This story from Politico.com irritates me in oh so many ways.
Barack Obama’s election as president is prompting major changes in the nation’s black press, ushering in a series of firsts that editors say will reshape print, Internet, radio and television coverage aimed at African-American audiences.
Essence, the top-selling magazine among black women, will have a full-time White House reporter for the first time. Ebony magazine will add a White House reporter, either full time or as needed. Its sister publication, Jet magazine, will have a weekly two-page Washington report in every issue.
And Black Entertainment Television is scrapping its usual fare of videos and sitcoms for a four-hour live broadcast of Obama’s swearing-in — just as the leading cable network in black households did for both party conventions last summer, and on Election Day. TV One will do the same, airing 21 hours of inauguration coverage throughout the day.
In some ways, the moves mark a return to a time when the black press — particularly magazines — were newsier. Jet first published photos of the battered and swollen body of Emmett Till in 1955, sparking outrage and galvanizing a still-young civil rights movement.
Excuse me? I’m sorry the “black press” checked out after 1968 and decided to focus on hair weaves, baby daddies, thugs, victimology, cop killers like Mumia, and assholes who glorify guns, 40s, and badonkadonk. The news here is not that Essence is going to have their first White House reporter… the news is — Why haven’t they had one the past 40 years or so? Are Black women just now in need of political news and insight? What happens when this messiah ascends back to Chicago? Will Essence abandon the White House since a white president obviously doesn’t serve their needs? The Black community has suffered mightily at the hands of Democrat social policy and experimentation.
Perhaps if the Black (so-called) press had done its job those policies might have been exposed for what they are — white paternalism, godless post-Enlightenment social engineering, a slaughter of Innocents unseen since King Herod’s day, and the infantilization of a large section of the Black community. The same could be said of media generally of course and the lack of real reporting by “reporters” and the culture at large, but this mixture of racial politics and media gets my gourd.
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I hope you aren’t actually surprised by any of this.
I think maybe you’re thinking too deep on this Floyd. My unsolicited media perspective is this. Magazines and cable channels work in niches. In this case, you might define that niche as “stuff that interests black people.” So a black man gets elected president, bam, suddenly the White House fits their niche. Hire that Washington correspondent. Create the DC regular section. This is our kind of story now.
I understand that Chuck… I don’t agree with it. A community that has put so much faith in one of the 2 major parties ought to take a more active interest in politics. I know Essence is following the market to a large degree, but the idea that now that Obama is pres they should have a White House presence is troubling to me.
JM… I’m never surprised by racial identity politics — just dismayed and irritated by it.
Then why didn’t they have reporters in the White House during the Clinton Admiserablestration? Wasn’t HE the FIRST Black President?
Zing!
Yeah they shound of. I should have a reporter in DC or more plausibly in (insert my home state’s capital) because there are plenty of ways that those governments effect my paper’s readers in unique ways that we could fill them in on. But I don’t have the resources, or more correctly there are other things that seem more deserving of resources in a paying off in a business sense way. But if a (insert name of paper’s city) boy or girl got themselves elected governor, we’d be following their every move. We’d do the same if we were talking about the Miss America Pageant too.
Very true, Fr. Ron. Very true. Of course, he wasn’t the first half-white President with magic unicorn powers either (or was he????), so no need for a fuss, right?
Sadly, too many black reporters have been of the Buzz Rapplin variety since the 60s, always eager to uncover the latest conspiracy. Till now, natch.
“On the plantation, what else can a brutha do? It’s like that, y’all, it’s like that y’all, and once again, it’s like that y’all.”
With all the stupidity so far (Blago, Reid, Pannetta, Essence, HBO) I can’t wait to see what happens when the bastard is actually in office.
Usually during a Republican administration, conservative publications do down in circulation and vice versa. An enemy in office is usually good for business and a friend is not.
It would be interesting if the same thing holds for publications aimed at a black audience. Maybe they will discover Obama does not walk on water, change water into wine and is best at voting present.
BTW, gang, now that I am a commenting member here, I’d like to ask, for those of you of the praying persuasion, I am going into the hospital tomorrow morning for major abdominal surgery (I’m a Crohn’s Disease sufferer – one of the genetic curses of being Ruthenian). I’ll be out of touch here for a week, but look forward to catching up after I’m back home.
Gotch yer back Ron. Good luck.
Good luck FR.
I gotta go with Floyd on this: “the “black press” checked out after 1968 and decided to focus on hair weaves, baby daddies, thugs, victimology, cop killers like Mumia, and assholes who glorify guns, 40s, and badonkadonk”
Very well said even though I have no clue what badonkadonk is (and don’t want to unless it wears “frilly nighties”).
They can go do anything they want – just don’t make it sound like it wasn’t worth their time to hang out and be involved. I checked out in the 70′s and have no one but MYSELF! to blame. I’ve checked back in now and… well here I am anyway.
You’ll be in my thoughts and prayers FR.
Fr. Ron, have you had any relief from the Chrohn’s diets I see posted? I read a book a few years back with a Biblically-based diet.
Anyway will pray for you tonight. God bless.
Thoughts and prayers your direction, FR!!!
TCT, badonkadonks can wear frilly nighties. They’re just of a slightly larger size is all…and I do not lie.
Good luck, Ron. Don’t forget to come back here when you’re feeling better.
Wish you the best, FR.
The thing with this crapola is … as if this is going to boost the circulation and viewership of Black media. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that the majority of those who read and watch the Black media, are black. And I’ll go further out and suggest that it will continue to be so. So what is the significance of this? Does Essence think it’s going to go down in History as a milestone as the first black publication in the White House, on the coattails of the first black president in the White House? Its ridiculous.
For more on Badonkadonks I would suggest starting with this video.
Baby got back!
Matt: Of course the people that read and watch these pubs and programs are black. But not all black people read these magazines. By covering a hot topic in their niche they can increase circulation, which should let them attract and charge more for advertising. It’s a business proposition.
I think you’re all correct. It’s a shame that a lot of us allow ourselves to be defined by stereotypes and don’t seek to rise above them, but magazines are about selling magazines. Just as I’m sure there are gossip mags geared towards country and western music that cater to a “redneck” audience there are “black” magazines that cater to a black, urban audience. If Garth Books is elected President you can bet “Redneck Weekly” will start covering politics.
Not arguing your point, Rufus, but the past few years have (usually foolishly) had far too many non-political publications, print and online, including political content. Eh, keeps my fingers busy tilting at the ESPN.com Page 2 windmill.
As a marketing ploy, it’s even more ridiculous. How many people are going to even know about Essence in the White House, except for those who read Floyd and Threedonia?
Matt — wonder what quote/unqote women’s magazines Michelle reads? Guess we’ll hear alllll about it, tho, won’t we?
Right on Rufus.