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Oprah fails the “loyalty” test
30 Aug2005
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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.
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No Responses to Oprah fails the “loyalty” test
VB
August 30th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
Ouch!
Lighnin'
August 30th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
I agree with Duane on this. Out of all the injustices going on in the world –the Defender choses to take a cheap shot at Oprah. Sheez.
EversB
August 30th, 2005 at 4:50 pm
It’s not being loyal that’s at issue, it’s paying tribute. When I lost my father, you better believe I took note of which of my friends and family came, and those who didn’t bother. And when you’re talking about a man as important as John H. Johnson – someone who gave so much to so many – it seems more likely that people will keep score. Even if Oprah owes him nothing personally, it’s a perception thing.
Face it: Oprah’s made some really bad PR decisions this summer. First she makes a scene because an exclusive jeweler wouldn’t let her come in after-hours to buy a $20,000 watch for Tina Turner (we’ve all been there, I know). Then, she won’t fly back from Hawaii to pay tribute, in public, to a man that did more for Black media than she ever did or will.
She may be a great TV personality, but Oprah runs the risk of looking insensitive and clueless when she acts like a diva. She can throw all the fits she likes. But one thing is now clear: Oprah ain’t no woman of the people. She’s just a rich, pampered snob.
DarkStar
August 30th, 2005 at 5:11 pm
martin is back tracking.
Sandy
August 30th, 2005 at 6:48 pm
I don’t think this is a loyalty issue. Oprah,to my knowledge, has always paid tribute to those who paved the way for her. I’m sure she is trying to figure out right now who “dropped the ball” concerning sending the flowers and card timely and efficiently. Their are lots of “miscommunication ” issues around this incident. And miscommunication doesn’t sound like the Oprah we read about. She has a penchant for details. Just prior to the death of Mr. Johnson, Oprah threw a big bash for several black women who influenced her life. So I think she does want to show her “loyalty” to others who contributed to her growth and development. Obviously , something went awry. But what mystifies me more is Mr. Johnson and Oprah never met. I find that fascinating given they were both in Chicago in related industries. I’ll be looking forward to her special, and how she addresses that issue.
Lynn
August 30th, 2005 at 7:59 pm
Wow. People have WAY too much time on their hands. So, Oprah’s philantrophic generosity pales in the face of her failure to attend a funeral? Roland Martin is NOT the official spokesperson for Black America. Contrary to popular belief, there is no official spokesperson. We Black folk — hard as it may be to believe — are completely capable of deciding for ourselves who’s “a good race wo/man” and who’s not. And believe it or not, some of us don’t even go around taking up space in our brain thinking about such tripe.
maurice
August 31st, 2005 at 7:09 am
Let’s see what Mr. Johnson’s company and Oprah’s company do for the poor blacks in La. and Miss., and not who shows up for what is traditionally a fashion show. To paraphrase Mr. Johnson while he was alive, how many of the people complaining about Oprah, have a subscription to either her magazine, or one of Mr. Johnson’s?
VB
August 31st, 2005 at 7:48 am
First of all Oprah is human ok? I know that she is a very visible person, in the limelight, public personality etc. But she is still a human being. The fact that she did not attend Mr. Johnson’s funeral should ony concern the Johnson family and Oprah. Mr. Johnson has gone on to his “reward” and he CERTAINLY does not care who was there and who was not. So what’s the big deal! It never cease to concern me how we (us) can tear each other down so easily. Mind you I am not an avid fan of Oprah but I do respect the good that she has done, that does not mean she is perfect, just that she is doing a lot of good with what God has blessed her with. (Can’t say that for everybody, bur we won’t go there). I wish that people would just leave that issue between the Johnson’s and Oprah, ’cause it really AIN’T
NOBODY’S BUSINESS BUT THEIRS! By the way what’s that newspaper’s motive behind printing that stuff, is it to solve the issue or just to make more money at the expense of tarninshing someone’s character. Don’t think Mr. Johnson would smile on that!
Alice
August 31st, 2005 at 10:13 am
What’s amazing to me about Roland Martin’s criticism is his paper’s continuing policy to not acknowlege or distribute his newpapers to the black population of Chicago that lives on the north side and in thenorthern suburbs. If you are unwilling to go, or cannot get to a paper stand on 35th and MLK Drive, well, screw you. This paper has been existance for a century; allegedly Mr. Martin is some sort of new technocrat running things, and his paper’s still full of mispelled words, wrong info, “old school” journalism concepts (ain’t got a AP Stylebook anywhere near their 26th & Michigan headquarters). Oh and back to that distribution thing: The Sengstacke advocated that instead of opening up their distribution lines-including having a website prior to 2005-it would be far more “progressive” if the black population “moved back into black neighborhoods”, then we could get the Defender more readily. Over two million black folks in the Chicago metro area. They’ve got a daily readership of maybe 20,000. Mr. Martin needs to worry about himself and let Oprah worry about herself.
julia
August 31st, 2005 at 2:49 pm
Ok first of all I think it’s a bit silly. But people are silly and get weird and this is an intense time. Most simply it’s probably about ego and hurt feelings and all the complex messes that get into this kind of situation.
And there are tendencies among some in the AA community to turn everything into politics in one way or another. But you don’t hekp this by dwelling on it but just treating it as the bs most of us know it can be.
The family wanted respect, they felt they didn’t get it, they might have had a point and if they go too far just shine it on or laugh at it . I guess this sounds a lot like Limpbowel just going on and on and on about the stupidist things liberals say. There is no context or understanding that he comes off as a big fat hot air head himself. These peple think oprah snubbed them any maybe some of thik we should have a big sit down demonstration in front of her TV show, which is just downright funny. Because it’s just like some guy thinking he’s the most important person in the world or some women thinking she’s the most beautiful.
And actually before someone jumps on me I’m not sure if people are actually taking this attitude because I didn’t read the linked article. If they are then shine it on or laiugh. Lighten things. If they aren’t then making this accusation is doing the old political game in reverse.
Roland S. Martin
September 2nd, 2005 at 12:19 am
I find Alice’s comments to be absolutely silly.
If there was a policy not to distribute the paper on the North Side, that surely pre-dates me.
Second, in orde to do so, you must have a clear plan. It’s also about critical mass. Does it make sense to distribute a paper to a couple hundred folks on the North Side, rather than have home delivery to the South Suburbs where you have upwards of 100,000 people?
But the fact is we do have distribution points north of Roosevelt, including past downtown and on the North Side. So your argument really does ring hollow.
Lastly, I find in interesting that folks have complained about the Defender for years, yet weren’t willing to fix the problem. And about the misspellings, our mistakes are about the same as the Sun-Times and the Tribune, with a fraction of the staff. And we definitely have copies of the AP Style Book. And what wrong info do you speak of? For someone who CLAIMS to not see the paper on the North Side, you sure can pontificate about what we are supposedly not doing right in the paper.
Don’t make stuff up on such boards. If you have a specific complaint, bring it to my attention. By the way, before I got hre, whe
Sounds to me like a chronic complainer, rather than someone who actually cares about the paper.
By the way, before I got here, when they screwed up, there was no correction. There is now a clear policy now. If you see a mistake, don’t sit there and gripe. Pick up the phone. But it sounds to be like you wrong info nonsense isn’t rooted in fact.
Tamm E Hunt
September 2nd, 2005 at 4:44 pm
Why is it that Oprah is a target ?
Only because she is a Power Broker and FAMOUS!
In deed Mr. Johnson’s single handed revolution has in fact enable many African Americans to be known to the world through his wonder publications; EBONY & JET. But truth is he had nothing to do with the success of Oprah Winfrey as a media mogul.
We do not plan the time of death in most instances. Oprah’s plans or Akashic records dictated that she would be in Hawaii minding her business and doing what she deemed as important to her and her enterprise. How about she simply may have been on hiatus designated for well deserved rest and relaxation.
She did in deed send letters of condolence to both the wife and daughter of Johnson ; Mrs Eunice Johnson and Linda Johnson Rice. She also sent a floral peice to the offices of Johnson Publications .
My question is what does she owe the Johnson family? The answer would be nothing.
Mr. Martin is using Ms Johnson to enhance sales for the Defender as well as giving light to himself at the expense of the Johnson Family lost. It is not that big of a deal that Oprah was not present. SHe was sympathetic and courteous. Beyond that she should not be judged.
As we continue, the BIG question is…where were all of those celebrities and atheletes whom Johnson made famous? Scan the pictures and ask for the list…where was Cicely Tyson, Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, Diana Ross, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, the politicians, Kwiese Mfume, Charles Rangel, Michael Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Sugar Ray Leonard…you get the picture. Where were they?
Mr Martin…what is your agenda? What is yiour point. LEAVE THE QUEEN ALONE!