Following the controversy last week over Michael Jackson's allegations that he was man-handled by police officers during his arrest over child abuse charges last month - and the Santa Barbara Police Authority's subsequent denial of the allegations - there is now some controversy over whether CBS's Sixty Minutes news show paid for the interview in which Jackson spoke of his arrest "ordeal".
As a current affairs show Sixty Minutes has a policy of not paying interviewees. Producers of the show claim no fee was paid for their exclusive interview last week, but insiders say Jacko will receive $1 million dollars for speaking to CBS as part of an existing arrangement between the singer and the network.
Although the payment won't come from the Sixty Minutes programme budget, word is Jacko will receive the fee from the CBS's entertainments division, who already have a $5 million deal with Jackson in place for the TV Special which was being filmed when the singer was arrested. That Special is on hold pending the court case later this month. It is unclear whether the $1 million interview fee is in the form of a second advance on the $5 million fee (of which Jackon has only received $1.5 million to date) or whether it will be paid in addition to the originally agreed sum.
Either way some media commentators are questioning the ethics of paying for a Jackson interview (assuming they did) given his up coming court case.
Via: CMU
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