Jackson estate lawyers challenge Channel 4
THE MICHAEL Jackson estate has sent a letter to Channel 4 alleging that a documentary on two men who accuse the singer of molesting them as boys violates the network’s programming guidelines.
The letter written by estate lawyer Howard Weitzman and released to The Associated Press says that Leaving Neverland, set to air in early March, makes no attempt at getting a response to the accusers from Jackson’s estate, family, friends or others who have defended his reputation as required by the channel’s standards for factual programming and basic journalistic ethics.
The letter cites a section of the publicly available guidelines that state if a show makes “significant allegations” then “those concerned should be given an appropriate and timely opportunity to respond”.
“I think we can all agree that the false allegations being made in your ‘documentary’ are ‘significant allegations’,” the letter states, adding “it is hard to imagine more significant accusations that can possibly be made against anyone”.
Yet no-one was ever asked to respond, the letter states.
Channel 4 representatives did not immediately reply to an afterhours request for comment.
The film’s director Dan Reed has addressed the criticism from the estate previously, saying in a statement that he intentionally focused on just Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
“Anyone who sees the film will know it is solely about hearing the stories of two specific individuals and their families in their own words, and that is a focus we are very proud of,” Reed said.
The three-page document echoes a longer letter it sent to US station HBO calling the allegations from Mr Robson and Mr Safechuck “disgraceful”.
A copy of the HBO letter was included with the Channel 4 letter, and applies just as much to the UK station, the letter states.
The two channels co-produced the documentary, which premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival.