Michael Jackson's Law - Truth In Journalism

lovemj4everandever · October 2010

There’s nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one.

~Michael Jackson

First, it’s necessary to define a new term. Medialoid (mainstream media infected by tabloid journalism) publishes content that is more suitable for tabloid publications.

Proposed
Michael Jackson’s Law

Part 1 — Professionalization of Journalism. Many occupations require licensing; for example, doctors, lawyers, architects, and accountants must be licensed in all 50 states. To qualify, one must graduate from an accredited university and pass a rigorous board examination. A license doesn’t guarantee a doctor, lawyer, architect, or accountant will be competent. However, licensing prevents a plumber from operating on a person, a homemaker from arguing in court, a dog groomer from designing a building, or a student from maintaining the books of a corporation.

Is it no less important that those entrusted with reporting world events be licensed? Reporters should not be allowed to call themselves journalists unless they graduate from an accredited university with a degree in journalism (including at least one course in journalism ethics and one course in communications and media law) and pass a rigorous board examination.

Media play a huge role in our lives. Television, radio, the Internet, movies, books, and newspapers inform and influence our ideas, opinions, values, and beliefs. They shape our understanding of the world and give us the information we need to hold our leaders accountable. They help us separate fact from opinion.

If formal journalism training and licensing had been required of Diane Dimond and Nancy Grace, neither would have been hired by any news organization. If either had been hired without credentials, the news company that hired them may have been fined for hiring unlicensed persons. Clearly, if Dimond and Grace had not been perceived as journalists, their works of fiction may not have confused the public.

The Society of Professional Journalists believes that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of a journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and balanced account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. A journalist shall lose his or her license for failing to adhere to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity.

Code of Ethics for Journalists

Part 2 — Defaming the dead shall be prohibited. A deceased person’s heirs can sue for libel and slander as aggressively as the person who was defamed when he or she was alive.

Part 3 — News agencies, journalists, and all media shall use public disclaimers to alert and educate readers and viewers regarding content. For example, the Food and Drug Administration protects against harmful claims that are misleading to the public. The following disclaimer must be included on products that purport to be effective but do not have FDA approval:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or medical condition.

Following is a proposed disclaimer that shall accompany all medialoid content:

The views expressed herein may not have been fact-checked or verified according to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity. In addition, rumor, barely credible sources, an appeal to emotion and the use of checkbook journalism may be a part of this story or program. This story or program is for entertainment purposes only and was not reviewed by a licensed journalist.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects against deceptive advertising that is misleading to the public. In like manner, a governing body shall be formed to uphold standards of ethics and integrity in journalism, oversee licensing for journalists, and protect against media practices that are harmful or mislead the public.

It will take a long time and much effort to pass this proposed legislation. We need your support. Please join us by subscribing to our newsletter.

Tort Law and Journalistic Ethics: Too Late For Michael Jackson—by Richard T. Karcher

Professionalization: Fusion of Media Freedom and Responsibility—Why Michael Jackson’s Law Must be Passed—by John C. Merrill

Nakiska · October 2010

I've subscribed to this already. I think its amazing. With dedication I'm sure its possible to get this done for Michael.

suspicious mind · October 2010

here are articles connected to the two blue text statements





i think one has to be careful with some of this stuff. can look good on the surface but the devil is in the details. not saying that is the case here but one can never be too careful ;)

Its her · October 2010

There’s nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one.

~Michael Jackson

First, it’s necessary to define a new term. Medialoid (mainstream media infected by tabloid journalism) publishes content that is more suitable for tabloid publications.

Proposed
Michael Jackson’s Law

Part 1 — Professionalization of Journalism. Many occupations require licensing; for example, doctors, lawyers, architects, and accountants must be licensed in all 50 states. To qualify, one must graduate from an accredited university and pass a rigorous board examination. A license doesn’t guarantee a doctor, lawyer, architect, or accountant will be competent. However, licensing prevents a plumber from operating on a person, a homemaker from arguing in court, a dog groomer from designing a building, or a student from maintaining the books of a corporation.

