January 11, 2011
Steve Koonin – President, Turner Entertainment Networks
Marc Juris – Executive Vice President & General Manager
Darren Campo – Senior Vice President of Programming, Production & Development
truTV
600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10016
Dear Sirs,
It has come to my attention that investigative journalist Diane Dimond has been assigned by truTV (formerly Court TV) to act as a commentator on the preliminary trial hearings in the case of The People vs. Dr. Conrad Murray. As you are likely aware, Dr. Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of Michael Jackson.
From 2003 until 2005, Court TV employed Dimond as an anchor and correspondent assigned to cover Jackson’s trial in which he faced molestation charges. Her coverage was widely criticized at the time for being heavily biased, pro-prosecution, and entirely nonobjective. Dimond’s history covering Jackson dates back to her days with the tabloid show Hard Copy in the early ’90s when unsubstantiated claims were made against Jackson—coverage for which she similarly criticized to the point of being accused of interfering with the investigation. She has also written a book about Michael Jackson consisting in large part of speculation, rumor, hearsay, and outright lies about the trial in 2005 that culminated in his acquittal on all charges against him.
Diane Dimond has made a lot of money off of the trials, tribulations, and, ultimately, the death of Michael Jackson. She has a vested interested in sensationalized coverage, and cannot be trusted as an unbiased source for fair, accurate journalism in any matter associated with the man. Her interest is in promoting herself as a “Jackson expert” at any cost, whether that means reporting fact, speculation, or total fabrications.
In fact, in August 2005—following the reading of a “not guilty” verdict on all ten charges levied against Jackson—Dimond’s entire investigative unit at Court TV was dismantled, and her contract was terminated. This was a wise decision on the part of Court TV, who had invested enormous sums of money in exhaustive coverage of Jackson’s trial, much of it spent perpetuating the “guilty before proven innocent”-style reporting that Dimond brought to the network.
Now, under its new name, truTV has brought Dimond back to once again as a commentator on a court case involving Michael Jackson. This action is a slap in the face to your viewers, who have come to expect coverage of current events that is as your name implies: True.
Please remove Diane Dimond as a commentator on any Jackson-related matters. There are a lot of eyes on this trial, and your audience deserves better.
Sincerely,
Filthy Tabloid Trash
