The NY Times, TMZ, Other Trash-loids, and Anonymous Sources

I just found a most interesting New York Times article regarding the dangers and ethics of relying on unnamed sources when reporting high-profile news like that regarding Michael's "death."

QUOTE:
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The Times recently got tangled in the middle of a struggle between Michael Jackson's family and the executors of his estate, John Branca and John McClain. Quoting "people close to the Jackson family," the paper said that lawyers for the entertainer's mother, Katherine Jackson, "were considering whether to challenge the two executors on the grounds that they took advantage of Mr. Jackson's addictions, which incapacitated him and impaired his judgment."

That anonymous shot violated the newspaper's written rule against letting unnamed sources make personal attacks. It raised suggestions of misconduct without saying what "took advantage of" meant, and without presenting any corroboration.
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Read the whole thing at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16pubed.html

I'm so sick of all these mysterious unidentified sources from who knows where (if they even exist), yet it seems every media outlet is relying on them when "reporting" about Michael these days.

You know the news business is screwed when mainstream news outlets consider a silly celebrity gossip website like TMZ worthy of repeating. When did THAT happen? I never really read or paid attention to TMZ until after June 25, so I have no clue when the site became so big and bad.

Thank you Lorrie, great post.

It's incredible how many articles are published based on "unnamed sources", "unofficial information", "source that wishes to remain anonymous" and so on.

I honestly don't know when things got so bad, because before MJ's case I wasn't really paying that much attention. It is indeed a real shame that TMZ seems to be the leading source for this case.

I hope more media sources start questioning their own behaviour.

Same with me i never knew about TMZ until june 25, i think its just a celeb gossip site, now all of and sudden there big and have all the news first about what happened to MJ

Im about to reach my limit.

Im so sick and tired of hearing about all of these "secret sources" Jeeezz... The media, should move on, or atleast try to come up with a realible story.

OH MY GOD I must be dumb, when have they EVER came up with a realible story about Michael.

MyBelovedMJ wrote:Im about to reach my limit.

Im so sick and tired of hearing about all of these "secret sources" Jeeezz... The media, should move on, or atleast try to come up with a realible story.

OH MY GOD I must be dumb, when have they EVER came up with a realible story about Michael.

Never its always been from a reliable source close to the jackson family and nobody knows who the fck that is

annieisnotokey wrote:Thank you Lorrie, great post.

It's incredible how many articles are published based on "unnamed sources", "unofficial information", "source that wishes to remain anonymous" and so on.

I hope more media sources start questioning their own behaviour.

You're welcome, annieisnotokey. I was actually stunned when I found the NY Times article because I'd seriously started to believe that none of the media cares about all of this anonymity and secrecy anymore. Good to see that's not true for at least one paper. I hope others jump on the bandwagon fast.

SmoothCriminal wrote:Same with me i never knew about TMZ until june 25, i think its just a celeb gossip site, now all of and sudden there big and have all the news first about what happened to MJ

It's amazing how TMZ just appeared out of nowhere and suddenly became the IT news source. Harvey Levin's (the guy who owns the website) ego -- and bank account -- must be getting bigger by the second.

MyBelovedMJ wrote:OH MY GOD I must be dumb, when have they EVER came up with a realible story about Michael.

So true. That's one thing that hasn't changed recently.

SmoothCriminal wrote:Never its always been from a reliable source close to the jackson family and nobody knows who the fck that is

And how close exactly is close? One of the brothers and sisters? A third cousin who lives across the country? A maid? At least tell us their relationship to the family.

That is very interesting Lorrie, thanks for posting it.
Hmm.. the NY Times is now questioning the use of 'unnamed sources' in the articles relating to Michael. Interesting.
How fast did they jump onto the TMZ bandwagon on the 25th? Does anyone know?
This could be the stepping stone to something much bigger - if the media starts questioning the use of 'sources', maybe they will finally start questioning all the information they have been printing over the past 7-odd weeks.