Is it no less important that those entrusted with reporting world events be licensed? Reporters should not be allowed to call themselves journalists unless they graduate from an accredited university with a degree in journalism (including at least one course in journalism ethics and one course in communications and media law) and pass a rigorous board examination.

Media play a huge role in our lives. Television, radio, the Internet, movies, books, and newspapers inform and influence our ideas, opinions, values, and beliefs. They shape our understanding of the world and give us the information we need to hold our leaders accountable. They help us separate fact from opinion.

If formal journalism training and licensing had been required of Diane Dimond and Nancy Grace, neither would have been hired by any news organization. If either had been hired without credentials, the news company that hired them may have been fined for hiring unlicensed persons. Clearly, if Dimond and Grace had not been perceived as journalists, their works of fiction may not have confused the public.

The Society of Professional Journalists believes that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of a journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and balanced account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. A journalist shall lose his or her license for failing to adhere to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity.

Code of Ethics for Journalists

Part 2 — Defaming the dead shall be prohibited. A deceased person’s heirs can sue for libel and slander as aggressively as the person who was defamed when he or she was alive.

Part 3 — News agencies, journalists, and all media shall use public disclaimers to alert and educate readers and viewers regarding content. For example, the Food and Drug Administration protects against harmful claims that are misleading to the public. The following disclaimer must be included on products that purport to be effective but do not have FDA approval:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or medical condition.

Following is a proposed disclaimer that shall accompany all medialoid content:

The views expressed herein may not have been fact-checked or verified according to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity. In addition, rumor, barely credible sources, an appeal to emotion and the use of checkbook journalism may be a part of this story or program. This story or program is for entertainment purposes only and was not reviewed by a licensed journalist.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects against deceptive advertising that is misleading to the public. In like manner, a governing body shall be formed to uphold standards of ethics and integrity in journalism, oversee licensing for journalists, and protect against media practices that are harmful or mislead the public.

It will take a long time and much effort to pass this proposed legislation. We need your support. Please join us by subscribing to our newsletter. there is

Tort Law and Journalistic Ethics: Too Late For Michael Jackson—by Richard T. Karcher

Professionalization: Fusion of Media Freedom and Responsibility—Why Michael Jackson’s Law Must be Passed—by John C. Merrill

http://mjtruthnow.com/mainstream-media/ ... ksons-law/

:) Well...JMO,
Some additional food for thought, before embracing this kind of proposed legislation with eager arms... there is FACT news, and there is everything else: gossip, speculation, humor, outright fiction, and entertainment.

Society has taken somewhat of a sick turn, in that even genteel folk indulge in gossip for sport and entertainment. It used to be a sin to spread tales about people. It was not nice or kind to poke fun at someone else's business or make "stuff" up about them.

It became less stigmatized by the very beginnings of gossip columns, and back fence chit chat in old time gazettes and newspapers, doing it “all in fun”, for entertainment, at the expense of people who were already public figures. Something about already being famous, made it ok to talk all the time about them, truth or conjecture. It is the nature of people to crave a good "scoop".

Before radio and TV, it took forever to hear some news about people. If it WAS gossip, it did no harm, except to the soul of the gossiper, because it took forever to get around, if it EVER got back to it's subject.

TV further blurred the lines between truth and fiction, by dishing everything out as entertainment. Or, should I say, more entertaining than the next network, once there came to be some competition. Competition breeds desperation and subterfuge in some. It had to happen, eventually that news organizations and print media would begin to make up the news. Sensationalize it just a bit...this is already a crime, to publish bogus news as fact. But the general public is simply too disinterested in holding feet to the fire, in every instance of falsehood they see...There would be a lot less simply rolling the eyes if it were them, but it is usually not.

I don't think the problem is the source. There have been false statements presented as fact since the dawn of Time. God didn't strangle (or even shackle or gag) every liar. He simply said to US, "Be careful what you hear"; what you LET into your mind. People need to be taught from "toddlerhood", to simply be more discriminating. Especially in things which,"...shape our understanding of the world..."

