Michael Jackson Lawyer Accuses UK Journalist Bashir of Contributing to the Singer's Death

Michael Jackson Lawyer Accuses UK Journalist Bashir of Contributing to the Singer's Death


Bashir created the controversial ITV documentary "Living with Michael Jackson", in which the celebrity admitted sharing his bed with children, which led to a major scandal and then to child molestation charges in 2005.

A former lawyer for Michael Jackson, Tom Mesereau, has criticised Martin Bashir for his infamous 2003 documentary about the King of Pop, stating that the journalist played on his "close relationship" with Princess Diana and promised Jackson "a glowing portrayal".

"Michael told me he was led to believe this would be a very positive interview, a positive show and he trusted Mr Bashir to follow through [with this] but he was greatly disappointed", Mesereau said in an interview with The Telegraph.

"What Michael told me was that Martin Bashir had gained his trust, and he was most impressed with his professed relationship with Princess Diana... He seemed to put her on a pedestal. Mr Bashir, according to Michael, professed to have a very close relationship with her, claiming he was the one she trusted the most", he added. "It appeared to be that relationship which levered Mr Bashir into a professional relationship with Michael. He thought if Princess Diana trusted him, Michael could too".

According to the lawyer, the scandal "debilitated Jackson horribly", and the experience "contributed to his untimely death".

After working with the artist for 8 months, Bashir released "Living with Michael Jackson", filming Jackson saying that "may children have slept in the same bed as him", with the star strongly dismissing any sexual context to it, in light of the 1993 child sexual abuse accusations against him.

After the film was released, Jackson complained that it portrayed a distorted picture of his life, and that he felt "betrayed" by Bashir.

The documentary triggered a wave of allegations, resulting in a 2005 trial, where Jackson faced 14 charges, including four counts of child molestation. The singer was found not guilty on all counts, however, further accusations continued to appear even after Jackson's death in 2009.

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This is about the interview that Bashir did to Princess Diana. Now after an nvestigation  it was concluded that Bashir used
deceitful behavior in the process of that interview.

Martin Bashir used deceit in 1995 Princess Diana interview, report is expected to say

An investigation surrounding a bombshell 1995 interview with Princess Diana took a new twist overnight. TODAY senior international correspondent Keir Simmons reports for TODAY from London.

May 20, 2021, 11:07 AM AST
By Yuliya Talmazan

The BBC has apologized after an investigation concluded that journalist Martin Bashir used "deceitful behavior"
to secure a landmark interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.

An independent report published Thursday after a monthslong probe found that Bashir acted inappropriately and breached the publicly funded broadcaster's editorial guidelinesin order to gain access to the royal, who famously told him in the November 1995 interview that "there were three of us in this marriage."


She was referring to her husband Prince Charles' affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, who he would go on to marry in 2005, eight years after Diana's death in a car crash in August 1997.

The watershed interview was watched by more than 20 million people in Britain and sent shockwaves through the royal family. Months after it aired, Diana and Charles divorced.


BBC Director-General Tim Davie apologized on Thursday.

“Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect," he said in a statement.

"We are very sorry for this."

The interview came under renewed scrutiny after the release of a documentary by British broadcaster ITV called "The Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess," which aired last November. It claimed that Bashir had a graphic designer create fake bank statements, which he then allegedly used to convince Diana that royal employees were being paid to spy on her.

Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, tweeted on Nov. 8 that he knew Bashir "used fake bank statements and other dishonesty to get my sister to do the interview."


BBC's Martin Bashir used 'deceitful' methods to secure Princess Diana interview, report finds
The watershed interview was watched by more than 20 million people in Britain and sent shockwaves through the royal family.

Prince William weighs in on investigation into infamous Princess Diana interview
BBC Director-General Tim Davie apologized on Thursday.

“Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect," he said in a statement.

"We are very sorry for this."

The interview came under renewed scrutiny after the release of a documentary by British broadcaster ITV called "The Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess," which aired last November. It claimed that Bashir had a graphic designer create fake bank statements, which he then allegedly used to convince Diana that royal employees were being paid to spy on her.

Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, tweeted on Nov. 8 that he knew Bashir "used fake bank statements and other dishonesty to get my sister to do the interview."


