Thomson’s response to TMZ’s story about Michael Jackson

Some time ago, the news site TMZ wrote that in 2008 Michael Jackson used anesthesia for his son Blanket’s dental surgery. Charles Thomson clarified this story in an article: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Among careless reporters, there’s a slogan: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." I can’t find a better example of that than what TMZ did. They accused Michael of forcing his son to be sedated with a medical anesthetic. They said: "MJ forced Dr. to give his son a sedative in an improper situation. He exposed one of his children to dangerous medical care." The story they claim is that in July 2008, Dr. Mark Teach performed a dental surgery on Michael and his 6-year-old son Blanket. TMZ claims that anesthesia was used for Blanket. Dr. Teach did not have permission to use the anesthetic, so Michael asked him to call in an anesthesiologist specialist—and he did. TMZ’s story is written with two goals: first, to portray Michael as careless about using drugs; and second, to portray him as a bad father. But the truth of the matter makes both claims invalid. It is not true that using anesthesia on children is dangerous. On the website of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, it is written: "General anesthesia is recommended for children who have long-term oral surgeries. This anesthesia is safe and secure if performed by a specialist." TMZ wrote that Blanket’s dental surgery lasted two hours. According to the story TMZ wrote, Dr. Teach had told Michael that he did not have permission or the ability to sedate his son. Michael then asked Teach to call in an anesthesiologist specialist. So the sedation was not carried out in a dangerous situation—and besides, Michael had not forced the doctor to do such a thing. TMZ then wrote that in March 2010, the medical board reprimanded and punished Teach for what he did. But in the consent forms filled out in March 2010 between Dr. Teach and the medical board, it states that the doctor had used the help of an anesthesiologist specialist for using anesthesia on "Michael Jackson" during an oral surgery. In these documents, the 6-year-old Blanket is not mentioned—but if Blanket was present at that time, then he too would have been sedated in such a situation with the care of a specialist. Also, Dr. Teach had been fined for selling alcoholic beverages in a situation where he did not have a legal license to sell alcohol. TMZ’s article is highly misleading. They wrote that Michael used the same method on his son that ultimately led to his own death. Here too, they are wrong. Michael was not treated by an anesthesiologist specialist—but as they themselves said, the sedation of his son was handled by a specialist. These two cases are not comparable. Knowing these facts, we can now say—contrary to TMZ—that Michael provided conditions like a normal father would, so that his son could undergo dental surgery safely and without danger. Dr. Teach had not violated medical rules. From June 25, 2009 onward, TMZ gained fame and credibility it had never had before—simply because it was the first news agency in the world to announce Michael’s death. And now it has many readers. They announced Michael’s death long before the hospital confirmed it. Many people, after reading TMZ’s report, called it a lie. Since then, many media outlets have followed TMZ’s activities, and they have also shared their recent story about Michael and his son with their readers. The entertainment industry is sick of copy-and-paste journalism. TMZ should know that real journalism is unbiased and accurate. Neither of these exists in their story. Source: eMJey / sawfnews.com