Some things damage one's soul if they get inside...I am my own Gatekeeper, here.

Gossip and tabloid lies abound, because, surprize--- there is a MARKET for it.

One thing we don't need is more government control :roll: ! Especially just because some people are such immature, indiscriminating or downright simple thinkers, they can't differentiate between something true and something which is no way newsworthy at all, let alone worth their personal time...some people---many, many people, these days, place little value on the most valuable thing they have been given, personal Time.

Btw, FYI, the FDA is in bed with Big Pharma. This is what asking the Government to parent grown adults does: utilizing the power we gave them, they do warnings, frightening people about herbs and vitamins and natural supplements like minerals, so that people will just give up being responsible for their own health and defer all decision making to their doctor(s), who are killing people daily with prescription drugs :x .

Oh, and if you DO sidestep their BS and go to buy health foods and supplements anyway, it now breaks the bank! I remember when a pint sized bottle of Vitamin E was a couple of bucks. Now, it is twenty times that! Remember, ten or 15 years ago when the vitamin stores were saying to customers to write your congressman, or lose your power to even have the option to purchase certain health items, which you NEED to stave off the effects of their pharmaceuticals!

The sentence in the post, above, which I bolded is evidence of concessions which the health food companies had to make, to even be allowed to exist here. They had to agree to a LIE being printed on every bottle of even a completely natural substance, like dehydrated carrots, or apricot seeds, which have been documented ad infinitum to have healed people of cancers :!: just to be allowed on American shelves. We don't need any more government interference in our lives.

(Did anyone know, coumadin will eventually kill you, without a few micrograms of vitamin K...don't take my word for it---look it up! The evil is, that they tell you it would take twenty pounds of cabbage to get those few micrograms, so obviously, your God never meant that you needed that much. For any one who really wants some Truth: God made man; man made coumadin, to kill rats with. We get enough Vit. K from a single serving of cabbage UNLESS we are also eating the rat poison, commonly known as coumadin...)

I am perfectly willing to have some kind of disclaimer placed on a publication a TV program and a video, stating that it is a work of total fiction, ON THE FACE of it, for people who don't stick around for the credits and disclaimers at the end of the work, or read the Library of Congress classification in the lead pages of a book, etc., etc., just like the disclaimer Saturday morning TV programmers were required to place before each commercial message in between the cartoons, and puppet shows, FOR KIDS.

It would be acceptable to hold people who say they are speaking facts, to their word, to require some integrity. But, there already are laws about all of this which no one is enforcing. :arrow: Look it up, USE EXISTING LAW, to make your point; don't beg to be enslaved further.

Incidentally, the restraints which are proposed just in this post, would criminalize Michael Jackson's Death Hoax Adventure, everyone who participated in it, and stifle the Art and Entertainment world in general.... Although he is frustrated by all the wrong in the World, specifically modern media tactics to make a buck at his and others' expense, MJ himself could never come back to this new world as proposed! He has enough Big Brothers and he's sure not risking going to prison again.

Here is something else: just to be clear, are we going for Pure Truth? Are we interested enough in the truth to ban airbrushing and photoshopping out, of imperfections in the pictures of publications, or that's ok? Just lie to us in the name of selling a more pleasing figure on the cover, perfection, so we can all grow up feeling as though we can never measure up, ourselves? Or, may we look forward to perusing every super model's secret warts, now? It's a double edged sword. Book banning is probably next. :oops: Not trying to be the devil. Just very, very sensitive to Oppression. :?

.

suspicious mind · October 2010

There’s nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one.

~Michael Jackson

First, it’s necessary to define a new term. Medialoid (mainstream media infected by tabloid journalism) publishes content that is more suitable for tabloid publications.

Proposed
Michael Jackson’s Law

Part 1 — Professionalization of Journalism. Many occupations require licensing; for example, doctors, lawyers, architects, and accountants must be licensed in all 50 states. To qualify, one must graduate from an accredited university and pass a rigorous board examination. A license doesn’t guarantee a doctor, lawyer, architect, or accountant will be competent. However, licensing prevents a plumber from operating on a person, a homemaker from arguing in court, a dog groomer from designing a building, or a student from maintaining the books of a corporation.

