Don Lemon: Critics Of Michael Jackson Coverage Are "Elitist"

Appearing on CNN's Reliable Sources, CNN anchor Don Lemon emphatically defended the media's extensive coverage of Michael Jackson's death over the last two weeks. He argued that Jackson was an "accidental civil rights leader" and that critics of the coverage were "elitist."

Here's a bit of the transcript:

HOWARD KURTZ: Don't you feel deep down that this is overdoing it?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: No, I don't feel it's overdoing it. And I don't -- and when I hear people say that, I have to be very honest with you, Howie, I think it's elitist. I don't remember -- I'm sure there was some criticism when there was the coverage of Princess Diana's death, but I don't think that there was this sort of criticism that we're having with Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson is an accidental civil rights leader, an accidental pioneer. He broke ground and barriers in so many different realms in artistry, in pictures, in movies, in music, you name it. So, no, I don't think it's overkill.

KURTZ: Okay. He did all of those things. He also was accused of child molestation, and was a seriously weird person. But he has been dead for more than a week and we are still going almost wall-to-wall.

LEMON: Well, he has been dead for more than a week, yes, but Michael Jackson twice -- well, once, I should say, he was acquitted of child molestation. The other time it was settled out of court.

KURTZ: Right.

LEMON: And if you talk to people who were involved in those cases, they don't believe that he did it. So let's put that aside.

The Pew Research Center released findings last week indicating that "nearly two-in-three Americans say news organizations gave too much coverage to the story. At the same time, half say the media struck the right balance between reporting on Jackson's musical legacy and the problems in his personal life."

Blacks followed the death of the African American singer - who had been on the national stage for four decades - more closely than the population as a whole. Eight-in-ten African Americans say they followed news about Jackson's death very closely, compared with 22% of whites. Women followed the story more closely than men (35% very closely compared with 26%). Close to four-in-ten (38%) of those under 40 say they followed the music icon's death very closely, compared with 27% of those between 40 and 64 and 20% of those 65 and older. [...]

About two-thirds of the public (64%) say news organizations gave too much attention to the death of the 50-year-old performer, who had been rehearsing for a major comeback tour. About three-in-ten (29%) say the coverage was the right amount. Only 3% say there had been too little coverage.

Comments

[Okieborn]

Don Lemon is exactly right !!
No One should have an opinion is this great nation if they do then they are truly elitist !!!!

[oscartucker]

And if Sarah Palin smacks, grins, fishes, steps down, leaves the public eye (but not really) we see and hear it 24/7!

[oscartucker]

If the nation could go through the 24/7 Anna Nicole coverage, it can last through MJ coverage! There will be someone else too.

[InedaName]

I'll bet Lemon is banking on the Michael Jackson Is Still Dead Show doing for him what Katrina did for Anderson Cooper.

[LeftLeaner]

I guess he forgot he was sent there as a "reporter" not a Jackson apologist, oh well.

[LeftLeaner]

I guess his role from Reporter has morphed into Jackson spokesperson.

[rudiy]

Although I like MJ, what would Lemon say if this was a country western entertainer he did not appreciate. Would he say that is an elitest?

[-0013]

It would have been nice to see litte more news coverage about the 7 American troops killed in Afghanistan yesterday. However, I completely see how thinking about trivial events like that might lead people to think I'm an elitist.

[LeftLeanWing]

Elitist is an over used Word.

I am an avid Fan of MJ...even have his last studio CD permanently resident in my car CD Changer since it came out in 2002 ( great long trips when you need to stay awake )

but I too found the coverage to be a bit much.

It was as though no matter what channel you flipped-to to get some regular news there was the same MJ segment playing that you saw the last time you flipped to that channel for the previous 3-4 days.

The anchors would mumble anything to just fill in the Time.

MSNBC even played that Bashir interview over and over and over.

It would have been great if they had coordinated the coverage so all of them were not doing the same thing at the same time.

I remember as a 7yr the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination...

I didn't understand the significance then, but I have vivid memories off all of my Cartoons, Leave It Beaver etc being pre-emptied by the news coverage of the event. I was in misery for a week or so. We only had 3 channels.

[Manx]

When I tune in to a news network, I expect more than one-story. Does that make me an elitist?

[Martampa]

Don Lemon you are a dunce.

[InedaName]

So I'm an elitist if I think the wall-to-wall-Michael Jackson-Is-Still-Dead coverage is a tad much? That's okay. I've been called worse.

[StillAmused]

Michael Jackson's passing has assumed the character of a public Rorschach test, and it's really alarming to see the volume of toxic -- even hateful -- vitriole on these threads. Much of it is authored, with preposterous 'authority', by popular narrative addicts, individuals who've likely never touched a musical instrument or weren't even walking, the last time a truly memorable recording found its way into contemporary radio programming.

They bring the same 'certitude' to their condemnation of Jackson's purported sins, unwilling to entertain even the possibility of another side to the story, presented in detail here:

http://www.usnewslink.com/framedjackson.htm

Those with unchallenged credentials and direct personal experience, curiously, see things differently... among them:

"Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That's the greatest dancer of the century." - Fred Astaire

"I didn"t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!" - Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)

"The only male singer who I"ve seen besides myself and who's better than me " that is Michael Jackson." - Frank Sinatra

"For me as a fan ... the Beatles, Michael Jackson, you can stick Elvis Presley in there, James Taylor, Billy Joel... I'm such a huge fan of these people." - Garth Brooks

"Michael Jackson was extraordinary, When we worked together on 'Bad,' I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other." - Martin Scorsese

Carry on...

[Martampa]

I agree with Howard Kurtz! The MJ coverage was way over the top. I will be elated when Wednesday arrives and we are done (I hope) with this story. I guess the news in the rest of the world has stopped and we don't need to know if anything REALLY important has happened.

[rabiddog6708]

MJ dyi.ng should have been only be a story for that weekend and then time to move on. He sang songs and danced.....he was not a world leader......he was an entertainer.

[XME]

There has definitely been too much coverage...but as "stars" go, they didn't get any bigger than MJ. Add to that his eccentricities, past legal issues, his "kids", and the estate being fought over, probably for years to come, it is a big story, and there is a reason they have covered it so much. They wouldn't be if people weren't watching!