Documentary "Michael Jackson: Leaving Neverland" broadcast on March 21, 2019: response to plaintiffs

The CSA has received a complaint concerning the broadcast of the documentary film Michael Jackson: Leaving Neverland on M6 on March 21, 2019. The complainants felt that the film undermined the principle of honest information and the rights of the individual, and that in view of its content, the classification " not recommended for children under 12 " was insufficient and/or that broadcast in the first half of the evening was inappropriate.

After examining the disputed program, the CSA considered that the broadcast of this work, which, like any documentary, was marked by the subjectivity of its author, followed by a debate which enabled different points of view to be confronted, did not constitute a breach of the channel's obligations.

Furthermore, the CSA considered that the " not recommended for children under 12 " signage and the warning displayed and read out at the start of the documentary were appropriate to its content. The broadcast of this program under these conditions in the first half of the evening was in compliance with the recommendation of June 7, 2005.