Spencer also claimed that he found out that the BBC knew about the fake bank statements as well. He demanded the network apologize for the falsified documents that led him to introduce Bashir to his sister.

Just 10 days later, the network appointed Lord John Anthony Dyson, a former Justice of the U.K.'s Supreme Court, to look into the circumstances surrounding the interview.

His investigation also looked at an internal investigation conducted by the BBC after the original broadcast which concluded that Bashir did not coerce Diana into speaking with him.

Thursday's report concluded that Bashir did indeed commission the bank statements and show them to Earl Spencer, Diana's younger brother, to "induce him to arrange the meeting with Princess Diana."


Hours before his findings were released, Charles Spencer tweeted a childhood photo with Diana, alongside the message: "Some bonds go back a very long way."


Bashir went to work for another British network before joining ABC in the U.S., and later MSNBC where he was a news anchor. He went back to the BBC in 2016 and resigned last week as religious affairs editor, after months of ill health.

The BBC revealed last year that the 58-year-old had suffered from serious coronavirus complications and had heart surgery.


He has not publicly commented on the matter.

Both Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, said they welcomed the investigation as a chance to find out the truth about what had happened.

British police ruled out a criminal investigation into his actions earlier this year, but the independent inquiry's conclusions are likely to have far-reaching implications for the BBC as it also condemned the network's senior executives at the time for falling short of the standards expected.

It comes at a sensitive time for the Royal family amid concerns that the new generation of royals are suffering from media intrusion. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have repeatedly complained about the tabloid press and won a series of court cases against a number of outlets.


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Prince William Slams BBC After Inquiry Into Princess Diana's Panorama Interview: My Mother Was 'Deceived'


"The BBC's failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her," Prince William said

SIMON PERRY , KAREN MIZOGUCHI
May 20, 2021 05:00 PM


Prince William and Prince Harry are reacting to the official inquiry into circumstances that led up to their late mother Princess Diana's BBC Panorama interview in 1995.

In a statement released on Thursday, William strongly criticized the "deceitful way the interview was obtained" and defended his beloved mother.


"I would like to thank Lord Dyson and his team for the report," the Duke of Cambridge began his statement, thanking the British judge John Anthony Dyson, who led the investigation. "It is welcome that the BBC accepts Lord Dyson's findings in full – which are extremely concerning – that BBC employees: lied and used fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother; made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia; displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the programme; and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation."

William continued, "It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse and has since hurt countless others."


On Thursday, Lord Dyson publicly released his report into whether BBC reporter Martin Bashir deceived Diana's brother Charles Spencer into introducing him to the princess. In the interview, for Panorama in November 1995, Diana famously said there were "three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." She was divorced from Charles the following year, and tragically died following a car crash in Paris in 1997.


"It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC's failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her," William said in his statement.

"But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived. She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions," he said of the network and of Bashir, though he did not specifically name him.

"It is my firm view that this Panorama program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialized by the BBC and others," William said. (However, on Thursday night, the BBC aired a special titled Princess Diana, Martin Bashir and the BBC.)



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The Jackson"s family and fans ask justice for Michael.

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ITV, open inquiry in to Martin Bashir's conduct regarding 'Living With Michael Jackson'


Sebastian Mille lanzó esta petición dirigida para Sir Peter Bazalgette - Chairman y 1 otro/a
Following the conclusion of the BBC investigation into the conduct of Martin Bashir in acquiring and carrying out his exclusive interview with Princess Diana, we are calling on ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette to open a public inquiry into how Martin Bashir and Granada secured Michael Jackson's participation for 'Living With Michael Jackson' which aired in 2003.

When questioned as part of Jackson's 2005 trial, Bashir, through his legal representation refused to answer many questions posed by Jackson's defence team which highlighted potentially unethical practices, deceptive editing and manipulation.

'Living With Michael Jackson' secured 15 million viewers for ITV and became the catalyst for many struggles that Jackson faced after its airing, including distorting the public's perception of Jackson, his home, his lifestyle and his associations.

Through his own rebuttal, Jackson demonstrated Bashir's tactics for getting him discuss personal & sensitive topics. Now a full inquiry is needed to bring to light the full extent of Bashir's actions in securing the exclusive and his conduct throughout the programme which aired on ITV.


