Post by MaryAnn Layton on Aug 22, 2010 8:05:01 GMT -5
Another group fighting for the truth! Please add your name to their list...
Calling The 500
…even if you change only one mind, that’s one less person who believes a lie.
Years of misinformation and willful distortion by so-called professional journalists have deceived the American public about the truth of Michael Jackson's innocence and have brought us to where we are today: witnessing a systematic attack on a legacy.
That legacy belongs to one of America’s greatest creative sons, and least celebrated humanitarians. From the moment Michael hit the world stage as a solo artist until now—just over a year after his passing—the media has engaged in open warfare against this man’s name.
Media stories have run the gamut from outrageously harmful to frankly ridiculous. Salacious accusations of child pornographic content in the superbly produced “Opus” book, continuing accusations that Michael sexually harmed children, and the fiction that Michael lived and died as a drug addict—all demonstrate the magnitude of the assault.
Enough is enough.
Precedents of grassroots organizations with clear, consistent agendas that have successfully combated biased commentary in the media include the Anti-Defamation League, Media Matters and Change.org.
These organizations recognize that opinion-shaping—which is often what modern media amounts to—has a tremendous ability to influence and manipulate public opinion. Such manipulation, in turn, affects how an issue, a government, an event or an individual is viewed and treated. The media mauled Michael Jackson for over 20 years, doing incalculable harm to his reputation and, undoubtedly, his health and spirit.
What if 500 people were to fight back with facts and cool persuasion, refuting the notion that anyone standing up for Michael Jackson’s legacy is just another “crazed fan?”
What if this group of 500 concerned and intelligent citizens refused to remain silent while Michael’s name continues to be dragged through the mud by the media, for the sake of profit?
We’d like to form such a group. We intend to target the most trafficked publications, online news sites, and TV programs. We’ll go after the most offensive producers of negative copy and rebut their biased reporting. The 500 will operate as an on-call response team to negative press about Michael, while supporting journalism that tells the truth about him.
We believe a committed group of bloggers could eventually help to change the media’s narrative on Michael Jackson.
If you’re interested in joining this group, respond to rivers.bend09@gmail.com and we’ll add you to a newly-formed gmail group for members of The 500. From there, once we've built a little critical mass, we’ll get to work by issuing a set of guidelines and resources to our writing membership, to be followed by regular brief messages about where to direct comments as a bloc.
If you think joining The 500 is for you, we need good writers who can stay on message and write persuasively. We do have a fairly strong idea about what kind of writers will be most effective, but don't intend to micro-manage anyone's comments apart from offering guidelines. Please let us know your questions at the above address.
Thank you.
The 500 Team
Calling The 500
…even if you change only one mind, that’s one less person who believes a lie.
Years of misinformation and willful distortion by so-called professional journalists have deceived the American public about the truth of Michael Jackson's innocence and have brought us to where we are today: witnessing a systematic attack on a legacy.
That legacy belongs to one of America’s greatest creative sons, and least celebrated humanitarians. From the moment Michael hit the world stage as a solo artist until now—just over a year after his passing—the media has engaged in open warfare against this man’s name.
Media stories have run the gamut from outrageously harmful to frankly ridiculous. Salacious accusations of child pornographic content in the superbly produced “Opus” book, continuing accusations that Michael sexually harmed children, and the fiction that Michael lived and died as a drug addict—all demonstrate the magnitude of the assault.
Enough is enough.
Precedents of grassroots organizations with clear, consistent agendas that have successfully combated biased commentary in the media include the Anti-Defamation League, Media Matters and Change.org.
These organizations recognize that opinion-shaping—which is often what modern media amounts to—has a tremendous ability to influence and manipulate public opinion. Such manipulation, in turn, affects how an issue, a government, an event or an individual is viewed and treated. The media mauled Michael Jackson for over 20 years, doing incalculable harm to his reputation and, undoubtedly, his health and spirit.
What if 500 people were to fight back with facts and cool persuasion, refuting the notion that anyone standing up for Michael Jackson’s legacy is just another “crazed fan?”
What if this group of 500 concerned and intelligent citizens refused to remain silent while Michael’s name continues to be dragged through the mud by the media, for the sake of profit?
We’d like to form such a group. We intend to target the most trafficked publications, online news sites, and TV programs. We’ll go after the most offensive producers of negative copy and rebut their biased reporting. The 500 will operate as an on-call response team to negative press about Michael, while supporting journalism that tells the truth about him.
We believe a committed group of bloggers could eventually help to change the media’s narrative on Michael Jackson.
If you’re interested in joining this group, respond to rivers.bend09@gmail.com and we’ll add you to a newly-formed gmail group for members of The 500. From there, once we've built a little critical mass, we’ll get to work by issuing a set of guidelines and resources to our writing membership, to be followed by regular brief messages about where to direct comments as a bloc.
If you think joining The 500 is for you, we need good writers who can stay on message and write persuasively. We do have a fairly strong idea about what kind of writers will be most effective, but don't intend to micro-manage anyone's comments apart from offering guidelines. Please let us know your questions at the above address.
Thank you.
The 500 Team