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WATCH | The Michael Jackson doccie trailer that has fans spitting mad

While some have applauded it, others believe it is part of a smear campaign

22 February 2019 - 07:00 By Kyle Zeeman
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A documentary about the late Michael Jackson has caused a stir online.
A documentary about the late Michael Jackson has caused a stir online.
Image: AFP/Timothy A. Clary

A documentary about the life of Michael Jackson, centered around accusations of sexual assault has sparked widespread debate on social media platforms. 

A trailer for the film titled Leaving Neverland  was released on YouTube this week and immediately split fans.

The film examines allegations of two people who claim they were sexually assaulted by iconic musician Michael Jackson.

It received a standing ovation after it was shown at the Sundance Festival last month but did not get the same response on YouTube, where the trailer scored nearly four times more dislikes than likes.

By Thursday afternoon it had got 1,800 likes to 7,600 dislikes.

The comments section was also flooded with messages from users claiming the film was part of a smear campaign and questioned the honesty of the men featured in the documentary.

Michael's family has also slammed the documentary, insisting that those behind it are hoping to cash in on a dead person's legacy.

"We cannot just stand by as this public lynching goes on and the vulture tweeters and others who have never met Michael go after him," said the family in a statement to CNN last month.

Over on Twitter, the reactions were a little more mixed with some applauding it and others calling it a waste of time.

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