RIP MJ - news-ageddon

What is there to say when a legend of music dies so suddenly? Already his death is a merry-go-round of 24 hour news coverage, talking heads spouting hastily researched information, emergency obituary tapes being rolled out, and an incredible lack of sincerity from everyone in the news community!

Pop across to Twitter or Facebook and it is a very different matter. People sharing memories and thoughts, the most memorable messages of love and support, famous names chatting with Joe Bloggs about what has happened…it is all very real. No ratings chasing, no trying to find the biggest name to comment, no pointless phone interviews with so-called experts…just honest, open response.

I’ll be honest and say that I was never a big MJ fan…I was more a Prince kind of guy. But the music was mostly superb, the showmanship was second to none and the legend was, and will remain, unique. I’ll not miss his soap-opera later years, but I will miss the musicianship.

But now we will have to put up with a newsgathering war, in the same way we did with Diana and Jade. TV channels trying to outdo each other with helicopter shots of the crowds, the hospital, the cars, etc… Newspapers trying to fill the most number of pages, run the biggest special pull out editions, etc… It will be ghastly, demeaning, in poor taste, and the sort of thing that really gets journalists excited.

My advice is that if you want to really learn about the man, his music, his history, his fans and the real-world reaction to his death…pop over to Twitter, head across to Facebook, and see what REAL people are saying, and switch off the self-serving, ratings-chasing news channels and newspapers.

MJ – thanks for all the incredible music, now go be at peace and enjoy eternity. Peace and love.

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