When a particularly insidious article appeared on tabloid website TMZ last week, the emotional reaction among supporters of Michael Jackson was made up of anger, frustration, and general outrage. The story was fabricated from manipulated half-truths, and clearly timed to coincide with the end of preliminary hearings as we await the manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.
It’s natural to want to immediately visit the TMZ website to leave a comment on the article—anything to tell managing editor Harvin Levin, his writers, and whoever else may be reading the article the TRUTH behind the lies. We are sensitive when it comes to Michael; we are defensive when we see a tabloid spinning an inconsequential event into something that appears to be a “scandal” worthy of the public’s attention.
STOP. Don’t click. Don’t comment.
Websites like TMZ make money by enticing people to click on their articles and then share the links with their friends. Every time you go back to the website, it’s another click. The more traffic TMZ gets, the more valuable they are to advertisers—who will then in turn pay TMZ more money to place ads on their website.
Michael doesn’t need anyone wasting their time on TMZ defending him. What his legacy and his family and children deserve is for media outlets to stop riding their names and defacing Michael’s name for cheap hits and revenue—regardless of how damaging and inaccurate those stories are. The people leaving hate-filled comments on TMZ aren’t going to care if we show up to defend him or not. Let them waste their time. We have better, more important things to do.
The best way to take action against tabloid sites like TMZ is with INACTION. Exercise your voice of opposition by refusing to give TMZ a single additional click.
• Don’t click on any links to their website.
• Don’t share any links to their website.
• Don’t comment on any articles on their website.
• If you follow their posts with an RSS reader (like Google Reader), delete the feed.
• If you’ve liked their page on Facebook, unlike it.
• If you follow them on Twitter, unfollow them.
Worried that we won’t know if a similarly damaging article appears on TMZ in the future? Don’t be. We have five individuals assigned to monitor the site for any new posts—three people from MJ fan groups on Facebook, and two on Twitter: @MJNEWSALERTS and @mjsarmy1.
Charles Thomson has written a wonderful article debunking the TMZ post, ensuring that the truth behind the lie is easy for people to find and understand.
You need not ever visit the TMZ website again. Stop letting them use you. Tabloid websites LOVE Michael Jackson fans because we care and we are passionate, so we’re more likely to come back again and again to defend Michael.
It stops now.
If you feel you must contact TMZ to register your voice, please do so offline via private mail or telephone:
8033 Sunset Blvd, Suite 875
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Phone: (818) 972-8000 / Fax: (818) 972-8050
Please note that both Michael Jackson’s Estate and the Guardian ad Litem for his children have already been contacted regarding the story that appeared on TMZ last week. It is not necessary to continue to contact them about this matter.
15 Comments
Comment by Deborah Ffrench — 01/16/2011 @ 3:23 am
Thank you FTT! If we can all understand how media earns, we can — by using our power in numbers – send a clear message to TMZ and others like them, that inaccurate, damaging stories about MJ will no longer be tolerated — or subsidized.
TMZ may never learn, but we can.
And we can choose NOT to give TMZ our time, energy and traffic and enrich them on the back of Michael Jackson.
Tumbleweed drifting across the comment pages of TMZ as all MJ fans beat a swift exit?
Dream Big.
Comment by marcial — 01/16/2011 @ 10:38 am
yes, i support NO TO TMZ!!!
Comment by Kim — 01/16/2011 @ 4:32 pm
I think this is a great approach. Thank you much for this.
Comment by Sade — 01/16/2011 @ 6:49 pm
I just red this wonderful inspiring tweet http://www.twitlonger.com/show/84fa4o and agreed SO much with it, it’s incredible someone feels and sees things exactly like I do about this whole thing. Especially this part I agreed with totally :
“Negative press sells best. It causes the most attention. It isn’t only TMZ. The British press, the German Press for example is NOT better. Media on print, on TV and now on the internet doing this all the time and this is what hurt MJ deeply ALL his life. There are powerful forces behind the media who say and pay for who the media have to push (no matter what evil they do) and who the media have to bring down (no matter what good they do).This is how the busioness works. Michael tried to raise awareness for it all his life Please listen to his words and understand his messages. And most of all don’t remain in hate and rage, focus on love and healing. “Make love your weapon to overcome any evil.”
