Blogs and Libel - or Damn, NKK!

Just as Epic Records is getting ready to release Number Ones, Michael's latest greatest hits collection for a November 20th release, this fun bombshell drops about Michael Jackson's home being searched by police.

Okay, not a great timing issue for Epic Records, and I'm sure that internal teams are going through crisis communications mode, and I would not be too suprised if the CD were shelved for a few months, or indefinitely. Some of the comments on Amazon are classic, though.

What does not make sense is the quote from the Jackson Family attorney, Brian Oxman. While the Santa Barbara police and attorney general were quiet about why they were searching Michael Jackson's Neverland (as in Never Gonna Get Caught), his attorney decided the best strategy would be to tell all?

"The investigation is about a 12-year-old boy. This involves a molestation allegation," Oxman said in a statement. "Sheriff's deputies have been investigating this case for months. There's been an ambulance that has already come and gone. And there is a forensics van, on the scene. Here we go again. This is insane."

Not sure what the strategy was behind releasing the statement - was it to quiet any more rumors that could have come out? If that is the reason, why mention that it was a 12-year-old boy? And why end the statement in "here we go again, this is insane" refrain, instead of just giving a terse comment that "Yes, the police have been here, and it has been an ongoing investigation. The forensics team and an ambulance have already come and gone, and at this time there will be no further comments."

Should be interesting to watch this one play out, and would be a nice case study for crisis communications.

Addendum at 5.11 PM MST - the attorney quoted supposedly was not authorized to make any comments, and it is being printed that he was no longer the Jackson family attorney at the time of the quote. Anyway, it's still an even more interesting case now!