Is it no less important that those entrusted with reporting world events be licensed? Reporters should not be allowed to call themselves journalists unless they graduate from an accredited university with a degree in journalism (including at least one course in journalism ethics and one course in communications and media law) and pass a rigorous board examination.

Media play a huge role in our lives. Television, radio, the Internet, movies, books, and newspapers inform and influence our ideas, opinions, values, and beliefs. They shape our understanding of the world and give us the information we need to hold our leaders accountable. They help us separate fact from opinion.

If formal journalism training and licensing had been required of Diane Dimond and Nancy Grace, neither would have been hired by any news organization. If either had been hired without credentials, the news company that hired them may have been fined for hiring unlicensed persons. Clearly, if Dimond and Grace had not been perceived as journalists, their works of fiction may not have confused the public.

The Society of Professional Journalists believes that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of a journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and balanced account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. A journalist shall lose his or her license for failing to adhere to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity.

Code of Ethics for Journalists

Part 2 — Defaming the dead shall be prohibited. A deceased person’s heirs can sue for libel and slander as aggressively as the person who was defamed when he or she was alive.

Part 3 — News agencies, journalists, and all media shall use public disclaimers to alert and educate readers and viewers regarding content. For example, the Food and Drug Administration protects against harmful claims that are misleading to the public. The following disclaimer must be included on products that purport to be effective but do not have FDA approval:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or medical condition.

Following is a proposed disclaimer that shall accompany all medialoid content:

The views expressed herein may not have been fact-checked or verified according to principles of journalistic ethics and integrity. In addition, rumor, barely credible sources, an appeal to emotion and the use of checkbook journalism may be a part of this story or program. This story or program is for entertainment purposes only and was not reviewed by a licensed journalist.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects against deceptive advertising that is misleading to the public. In like manner, a governing body shall be formed to uphold standards of ethics and integrity in journalism, oversee licensing for journalists, and protect against media practices that are harmful or mislead the public.

It will take a long time and much effort to pass this proposed legislation. We need your support. Please join us by subscribing to our newsletter. there is

Tort Law and Journalistic Ethics: Too Late For Michael Jackson—by Richard T. Karcher

Professionalization: Fusion of Media Freedom and Responsibility—Why Michael Jackson’s Law Must be Passed—by John C. Merrill

http://mjtruthnow.com/mainstream-media/ ... ksons-law/

:) Well...JMO,
Some additional food for thought, before embracing this kind of proposed legislation with eager arms... there is FACT news, and there is everything else: gossip, speculation, humor, outright fiction, and entertainment.

Society has taken somewhat of a sick turn, in that even genteel folk indulge in gossip for sport and entertainment. It used to be a sin to spread tales about people. It was not nice or kind to poke fun at someone else's business or make "stuff" up about them.

It became less stigmatized by the very beginnings of gossip columns, and back fence chit chat in old time gazettes and newspapers, doing it “all in fun”, for entertainment, at the expense of people who were already public figures. Something about already being famous, made it ok to talk all the time about them, truth or conjecture. It is the nature of people to crave a good "scoop".

Before radio and TV, it took forever to hear some news about people. If it WAS gossip, it did no harm, except to the soul of the gossiper, because it took forever to get around, if it EVER got back to it's subject.

TV further blurred the lines between truth and fiction, by dishing everything out as entertainment. Or, should I say, more entertaining than the next network, once there came to be some competition. Competition breeds desperation and subterfuge in some. It had to happen, eventually that news organizations and print media would begin to make up the news. Sensationalize it just a bit...this is already a crime, to publish bogus news as fact. But the general public is simply too disinterested in holding feet to the fire, in every instance of falsehood they see...There would be a lot less simply rolling the eyes if it were them, but it is usually not.

