Hurt by Lies, We Choose Love.

"Before you judge me, try hard to love me" Michael Jackson.

Tabloids are toxic. Invasive, disrespectful, and ever-present, they feed off scandal, suffering, and the private lives of those in the public eye. We consume them, clicking on headlines, sharing gossip, and feeding into a cycle that we think is harmless. But it isn’t. These tabloids don’t just distort facts, they tear people down. They perpetuate lies, breed hatred, and normalise cruelty under the guise of entertainment. The damage they do is real, and it’s time we stop ignoring it.

One of the most heartbreaking and damaging examples of this cruelty was how the media treated Michael Jackson. A man who changed the world through his music, his charitable work, and his compassion for others was relentlessly vilified by the press. Instead of celebrating his immense talent, they attacked his appearance, his medical struggles, and his personal life. The tabloids, driven by racism, ignorance, and sensationalism, did not just spread rumours about Michael Jackson. They tried to tear down everything he stood for.

Among the most infamous rumours spread by tabloids was that Michael Jackson bleached his skin in an attempt to become white. This damaging narrative was born in the late 1980s when Jackson’s skin began to lighten. The truth?

Michael Jackson was suffering from a real medical condition, vitiligo, a skin condition that causes loss of pigmentation, and lupus, an autoimmune disease that also affects the skin, and was not trying to change his race or deny his Blackness. In fact, he was proud of his heritage, as exemplified by his iconic anthem Black or White. In the song, Jackson boldly declared that skin color should not matter, and he embraced his black roots while promoting unity and equality. His fight against racism was evident not just in his music but in his words and actions, as he continually worked to break down racial barriers in the music industry and society.

Michael Jackson's visible Vitiligo.

Yet, despite this, the tabloids relentlessly pushed the narrative that Michael was ashamed of being Black. They used his vitiligo to create a damaging, racially charged story. Jackson’s makeup artist, Karen Faye, and his dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, both confirmed that the treatments Jackson used were to even out his skin tone, not to lighten it deliberately. Jackson also openly spoke about his condition in interviews. Yet, the tabloids continued to spread lies that not only hurt him, but also perpetuated harmful stereotypes, sending the message that you should be ashamed of your Black features.

Then came the rumours about Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeries, which were misrepresented as purely cosmetic. The reality is more complex. In his book Moonwalk, Michael opened up about the pain he carried from childhood. Growing up in the spotlight, he was a sensitive soul, trying to be strong in a world that constantly watched and judged him. As a little boy, he endured cruel insults from his father and some relatives about his nose, and later, about the acne that affected his face. These comments left lasting scars on his self-esteem. He once admitted that he would wash his face in the dark, ashamed of how he looked. Despite this, he couldn’t hide. Even when he felt most vulnerable, he had to step into the light, onto the stage, into the gaze of millions.

While some of Michael Jackson’s surgeries were cosmetic, driven by personal struggles, others were reconstructive and medically necessary due to lupus, an autoimmune disease that damaged his skin and caused scarring. After breaking his nose during a stage accident in 1979, he underwent his first nose surgery. When he developed lupus in the early 1980s, his ability to heal was severely affected, requiring additional corrective procedures to manage the condition’s effects. In his autobiography Moonwalk, Michael openly admitted to having two nose surgeries and a chin cleft, but he chose not to reveal the full extent of his health challenges, perhaps because he wasn’t seeking sympathy, only understanding. Sadly, this mix of medical and cosmetic procedures led to endless speculation. The media often exaggerated his surgeries, using his changing appearance as material for mockery, ignoring the pain behind it all.

Scene from Michael Jackson’s Leave Me Alone video.

This didn’t stop the press from spreading the damaging nickname “Wacko Jacko,” a term that was racially charged and used to mock his appearance. The media twisted his actions, portraying him as obsessed with his looks, when in reality, much of the public’s scrutiny and hate had been directed at him because of his race and his willingness to break away from conventional expectations of Black people. The racism and ignorance of the media were plain to see. Jackson’s appearance and personal life became the subject of constant mockery, but he never reacted with anger. Instead, he responded with kindness, grace, and resilience.

"Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, "I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight," people would say, "Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. You can't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth."

Despite the viciousness of the media, Michael Jackson never responded to hatred with hate. Instead, he responded with kindness, with love. He gave so much to the world through his music and charity, visiting hospitals, raising money for children in need, and giving his time to those less fortunate. Yet, the media twisted his actions, as Michael himself said, “I’ll be visiting hospitals, and the following day, they were writing that "Wacko Jacko" left the hospital and ignored all the children. And it hurts my heart.”

This narrative wasn’t just wrong, it was cruel, and it was racist. The media took his generosity and turned it into a weapon to tear him down. They used his health struggles and his personal choices to paint him as an eccentric celebrity, completely ignoring the deeper, more meaningful aspects of the human he was.

Some of the cruelest tabloids about Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was attacked by the press in ways that many people couldn’t even begin to imagine. He was constantly scrutinised for things that had nothing to do with his true character. His appearance, his personal life, and his medical condition became fodder for the tabloids, who chose to focus on everything except the truth.

And here lies the lesson: just because it’s printed in a magazine, or you see it on a TV screen, doesn’t make it true. As Michael Jackson so wisely put it in his song “Tabloid Junkie,” “Just because you read it in a magazine, or you see it on the TV screen, don’t make it factual.” The media’s ability to distort the truth and manipulate stories for profit is frightening, and we, as consumers, must take responsibility for what we choose to believe, for what we choose to share.

Michael Jackson gave so much to the world, yet he was treated with such cruelty. And throughout it all, he never responded with bitterness or anger. He endured more than most could bear, but he never lost his faith. It’s a lesson we should all learn from: no matter how much the world tries to tear us down, we can choose how we respond.

We need to ask ourselves: why do we allow the media to dictate our understanding of others? Why do we let sensationalism replace the truth? We must reject the lies, the judgment, and the hatred that tabloids sell, and instead, choose to lift people up, just as Michael Jackson did. His story is not just about the suffering he endured but about the love and kindness he gave in return.

In the end, let’s hold close Michael Jackson’s heartfelt words: “Before you judge me, try hard to love me.” He was asking for something we all need: Love, not judgment. Let’s offer that same love to others. Be kind, open-hearted, and respectful to those who are different from us. Everyone is fighting battles we can’t always see, carrying stories we may never know. So let’s choose empathy, let’s choose compassion, and let’s treat one another with understanding, and care.

The media can lie, but we don’t have to believe it. We have the power to choose truth over sensationalism, kindness over cruelty, and love over hate. Let's respond to lies with love.