Listen here…Such great advice!
Comment by Dialdancer — 01/17/2011 @ 1:19 am
Excellent idea and alternative. I like to see more support for those who do and starving of those who do not write/comment on Michael without slander, insults and fabrication.
Comment by dona — 01/17/2011 @ 3:21 am
we will not believe this trash!! we all know who really was Michael!!
BOYCOTT TMZ! BOYCOTT SONY!!
Comment by Maria MJ — 01/17/2011 @ 4:54 am
Yes, I’m fully behind this approach.
Strategic silence is the best way to handle this issue, as it’s the most resonant message we can send TMZ.
They have to realize that the likes of such articles will result to a loss of their audiences.
Advertisers will have less reasons to finance TMZ if the number of clicks on their website is significantly lowered.
Comment by marcial — 01/17/2011 @ 11:41 am
yes to boycott tmz!their lies must stopped!
Comment by SWB — 01/17/2011 @ 4:50 pm
Do like black peole did in the south when they boycotted buses. The bus componies in the south almost went broke before making history by changing the racist policy of blacks in the back on buses. On this Martin Luther King, Jr holiday, Michael Jackson fans around the world should adopt the boycott strategy and totally IGNORE the tabloid press forever. I’ll do my part. NO TMZ. NO Hollywood Gossip, NO Star, NO Sun or any of the others. Never, ever again.
Comment by Hayvenhurst Anne-Sophie — 01/17/2011 @ 9:12 pm
So very saddened to see that Michael singing “Tabloid Junkie” wasn’t ENOUGH to convince fans. They shouldn’t have to stop reading and sharing TMZ links, because they should have never have started. Let’s hope people will stop by now.
Comment by elena — 01/19/2011 @ 3:10 pm
giustizia for michael uniti tutto si puo, per una giusta giustizia vera è degna .
Comment by PIERA — 01/19/2011 @ 3:21 pm
We must do all we can to do for Michael, and we can give him the justice that he need………………It’s all for love
Comment by Lila — 01/19/2011 @ 3:29 pm
TMZ un tabloid che ha sempre e solo gettato fango sulla dignità di Michael Jackson…è arrivato il momento di terminare questa assurda PERSECUZIONE. L’informazione dovrebbe essere vera e corretta, cosa che TMZ non ha mai fatto! La sua è solo stata e continua ad essere INFORMAZIONE SPAZZATURA ai danni di Michael e come tale non va letta ma soltanto eliminata!!
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Comment by Monika Heider — 01/22/2011 @ 1:32 pm
Hallo zusammen!
ja, ich unterstütze diesen Aufruf zu 100%!
Es ist beschämend, empörend und unglaublich niederträchtig, dass selbst nach dem ‘Tod’ von Mike die (wissentlichen!) Fehlinformationen kein Ende nehmen.
Aber die Medien- + Pressemacht kann sich ja nicht selber anklagen, jahrzehntelang ‘Gerüchte’ in die Welt gesetzt zu haben. (Und den Mut, dies zuzugeben, haben sie schon grad nicht.)
Deshalb kann es nur ‘von unten nach oben’ gehen, so wie mit diesem Aufruf.
Glücklicherweise gibt es, selbst in den USA, ganz, ganz tolle Menschen, die sich nicht ‘einfangen’ lassen, wie Thomas Mesereau, Aphrodite Jones, Mayou Angelou etc…..
Auch in Deutschland (Medienfeiheit?) werden gute Bücher über Mike nicht unbedingt neu aufgelegt; z.B. Joachim Ebmeier; auf Anfrage meinerseits schrieb der Schott-Verlag mir ganz nett nur eine Absage.
Aber auch hier gibt es Menschen, die sich ‘irgendwie’ durchgestzt haben, wie Margott Schürings.
Ich habe grössten Respekt vor allen diesen Menschen (es gibt natürlich noch viele mehr), die sich mit grossem persönlichen Einsatz
für die ‘Wahrheit über Mike’eingesetzt haben und es weiterhin tun!
Justice für Mike!
Liebe Grüsse
Monika Heider
Ich hoffe, ich bin noch OT?!!
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