For anyone wanting more understanding of the situation around the Michael Jackson community on Reddit that our petition is about, here is some background info from our recent Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15p54Kxf3W/
Since 2017 I have been an active member of social network platform Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/
My username was JediRenee.
Reddit is made up of subreddits or groups.
Subreddits or subs are like Facebook groups. Each sub/group has its own moderators (mod) that get to make their own rules, as long as they follow Reddit's over all guidelines/code of conduct.
https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules
https://redditinc.com/policies/moderator-code-of-conduct
This is overseen by Reddit administrators (admin).
Reddit in general is anti Michael Jackson (MJ). Lots of negative talk about allegations, racism, disrespectful all round.
There are some dedicated subreddits (subs) dedicated to MJ that are meant to be safe spaces for the supporters of MJ (MJ community).
SInce 2017 under the username JediRenee l have been an active member of the MJ community on reddit and many other platforms. I've also moderated several MJ-related groups and subreddits.
Around Christmas, I was temporarily banned for seven days without any prior warning after I reported harmful content in a subreddit called LeavingNeverlandHBO.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LeavingNeverlandHBO/
^ This group is notorious, it is responsible for most of the hate directed towards MJ on reddit. They spread lies around false allegations and propaganda that is anti MJ. They claim to be supportive of abuse victims, but in reality are fixated on trying to tear down MJ, even 15 years after his passing (RIP).
Members of this group falsely claimed I was abusing the reporting tool in reddit (which I wasn’t). Despite my attempts to appeal the temporary ban, it was denied.
Then, things escalated. I was permanently banned for the same reason (alleged abude if reddits reporting tool) even though I hadn’t reported anything new since my initial temporary ban. I appealed multiple times but received no response from Reddit.
Around the same time, the MJInnocent subreddit was banned without explanation or warning. The main mod of many MJ subs, and other community members started calling out Reddit, but there was no accountability. At that point, I created a new account (Kia-ora-moonwalker) and refrained from reporting anything to avoid further issues.
I tried reaching out to Reddit multiple times via email and their online help system but received no replies.
https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
In response, I started a petition, which I shared across various platforms, including Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, X, and Bluesky, tagging Reddit admins to raise awareness and to call out reddit admins.
https://www.change.org/MJInnocentreinstateonreddit
We have over 500 signatures in our petition now 🌻✌️
Reddit's response? Without any notice, they removed the mods of the main MJ subreddit which has approximately 56.9k members effectively leaving the community inactive.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/new/
This sub also had a wide network of sister subs for different aspects of the mj fandom, a directory of different topics (fanart, shortfilms, the upcoming biopic and many others).
When the mods of the main mj sub were removed I increased my efforts to call out Reddit admins.
Soon after, Reddit permanently banned our previous mods accounts and removed moderation from many MJ sister subs, leaving them inactive.
Shortly after that, my Kia-ora-moonwalker account was banned with no explanation, accusing me of "Breaking Reddit" (which I’m still unclear about).
They also removed posts where I had tagged Reddit admins, claiming I was sharing private information. Reddit usernames are public, and I never received any clarification or response when I tried to explain this.
I created other accounts to try to interact, but they were all were removed within days by reddit admin. I can still access Reddit but cannot interact.
Reddit admins posted in the main MJ subreddit asking for volunteers to help moderate.
Recently, Reddit admins selected new moderators for the r/MichaelJackson sub, but the process was flawed, and the new mods are struggling to maintain a safe and welcoming space.
Trolls and haters have invaded the sub, and the new mods are banning long-time members for interacting with previous moderators and members (including interactions outside of reddit on other platforms only).
The new mods are also banning members who are calling out mods lack of capabilities to maintain the mj sub, and are arguing about this all repeatedly in the main mj subs group chat.
https://chat.reddit.com/room/!s2w_UomgQYmOfIosnACMRQ%3Areddit.com
Further to this, the new mods have removed all but 2 of the sister subs from the main mj subs directory and banned any talk of the removed sister subs.
This only highlights the underlying bias that Reddit allows certain groups, like LeavingNeverlandHBO, to continue while penalizing our pro-MJ community. It feels like Reddit doesn't want to engage with us fairly.
We ask Reddit Admin to provide a legitimate reason for:
1 The removal of r/MJInnocent.
2 The removal of original mods from r/MichaelJackson, leaving the sub initially inactive and now not adequately moderated.
3 The unfair banning of community members without warnings.
This issue is bigger than the reinstatement of the MJInnocent subreddit or the reinstatement of community accounts. It’s about setting a precedent for all communities on Reddit. Today it’s Michael Jackson’s supporters; tomorrow, it could be any other group facing the same treatment.
We urge Reddit's administrators to:
1 Reinstate r/MJIlnnocent and other unfairly removed subreddits.
2 Implement fair, neutral, and unbiased moderation practices.
3 Ensure all communities, regardless of size or opinion, are treated equally without censorship.
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have—feel free to reach out here or send me a private message on any platform.
I'm most active on Facebook and Bluesky: https://tinyurl.com/mu3vmfkt
#MJInnocent #MJ #michaeljackson #michaeljacksoninnocent #MJFam #reddit #redditadminarebiased #michaeljacksonforever #KingOfPopMichaelJackson #michaeljacksonfan