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Uri Geller calls on ITV to investigate ‘slick’ Martin Bashir over Michael Jackson interview



Uri Geller has said he will regret helping Martin Bashir to secure his world exclusive interview with Michael Jackson until the day he dies.

The psychic has now called on ITV to investigate the presenter over the ‘slick’ methods he used to land his controversial scoop with the king of pop.

Bashir apparently used a note from Princess Diana which praised him for the now infamous BBC Panorama interview to win Geller’s confidence as he sought access to the global superstar.

In the wake of Lord Dyson’s damning report about Bashir’s use of ‘deceit’ before the Diana interview in 1995, Geller drew similarities in the way he clinched the subsequent Jackson chat.

The Tonight special, entitled Living with Michael Jackson, had shattering consequences for Geller and Jackson after it aired in 2003.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk from his home in Israel, the 74-year-old mystifier said he will ‘feel guilty until the day I die’ for helping Bashir gain access to another of the world’s best-known figures.

The journalist visited Geller’s then home in Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire, a year before the broadcast after learning that Jackson was prepared to give an interview but had yet choose a host.

‘I vividly remember him pulling out from his wallet a crumpled-up letter folded a few times which he said was written by Princess Diana,’ Geller said.

‘The letter had Diana’s logo, I cannot remember if it was the Kensington Palace logo or her own logo but I scanned through it and it was a thank you letter to Martin, saying how much she enjoyed the interview.

‘When I saw the letter I thought “wow”. In my opinion there was something about him that made me feel uneasy, but I knew that Michael loved Princess Diana to bits and I thought if Martin is the right person to interview Princess Diana then maybe he is the right person to interview Michael, which obviously today I see as a devastating mistake from my side.

‘I will carry the guilty feeling with me until the day I die.’

Jackson went on to make disturbing comments in the interview, such as his habit of sleeping alongside teenage boys, and the footage led to his trial for child molestation two years later.


Bashir refused to answer questions in court where it was alleged that he had promised the star a meeting with the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and a tour of Africa to help children with AIDS.

Although Jackson was acquitted, Geller views the film as part of a downward spiral that would ultimately lead to the singer’s death in 2009, aged 50.

Geller recalled: ‘After reading that letter I took him to Michael Jackson’s hotel in London, I took him up to Michael’s room, and left them alone to talk. The rest is history.

‘What shocked me when I saw the documentary, I could not believe that Michael didn’t call his agent or his lawyer or his image or his PR people before he signed a release, either to Bashir or ITV.

‘Hearing now what’s happening around Bashir, I cannot tell you that the letter Bashir showed me that day in my house was a fabricated letter or a real letter, but he sure was a slick operator, in my opinion.’

Geller’s long-running friendship with Jackson, who had been his best man when he renewed his wedding vows to wife Hanna in 2001, was tarnished.

The spoon-bending psychic, who now lives near Tel Aviv, doesn’t lay Jackson’s death from a drugs overdose at Bashir’s door but says the interview was a turning point for the worst.

Michael was already on sleeping pills and I told him straight to his face with my Israeli chutzpah that, “Michael, if you continue this, it will kill you”.

‘All I can say for certain is that after the documentary it seems that his life started spiralling downwards.’

Bashir faked bank statements showing Princess Diana was under surveillance and also produced a letter from the royal on official Kensington Palace stationery as he clinched the intimate interview.


More

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MICHAEL JACKSON
Family Claims Martin Bashir Tricked Mj ...
ALLEGES DOCUMENTARY CAUSED HIS DEATH


Michael Jackson's family -- or at least some of them -- are outraged by the revelations about the BBC's Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana, and they're reportedly considering legal action.

In case you don't remember, Bashir did a documentary in 2003 titled "Living with Michael Jackson." It profiled MJ's life at the Neverland Ranch. During the interview, Bashir lasered in on Jackson's relationship with young boys and the allegations of sexual abuse.

Jackson was unapologetic about sleeping in the same bed as 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, saying, "Why can't you share your bed? That's the most loving thing to do, to share your bed with someone."

As you know, Jackson was prosecuted for allegedly molesting Arvizo. The jury found MJ not guilty.

