The documentary Being Elmo is a fascinating study of a quiet (gay) man who grew up in an area that didn't understand his love for puppets. Or his sexuality, though that's never expressly dictated in the film. 

What I got from Kevin Clash, the creator of Elmo and how head of the Seasame Street empire is that he's a creatively-driven, damaged individual in a way that reminds of of Michael Jackson, whose circumstances divorce him from reality. 

Thus when I see a story that Clash is accused of being in a relationship with a 16-year-old boy that he mentored, I am hesitant to believe it. Blaming the victim is never a good thing, but the response Clash offers, that he had a relationship with the now-man but it started after he was of legal age, I believe. From the UK Daily Mail:

The man who voices the puppet of Elmo on Sesame Street has taken leave amid allegations he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy.

Kevin Clash, 52, has taken a leave of absence from the popular children's show after the programme's lawyers were contacted by a 23-year-old man who claims he had a sexual relationship with the puppeteer seven years ago, when he was aged 16. 

TMZ, who reported the allegations, said that Mr Clash had admitted he had a relationship with the man, but only after the accuser was an adult and said the accusations were both false and defamatory.

Conservative sites like Newsbusters are leaping with joy, using this as an excuse to defund PBS. It's a sad exploitation of a tragedy that needs to be worked out privately before it is spread to the public. It's another example of the convict-first nature of the media, removing the presumption of innocence granted to the accused by the casual placement of the word, "alleged." As long as we say it's alleged, we can say anything we want about anyone. 

Jerry Bott allegedly uses his workday to create needlepoint that he sells on Etsy.

Mark Belling is an alleged master juggler. 

Justin Earl allegedly loves scotch. 

...ok, the last one is true.

But there needs to be more responsibility in the stories that we tell because they are taken as fact, not speculation and conjecture. Rushing to judgment only serves harm for the people involved and justice, in turn, is refused. 

Update: As predicted, the accuser has recanted. But too late to unring the bell.