected his patient with prescription Demerol on the day he died. CBS' Tracy repeated rumors that Jackson's body was "riddled with needle wounds, that he was nearly bald, that he weighed just 112 lbs" before telling us that most of those rumors had been contradicted by the Los Angeles County Coroner.
And on and on…
NBC's Rehema Ellis, at least, tried to cover the wider cultural importance of Jackson's career. Ellis, who happens to be African-American, reported that some blacks had experienced "a particular kind of discomfort" at the sight of Jackson changing his face, hair and skin to appear less negro. His death changed that, she generalized: "Jackson may have regained what propelled him to stardom in the first place--widespread acceptance from the community he came from."
You must be logged in to this website to leave a comment. Please click here to log in so you can participate in the discussion.
