1. DID IRAN KILL MJ
Was the Iranian Government the
mastermind behind the death of a
pop icon?
James Nonen

2. What Happened
on June 25, 2009?
The day Michael Jackson
died?
And?
The day the world ignored
Iranian protests
Remember this?

3. What Does This Mean?
• Protest disputing electoral victory of Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad
• Front and center around the world after killing of Neda Agha-
Soltan
• Getting attention off Iran in best interest of government
• Without world support, revolution hope died

4. Why Michael Jackson?
• Large enough public figure to draw attention away
• Retaliation against the US?
– Iran blamed CIA for death of Neda Agha-Soltan
• Which led to increased rioting and attention

5. World Attention Shift
• News and people replace election protests with MJ
• “Michael Jackson RIP” replaced “#iranelection” as top Twitter
trending topic
• Excessively covered even by news standards

6. Cover Ups
• Russian FSB reported CIA killed MJ soon after
incident and conspiracy theory revealed
– A way to improve increasing relations between countries
– Against a common enemy (U.S.A.)

7. Does it Hold Up?
• Circumstantial evidence
• No evidence against it
• Trying to make something out of nothing?
• One of an average 156, 000 deaths per day

8. Cites
Bryant, Hector. "Covering Michael Jackson."
Bryanton Post. 7 July 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
<http://bryantonpost.blogspot.com/2009/07/covering-michael-jackson.html>.
“Reno”. "Michael Jackson Death May Doom Iran."
Our Kitchen Sink. 26 June 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.ourkitchensink.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-death-may-doom-iran>.
Sorcha, Faal. "Russia’s FSB Reports Pop Icon Michael Jackson Assassinated By CIA."
What Does it Mean. 26 June 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1244.htm>.
Sullivan, Andrew. "The CIA Killed Neda."
The Atlantic. 25 June 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
<http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/the-cia-killed-neda
.html>.
"Death video woman 'targeted by militia'."
BBC News. 22 June 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2010.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8113552.stm>.
"Michael Jackson: the wildest conspiracy theories."
Telegraph. 29 June 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/5682778/Michael-Jackson-
the-wildest-conspiracy-theories.html>.