In the wake of the report concluding Bashir deceived Princess Diana into doing her famous interview, Jackson's nephew, Taj, and MJ's brother, Tito, now allege Bashir "manipulated footage and unethical journalism."

The pair believe Bashir tricked Jackson the way he tricked Diana. Taj blames Bashir on Michael's death, saying, "Bashir's manipulated footage and unethically journalism is one of the main reasons my uncle Michael is not here today."

Taj wasn't done, adding, "That 2005 trial broke him. Shame on those who provided cover for Bashir. Shame on those who rewarded him. My family deserves an investigation & apology too."

Jackson's former bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, told the Mirror the Jackson family is considering taking legal action.


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Michael Jackson's nephew claims Martin Bashir 'used Princess Diana letter' to lure him in

Taj Jackson took to Good Morning Britain to slam Martin Bashir who he believes "manipulated" his uncle Michael Jackson with a letter from Princess Diana to land the bombshell interview


BY KELLY SMITH
09:48, 24 MAY 2021UPDATED10:38, 24 MAY 2021

Michael Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson, is demanding an investigation into his uncle's interview with Martin Bashir in 2002.

Taj claims Martin used a "letter from Princess Diana" to land the documentary which he believes "destroyed his uncle's persona".

Speaking to Susanna Reid and Bill Turnbull on Good Morning Britain, he said: "I think I just want to hear accountability and an investigation."

He went on: "This was a man who was let into my uncle's life who was trusted and manipulated his way in and destroyed my uncles' persona."

The King of Pop's family member explained that in his opinion, Michael had been lured in by Martin with a letter from Princess Diana.

"And being that my uncle appreciated Princess Di so much and loved her, it was almost like a welcoming, like I can trust this guy because this guy did such an amazing job with Princess Di."

Susanna Reid wanted to understand if Taj believed the same outcome would have happened if Martin had not used Diana's name.

Michael's nephew said: "The trust came from Princess Di, in terms of my uncle knowing that it was a very similar situation that he had with her in a way that misperception and all that stuff.

"So yes I do 100 percent believe that is why he went with Martin Bashir as opposed to pretty much anyone who he had his picking with."

A new review held that the BBC "fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency" when it came to the explosive Princess Diana 1995 interview.

In 1996 an internal investigation had been conducted in by former director-general Lord Tony Hall.

The director of BBC news and current affairs findings have since been described as "woefully ineffective" in a new report by Lord Dyson into the Panorama interview.

It is claimed Martin commissioned fake bank statements and used "deceitful behaviour" in a "serious breach" to land the bombshell interview with the Princess of Wales.

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Martin Bashir: Michael Jackson's UK publicist warned star against now- infamoust interview


ITV commissioned the interview with singer, where he admitted to the journalist that he shared his bed with children.

Saturday 22 May 2021 17:19, UK

A former publicist for Michael Jackson has said he refused to allow Martin Bashir access to the star, adding he felt the journalist had an agenda.

It comes following a turbulent week for Bashir, after the Dyson Report found that he faked financial records to secure an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales for the BBC.

He later went on to work for ITV, with the broadcaster commissioning a now-infamous interview with Jackson in 2003, where the singer admitted he shared his bed with children.

Mark Borkowski, Jackson's UK publicist at the time, told Sky News that he met Bashir when he was trying to secure access with his client.

"He said 'look what I did with Diana, it became a great event and she's very pleased' and at this point he brought out a letter... it was certainly signed by Diana and I read it and it was a fulsome praise of him and the interview.

"And it was a thank you letter to him and it was pretty dog-eared... that didn't persuade me and I kept him at arms-length and we had a second meeting and he pushed me into what I was going to say."

However, Mr Borkowski said his overall opinion was that Jackson should not let Bashir carry out an interview.

"I just felt he was clearly someone who's working off an agenda to create another cultural moment. Nothing dissuaded me from that."

He added that the decision to eventually offer Bashir access to Jackson was made by someone else, and claims that the interview changed the course of events for the singer.


On Friday, former head of ITN (which provides news programming to ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) Stewart Purvis told Sky News that despite his previous controversies, Bashir continued to be employed by the likes of the BBC and ITV because of his ability to secure big interviews.

He said: "Broadcasters like people who deliver big stories, big exclusives. Will they look the other way, as Prince William said, about what the BBC bosses did in the case of the interview?

