The cold, dead face of Michael Jackson

I've known people who, when disgusted by something, exclaim "I did not need to see that!" My mother did it for Gary and Tony's gay kiss on Eastenders. This cry is a little more ironic than most, since in the interests of overcoming disgust it's more than likely people do need to see the thing that apparently revolts them, rather than being sheltered from it.

But I do not need to see or link you to Michael Jackson's dead face. I don't care if it's disgusting. I don't care if it's humbling or humiliating or a heart-warming reminder of the fragility of life and all things. I simply do not need to see it.

His dead, lifeless face (in both name and state) has come to light due to the continuing trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor whom, through a lack of any voice but his stating otherwise or any previous achievements or public mentions attached to his name, is considered by the world at large to be responsible for the superstar's death.

We aren't the judge or jurors in the Dr Murray's trial. We aren't the prosecution, the defence, the families, or Dr Murray himself. We do not have any specific need to see evidence from the trial.

Yet apparently, we do. Apparently we specifically need to see images of Michael Jackson lying dead on a hospital gurney plastered across the tabloids, and watch the same video footage of his near-death moments that the jury are put through, as if they are somehow just as relevant to us.

In coverage of knife crime related trials or prosecutions, local presses will often print a stock image of an unrelated knife to give the story context. We are not shown the specific knife, or closeups of the blood, or the breakdown of the DNA markers, because it is simply nothing to do with us,

Courts and legal proceedings are always of public interest, especially with those of such mega-celebrity attachment, but this parading of the more gruesome pieces of evidence, this opportunity for the public to supposedly see and feel what the jury is supposedly seeing and feeling (without realising that these are just the edited highlights), only fosters trial-by-media attitudes and the conclusion that public opinion on guilt and innocence will always override the verdict of a court or jury.

Nick
xx

Also, I'm raging about the constant talk of how [Michael Jackson] "literally put his life in the hands of Dr Conrad Murray". If he LITERALLY did that, Murray wouldn't just be responsible for the singer's life and death, but also have to carry him everywhere.