Neverland Firsthand makes the case that the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which claims that Michael Jackson sexually abused Wade Robson and James Safechuck when they were children, is flawed.[1][2][3] The documentary features Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson, Jackson's niece Brandi Jackson, private investigator Scott Ross, technical director Brad Sundberg, and investigative journalist Charles Thomson.[5]
The documentary provides information described as having been "excluded from HBO's broadcast", on the grounds that it discredits claims made in Leaving Neverland.[1] Sundberg, who worked with Jackson on the Neverland Ranch and in other locations stated in his interview for the film that he never saw "a child around Michael Jackson that looked like they had been distressed, hurt, abused".[2] Brandi Jackson specifically addressed accusations made by Robson, stating that she and Robson had previously been in a relationship, and that she had found him to be "a bit of an opportunist" positioning himself for financial gain.[2][4]
Another point investigated by the documentary is an assertion that Safechuck's allegations against Jackson included material "taken from a fictional book released in the 1990s about a child being molested by Jackson".[5] McEwan also noted that Safechuck claimed that Jackson had wanted him to testify in Jackson's 2005 trial, and Safechuck had refused; McEwan interviewed a private investigator who worked on that trial, who stated that Safechuck was never asked to testify at all, because the judge had barred the introduction of such evidence.[4]
Within the first few days of release, Neverland Firsthand made international headlines, being picked up by Vanity Fair,[2] Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Cosmopolitan,[1] as well as being featured in news broadcasts across Italy, Mexico, France, Australia,[4] and South Africa.