"Sometimes they probably used to do that. Would they do it nowadays? I'm not so sure."


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Living With Michael Jackson, 4 Unethical Journalistic Practices
Michael Jackson, Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See

TIFFANY SMITH | MAY 25, 2021

Former BBC journalist Martin Bashir, is under fire for his behavior in past interviews with the late Princess Diana and the late Michael Jackson. An independent inquiry into Bashir revealed the journalist had forged documents in order to secure his 1995 interview with Princess Diana. Bashir has since apologized for forgery, but denies that the interview had any negative effect on Diana, something Prince William completely disagrees with. The Jackson family maintains that Bashir’s interview with Michael Jackson was the roadway to disaster for the late singer. How could Michael Jackson and Princess Diana be tricked into interviewing with Bashir? In Living With Michael Jackson, Bashir made many disparaging comments about Jackson on air, but the behind the scenes footage shows an empathetic, seemingly truthful person. Is this the persona that the journalist uses to secure interviews? Here are 4 examples of unethical journalism in the Living With Michael Jackson documentary.

1
Questioning Jackson’s Parenting
In ‘Michael Jackson, Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See’ it’s clear that Bashir admired Jackson’s relationship with his children. “Your relationship with your children is spectacular, it almost makes me weep,” he said to Jackson. However, in Living With Michael Jackson, Bashir commented: “They are overly protected. I was angry at the way his children were made to suffer.” This comment was in reference to Jackson’s children having to wear masks in public.

As adults, Prince and Paris Jackson revealed that they were required to wear masks when they went out publicly with their father only, when they went out with others no one knew who they were. Paris Jackson spoke about wearing masks on her show Unfiltered: “I appreciated it. It was nice because we were able to go to Chuck E. Cheese and Circus Circus and we were normal.” Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife, admitted that it was her idea for the kids to wear masks out of fear. “I’m the one who’s seen the notes that someone is going to take his [Michael Jackson’s] children.”

2
Misrepresenting Neverland As A Dangerous Place
Martin Bashir’s voice overs portray Neverland as a sinister trap for children. “One of the most disturbing things is the fact that a lot of disadvantaged children go to Neverland, it’s a dangerous place for a vulnerable child to be.” On air, Bashir seems oblivious to what he observed – a place where children and adults around the world, rich or poor, can go and have fun for free. Behind the scenes, however, Bashir can be heard going into detail about how great Neverland was, even referring to it as ”a spiritually kind thing.”

3
Exploiting and Humiliating A Cancer-Stricken Child
In 2003, when Living with Michael Jackson aired, the world was introduced to Gavin Arvizo, a cancer sufferer who spent time at Neverland with his family. In one scene, Jackson is shown holding hands with the then 13-year-old Arvizo as the child lays his head on Jackson’s shoulder. Despite Bashir instructing Jackson and Arvizo to do this, he suggests that something is inappropriate about the relationship. A friend close to Arvizo, said that after the Bashir documentary was broadcast, schoolmates began taunting Arvizo to the point that he had to leave school because of bullying.

“Now I’m not saying that I saw any evidence of Michael Jackson being involved sexually with any children…quite the contrary. But what I’m saying is that children who are vulnerable should not be going into the house of a billionaire superstar where they sleep in his bed.” Jackson never stated that he slept in the bed with Gavin Arvizo, and admits in the interview that he slept on the floor. According to Frank Cascio, a longtime friend of Jackson’s, others were in the room with Jackson and Arvizo. Cascio said that he had also slept in the room that night, as well as Gavin’s brother, Star and Jackson’s two children, Prince and Paris.

4
Exploiting Michael Jackson, Leading To His 2005 Trial
Court transcripts reveal that footage from Living with Michael Jackson was used by the prosecution as proof of Jackson’s guilt. The outtakes shown in Michael Jackson, Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant To See, were used by Jackson’s defense team.

Michael Jackson’s nephew, Taj Jackson, believes the Bashir film contributed to his uncle’s trial leading to his untimely death in 2009. Taj wrote online: “Bashir’s manipulated footage and unethical journalism is one of the main reasons my uncle is not here today. That trial broke him. Shame on those who provided cover for Bashir. Shame on those who rewarded him. My family deserves an investigation and apology too.”

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