Did Martin Brashir ruin Michael Jackson's rep?

Answer 1

The short answer is that Michael Jackson ruined Michael Jackson's rep. But Martin Bashir certainly helped him along. Bashir's 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson was presented and edited in such an unflattering way that it instigated child molestation case against the singer in 2005. Jackson was eventually found not guilty, but the stress of the trial and the charges ruined his physical and emotional health for the remainder of his life. It also pretty much finished off his career - at least in America. It's logical to assume that Jackson's addiction to pain killers (which led to his death) was prompted by the consequences of the Bashir documentary.

Certainly Jackson is responsible for his own life, and has always done self-destructive things that have harmed his reputation -- even in the years long before he ever met Martin Bashir. Still, even if Jackson himself put his reputation on life support by spending so much time with young boys, Bashir's actions and comments in that documentary put the final nails in its coffin. And the long reaching consequences put the final nail in Michael Jackson's coffin. Literally.