This could lead to a complete media 180 - although I don't know if the NY Times would risk its reputation and backtrack everything that's been said over the past 2-ish months since June 25th starting with the 'death'. It would be great if they did look at it properly the way we have been doing since then.

Lorrie wrote:

SmoothCriminal wrote:Never its always been from a reliable source close to the jackson family and nobody knows who the fck that is

And how close exactly is close? One of the brothers and sisters? A third cousin who lives across the country? A maid? At least tell us their relationship to the family.

Yah at least give us that TMZ then we might believe your BS

MyBelovedMJ wrote:@Lorrie

You are completely right.

Mabye its Michael

Ohh no, It cant be, his "dead", yeah right.

TMZ:

If you want us to believe in the fact that Michael has "died" You should close down, the televesion station, go back too "Media School" (you seem to really need it)
Then come back and re-open the TV station, when you have LEARNED HOW TO KEEP YOU`RE STORIES STRAIGT.

Im just saying

Another.Part.Of.Me wrote:

MyBelovedMJ wrote:@Lorrie

You are completely right.

Mabye its Michael

Ohh no, It cant be, his "dead", yeah right.

TMZ:

If you want us to believe in the fact that Michael has "died" You should close down, the televesion station, go back too "Media School" (you seem to really need it)
Then come back and re-open the TV station, when you have LEARNED HOW TO KEEP YOU`RE STORIES STRAIGT.

Im just saying

Lmao

I third the previous two LMAO comments, and I'm ROFL, too.

With all of the debunking going on here and at MJHD, the media outlets would actually do better using these two websites as a way to vet all of that anonymous information "reported" by TMZ. Wouldn't that be lovely?

I also am so sick and tired of these journos reporting stuffs they supposedly obtained from the annonymous sources close to the Jackson family or whatever. Diane Diamond from ET is the worst one IMO.

I think TMZ has become the head of the media ever since they somehow managed to report as soon as Michael's 'death' happeed. and being the first agency to report the 'death' of such a high profile celeb like Michael, every other agency now relies on TMZ for any info relating to him.

And I think that becuase Michael's 'death' case is under lock and key in which the media is getting limited access to info, TMZ along with other news and gossip mags are reporting anything they think of that will be sold by stating that annonymous sources (that are non-existent) said it to make the reports look legit. that's why I have no faith in anything reported by the trashy media especially News of the World and TMZ.

MJ_Fan_For_40_yrs wrote:I think this is EXACTLY the point --

My suspicion is MJ is alive, that he or other "anonymous sources" (number infinity!! lol) is/are systematically "leaking" info. -- after it's been posted on "hoax" sites, like here, it seems -- to the tabloid news media stations -- most Entertainment stations are "reporting" these "findings," usually w/ TMZ leading the charge -- so that people across the world/Internet will finally WAKE UP and become "conscious" regarding all the bs that's proposed to us daily as "facts, " info. that we've been taking as "IT" meaning "the truth".......

My guess is it's a wake-up call: THE TABLES HAVE TURNED !!

You said exactly what I was thinking! lol MJ is allowing them "The media" to get tangled in all of their lies and ultimately it might even be the media to start to reveal the hoax! Michael is making the media look dumb and like a bucn of incompetent pathetic losers getting their "breaking" news from a T.V. celebrity tabloid magazine! Seriously after the hoax is reveal it would be very hard for people to take any news serious that come accompanied by the word "Anonimous Source"...lol I know I won't!

True Journalism is when reporters "investigate" have solid sources, and never ever report on hearsay or speculation or the whole "sources close to" garbage.

CantStopLovingU wrote:True Journalism is when reporters "investigate" have solid sources, and never ever report on hearsay or speculation or the whole "sources close to" garbage.

That is exactly right! And as far as I can tell we have not had any real journalism thus far in the Michael Jackson "death" case! It has all been garbage after garbage in order to sell and make money!

CantStopLovingU wrote:True Journalism is when reporters "investigate" have solid sources, and never ever report on hearsay or speculation or the whole "sources close to" garbage.

Exactly well said are there any good journalist left in this world who are willing to do some diging