Dec 11, 2010 12:19 GMT  ·  By
Fans are fighting to stop Discovery from airing documentary re-enacting Michael Jackson’s autopsy
   Fans are fighting to stop Discovery from airing documentary re-enacting Michael Jackson’s autopsy

Discovery Channel has announced it will air a special documentary in January 2011 called “Michael Jackson’s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson,” in which they will re-enact the singer’s autopsy based on court documents and witnesses.

According to the network, which, apparently, is behind the project with Oprah’s OWN network, the show will aim to offer an insight into how the autopsy on the late King of Pop was conducted and, of course, into how he died in the summer of 2009.

Fans are now struggling to stop Discovery from airing the show, calling it an “affront to human dignity,” and asking everyone to leave Michael alone – some things are not meant to be shown on TV, TMZ reports.

A petition is already making the rounds in the MJ fan community, which will hopefully determine the big bosses at the two networks to reconsider airing the show.

“Fans have already collected nearly 1,500 signatures – all demanding the network pull the plug on a special entitled ‘Michael Jackson's Autopsy’ in which MJ’s bloody autopsy is expected to be reenacted in gory detail,” TMZ notes.

Indeed, as one fan has learned, for the gruesome show, producers have used an “anatomically correct synthetic cadaver” in order to re-enact the autopsy.

“The fans behind the petition call the documentary ‘an affront to human dignity’ – adding, ‘This type of sensational and unscrupulous reporting can only cause harm’,” TMZ goes on to say.

“We ask the directors of the Discovery Channel programming to proceed with the outright cancellation of this indecent documentary,” reads the petition.

There could be more to this documentary than just an obvious quest for ratings through sensationalism of the lowest class, fans believe.

Oprah’s network, which launches in the first days of the next year, is co-owned by Harpo Inc. and Discovery, which means Oprah is partly behind the show.

Fans believe the Queen of Television has had it in for Michael ever since his troubled days on trial – and not even his acquittal made the grudge go away.

For more on this, as well as for the steps you can take to talk Discovery out of airing the documentary, please refer here.