Breaking News: Satire Site Breaks, Writes Michael Jackson Piece
After months of avoiding the topic, top satire website the Daily Potato finally relented and wrote a piece on the Michael Jackson trial. Top writer Tony O'Bendigo commented afterwards, "There had been an implicit agreement in the Potato offices not to talk about Michael Jackson, because as a target it is too easy. But in the end, we decided that the fact the jokes are too obvious, predictable and unimaginative was really only a small concern."
The story, which appeared on Tuesday in a bowler hat and dressing gown, ran under the headline "Jackson Jury Rewarded with Moonwalk Lessons", and contained a picture of Jackson, now 46, showing a member of the public how to do the dance move made famous by the star in the 1980s. The article implied that members of the jury were coerced into going for a not guilty verdict last week with promises of dancing lesson, reputed to be worth around $47,000 per hour. The story also alleges how the prosecution contacted teen pop icon Ashley Simpson to try to convince the jury to go for a guilty verdict, with promises of a private concert. However, her lip-synced reply came back with the text of her weekly shopping list due to a technical error, and no agreement was reached.
Satire critic Rachel Tobyson was full of praise for the article. Speaking after it was written, she said, "The reason this story works is because it has universal appeal. It is really a social comment about how, in many ways, we all are molested by Michael Jackson. Also, the photo of him really shows how silly his nose is these days. Have you noticed?"
The Daily Potato is now planning to re-examine its lampooning policy. O'Bendigo commented, "With the success of this article, it may be time for us to look again at the way we go about writing. It is clear now that we can be cutting edge within the confines of mediocrity, rather than treating the two as mutually exclusive. This is an important and exciting realization for us. I know I speak for all our writers when I say I have a load of 'President Bush is not very clever' ideas that the world really needs to hear."
The story, which appeared on Tuesday in a bowler hat and dressing gown, ran under the headline "Jackson Jury Rewarded with Moonwalk Lessons", and contained a picture of Jackson, now 46, showing a member of the public how to do the dance move made famous by the star in the 1980s. The article implied that members of the jury were coerced into going for a not guilty verdict last week with promises of dancing lesson, reputed to be worth around $47,000 per hour. The story also alleges how the prosecution contacted teen pop icon Ashley Simpson to try to convince the jury to go for a guilty verdict, with promises of a private concert. However, her lip-synced reply came back with the text of her weekly shopping list due to a technical error, and no agreement was reached.
Satire critic Rachel Tobyson was full of praise for the article. Speaking after it was written, she said, "The reason this story works is because it has universal appeal. It is really a social comment about how, in many ways, we all are molested by Michael Jackson. Also, the photo of him really shows how silly his nose is these days. Have you noticed?"
The Daily Potato is now planning to re-examine its lampooning policy. O'Bendigo commented, "With the success of this article, it may be time for us to look again at the way we go about writing. It is clear now that we can be cutting edge within the confines of mediocrity, rather than treating the two as mutually exclusive. This is an important and exciting realization for us. I know I speak for all our writers when I say I have a load of 'President Bush is not very clever' ideas that the world really needs to hear."