I don't think the problem is the source. There have been false statements presented as fact since the dawn of Time. God didn't strangle (or even shackle or gag) every liar. He simply said to US, "Be careful what you hear"; what you LET into your mind. People need to be taught from "toddlerhood", to simply be more discriminating. Especially in things which,"...shape our understanding of the world..."

Some things damage one's soul if they get inside...I am my own Gatekeeper, here.

Gossip and tabloid lies abound, because, surprize--- there is a MARKET for it.

One thing we don't need is more government control :roll: ! Especially just because some people are such immature, indiscriminating or downright simple thinkers, they can't differentiate between something true and something which is no way newsworthy at all, let alone worth their personal time...some people---many, many people, these days, place little value on the most valuable thing they have been given, personal Time.

Btw, FYI, the FDA is in bed with Big Pharma. This is what asking the Government to parent grown adults does: utilizing the power we gave them, they do warnings, frightening people about herbs and vitamins and natural supplements like minerals, so that people will just give up being responsible for their own health and defer all decision making to their doctor(s), who are killing people daily with prescription drugs :x .

Oh, and if you DO sidestep their BS and go to buy health foods and supplements anyway, it now breaks the bank! I remember when a pint sized bottle of Vitamin E was a couple of bucks. Now, it is twenty times that! Remember, ten or 15 years ago when the vitamin stores were saying to customers to write your congressman, or lose your power to even have the option to purchase certain health items, which you NEED to stave off the effects of their pharmaceuticals!

The sentence in the post, above, which I bolded is evidence of concessions which the health food companies had to make, to even be allowed to exist here. They had to agree to a LIE being printed on every bottle of even a completely natural substance, like dehydrated carrots, or apricot seeds, which have been documented ad infinitum to have healed people of cancers :!: just to be allowed on American shelves. We don't need any more government interference in our lives.

(Did anyone know, coumadin will eventually kill you, without a few micrograms of vitamin K...don't take my word for it---look it up! The evil is, that they tell you it would take twenty pounds of cabbage to get those few micrograms, so obviously, your God never meant that you needed that much. For any one who really wants some Truth: God made man; man made coumadin, to kill rats with. We get enough Vit. K from a single serving of cabbage UNLESS we are also eating the rat poison, commonly known as coumadin...)

I am perfectly willing to have some kind of disclaimer placed on a publication a TV program and a video, stating that it is a work of total fiction, ON THE FACE of it, for people who don't stick around for the credits and disclaimers at the end of the work, or read the Library of Congress classification in the lead pages of a book, etc., etc., just like the disclaimer Saturday morning TV programmers were required to place before each commercial message in between the cartoons, and puppet shows, FOR KIDS.

It would be acceptable to hold people who say they are speaking facts, to their word, to require some integrity. But, there already are laws about all of this which no one is enforcing. :arrow: Look it up, USE EXISTING LAW, to make your point; don't beg to be enslaved further.

Incidentally, the restraints which are proposed just in this post, would criminalize Michael Jackson's Death Hoax Adventure, everyone who participated in it, and stifle the Art and Entertainment world in general.... Although he is frustrated by all the wrong in the World, specifically modern media tactics to make a buck at his and others' expense, MJ himself could never come back to this new world as proposed! He has enough Big Brothers and he's sure not risking going to prison again.

Here is something else: just to be clear, are we going for Pure Truth? Are we interested enough in the truth to ban airbrushing and photoshopping out, of imperfections in the pictures of publications, or that's ok? Just lie to us in the name of selling a more pleasing figure on the cover, perfection, so we can all grow up feeling as though we can never measure up, ourselves? Or, may we look forward to perusing every super model's secret warts, now? It's a double edged sword. Book banning is probably next. :oops: Not trying to be the devil. Just very, very sensitive to Oppression. :?

.

whew!

i was worried no one would get it

bravo

Its her · October 2010

Oh, yeah, I get it---now I know why they say "ignorance is bliss" :( . Is it scary for ya Baby? :o

Michael Jackson's Law - Truth In Journalism

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