There is no doubt that many in the black community were sadden about the death of publishing pioneer John H. Johnson. Like most funerals, Mr. Johnson’s was attended by people who wanted to pay tribute to a life that has done so much for many.
For Roland S. Martin, Executive Editor for the Chicago Defender, he made the decision to honor the life of Johnson by publishing an commemorative-type issue (two of them) on his days off. Needless to say he was also in attendance at the funeral.
In the midst of all of this shuffle, Martin decides to give Oprah a call to see if she would be attending:
Since Johnson’s death on Aug. 8, the Chicago Defender has placed at least six calls to her Harpo Productions headquarters and haven’t received a single word from the media diva.
We first called moments after we found out about his death, and we were told that Winfrey was attending a staff conference in California and could not be reached. We then called later that week and were informed that nothing would happen until at least Monday, Aug. 15.
The Defender then called on the day of the funeral – especially after noticing, along with many others, that Winfrey didn’t attend the homegoing service – and were told that there was no statement. As we prepared our commemorative edition for Johnson, which will be in tomorrow’s Defender, we gave her staff ample time to get a statement together.
Still, nothing.
We even called again yesterday and pretty much were told that nothing would be forthcoming.
I’ve been fielding phone calls and emails from many of the folks in the Black media world over Winfrey’s apparent snub of the man who single handedly made it possible for people like Oprah to launch their own magazines and media companies. (more…)
So all of a sudden, this self-appointed spokesperson for the Johnson family feels the moral obligation to make this “snub” (as he puts it) into the feature expose’ for his newspaper.
Martin continues with his “snub-alert” reporting in another piece:
“When Ebony celebrated its 50th anniversary 10 years ago, she was asked by Mr. Johnson to participate in the event. When looking at those in attendance, Winfrey publicly asked where were all the celebrities who have graced the covers of Ebony and Jet over the years and why they weren’t there, echoing a similar refrain offered by a number of journalists who noted the absence of such celebrities at Johnson’s August 15 funeral.” (more…)
As I mentioned earlier in this posting, Johnson is to be commended for the indelible mark that he made in the black media world. But to levy the expectancy for every black person who has been featured in this magazine to “pay tribute” the way Martin and other blacks in the media world expects is downright ludicrous.
Who created this “test of loyalty” to one’s race anyway?
Peter Jennings was a reporter who placed the spotlight on many people throughout his career. I can assure you that there were many whites whom he had interviewed over the years who for whatever reason did not attend his funeral. Should it be considered a “snub” if they did not make it to his funeral? The same could be asked of other cultures. How many non-black publications would take the time to cover funeral absenteeism anyway?
We are the only ones that will tie a fellow black person’s success to the fate of the entire race. Although Johnson did in fact give Oprah some publicity in his magazines, Johnson was not the only contributer to Oprah’s success.
Martin does acknowledge in the excerpt above that Oprah did attend Ebony’s 50th anniversary celebration 10 years ago. But for some reason, this was not good enough for him. The funeral was the benchmark.
Also according to Martin, Oprah had already made plans to commemorate both Johnson and Luther Vandross on an upcoming show next month. Instead of just moving on to more important issues in the world, he still continues spinning this story for what its worth depicting Oprah as the rich booshie billionaire who has become too uppity to give Johnson his props. This whole thing is based on nothing more than the age-old assumption that once a person becomes rich, they forget where they came from. For Oprah (#40 on BusnessWeek’s Most Generous Philanthropists of 2004), I sincerely doubt she has not continued the legacy of giving back as Johnson demonstrated over the years or forgotten her humble beginnings.
For Martin, please move on to some real news that can quench the thirst of so many of us in the black community who have been longing for real journalism from OUR newspapers. Making the Chicago Defender into the next tabloid is just not good news.
Others who have failed the “test”:
Robert Johnson–for selling BET to Viacom
T.D. Jakes – for not buying paid advertisement in black newspapers for Megafest (nevermind the fact he used black-owned radio stations)
Ed Lewis (founder of Essence Communications) – for selling his magazine to Time Warner.
