Posted by Jackson AIDS Campaign Planned Before Charges- MJEOL Bullet #117 For the usually vapid and lazy reasons, the mainstream media refuses to do their homework concerning the latest Jackson news. The preferred method is to bash Jackson and question his motives instead of looking for accurate information about his latest project. Before there were any charges against Jackson, he had been planning to participate in a series of campaigns aimed at helping in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This announcement was made in Las Vegas in November 2003 before his house was ransacked by police. In an article from ANGOP, an Angola newspaper, dated [b][u]November 10 2003[/u][/b] and entitled Pop Star Michael Jackson Expected in Next Year, it clearly lays out the fact that Jackson would be turning his humanitarian efforts towards fighting AIDS/HIV in Africa:
Luanda, 10/11 – The world famous pop star Michael Jackson might come to Angola in the first quarter of next year to participate in series of campaigns aiming at fighting HIV/AIDS and carrying out various social projects, he announced on Saturday in Las Vegas city. Michael Jackson was responding to an invitation from Angolas Consul to Houston city Mr. Clemente Camenha, to join President Jose Eduardo`s efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to carry out other social activities for the improvement of the peoples living standards. Angop has learnt[sic] that a team comprising advisers of the American singer is expected in Luanda, next January, to set up the conditions for his tour to Angola. (see Pop Star Michael Jackson Expected In Next Year)
Why is this being overlooked in favor of the johnny-come-lately inaccurate spin the media is desperately trying to put on Jacksons visit to Washington D.C.? This is not new, and had the media paid attention to the humanitarian information when it was first released, there would not be reporters looking stupid after asking if his visit to Washington D.C. is a last minute PR stunt. Indeed it is not. But anything involving Jackson and wrongly perceived negative relationships with children is almost always highlighted instead of his planned humanitarian efforts. Donna Brazile appeared on CNNs American Morning (April 1) to discuss Jacksons trip to D.C. She was in attendance with Jackson during a dinner party last night. She too confirms that Jacksons trip to Africa was planned long before now. Brazile says:
I think this trip was in the works for some time, at least based on my conversations with a lot of his close people. He had planned, along with a number of other celebrities, of trying to highlight the problems of AIDS in Africa. Look, Michael Jackson, everyone knows, is in some hot water. And people will rally to his defense. And others will be repulsed by the allegations. But he deserves to have his day in court. He will have his day in court. And he will be able to prove, hopefully, his accusers wrong. (see Donna Brazile Talks about MJ)
The utter refusal to believe the truth by some of these pundits makes them appear ridiculous. Everyone from Matt Lauer to Charles Gibson have questioned the timing of his announcement as if this is the first time Jackson has said he would be involved in this project. They seem to feel better if Jackson crawled into some spider-hole and allowed these current, unproven allegations to shut down his life. Well, thats not going to happen any time soon as Jackson refuses to stop his humanitarian efforts to make skeptics feels better about their own unfounded and uneducated opinions of what hes trying to accomplish. -MJEOL