 TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective |
TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective |
Editorial Archives |
| We
Must Understand A "Black" newspaper's designation speaks for itself Roy Douglas Malonson |
| As expected, people who resent
our Black perspective editorial policy persistently attack African-American
News&Issues. Their arguments usually challenge our opinionated, overzealous penchant
for distorting news by playing the race card, rather than dealing with the mainstream
media's information as gospel. We suspect, however, that what really bothers most of our
detractors is that our grassroots Black perspective translates to telling it like it is
straight up, rather than beating around the politically-correct bush. Nevertheless, it's always encouraging to get (good, bad, or ugly) mail, insofar as We Must Understand that one has to read our publication, with a very discerning eye, before they can criticize it. And, as self-aggrandizing as it sounds, we are absolutely certain that if one thoroughly reads our newspaper once, they're hooked and are in danger of becoming a Black perspective addict. Whether they're aware of it or not, even our critics unwittingly learn how grassroots Black people really think when they read our publication. Opinions aside, when one looks for something to discredit our humble efforts to report all news without fear or favor, they'll definitely be exposed to a different point of view, but a recent e-mail got our attention. The sender, identifying himself as Sam Eder, really took us to task, under the guise of constructive criticism. The reason Mr. Eder's e-mail struck a responsive chord is that there's a very good chance he's among the growing ranks of Africans in America who proclaim that we're not a monolithic people, who all think alike. We Must Understand, although we are not a monolithic people, per se, our shared ancestry and experiences as an oppressed, segregated people, who have suffered through discrimination and institutionalized racism makes us uniquely different from any other ethnicity in America. And that irrefutable reality, in itself, makes us a monolithic people on some level. Conversely, that's not why we're responding to the e-mail. Instead, we welcome an opportunity to share our history with readers once more. First, however, here's what Mr. Eder had to say: "Minority perspective publications have two main purposes in our community. First, they serve to inform the community to news and ideas that are often ignored by the mainstream media. Secondly, they serve an example of excellence in writing and analysis. It is towards that end that the African-American News&'Opinions' falls shot. Please understand that is part of your responsibility to produce a newspaper that we can show our children with confidence. Your readership and community will appreciate your improvement." Ironically we confessed in an editorial ("Perfection is not a reality, but a quest"/3-20-26, 2002), that we strive for perfection. But, at the same time we dare to be different. Our only obligation is to report all news without fear or favor from an uncompromised Black perspective. Consequently, it never has and never shall be our mission to "inform the community to news and ideas that are often ignored in mainstream media." And we sure as hell aren't trying to emulate "excellence of writing and analysis" in conformity to the mainstream newspaper's self-serving standards. First and foremost, history-literate African-Americans surely realize that John Russrum and Dr. Samuel Cornish didn't risk their fortunes and lives in 1827 New York to publish the Freedom Journal to compliment White newspapers. Black newspapers' primary and most essential mission has always been, and always should be, to challenge or dispel deceitful lies, misinformation, miseducation, misleading statistical data and hateful images that's proliferated through the mainstream media. Certainly, we would be happy to strive for journalistic excellence if the trendsetters were working in our best interest. Without a doubt, the mainstream media does an outstanding job of what it's designed to do. On the other hand, it's unfortunate that so many Black people, with advanced degrees, fail to realize that the mainstream media's primary mission is to perpetuate Willie Lynch's slave master's (ice is colder) doctrine and ingrain in malleable-minded African-Americans that everything totally controlled by Black people is sub par. Then again, on the practical side, Black newspaper publishers don't have the resources to emulate the mainstream's daily or even weekly newspapers. Anybody that knows anything about the media, also know that it's sustained by advertising revenue. So why in the world would any Black newspaper publisher even fantasize about maintaining the same "journalistic excellence" as mainstream media? Open your eyes and you'll see that every daily newspaper, throughout America, have more full pages of advertising than the collective total of pages in all Black newspapers in their city combined. If you by chance, believe Black newspapers' lack of advertising has anything to do with our efforts, you apparently aren't aware of the power of the press. Please believe that the pen is mightier than the sword and when corporate America supports the mainstream media, they're supporting their lines of communication. In essence, media advertising has more to do with politics than economics. Do you really think an oppressive system will voluntarily empower Black newspapers that oppose their agenda? We Must Understand, one of the main reasons we're disrespected as a people, is that we're stupid enough to attempt to emulate, or achieve the highest standards established by those controlling the nation's resources, including our tax dollars. Especially when we're last hired, first fired and unfairly paid for our labor. And we won't even mention how the bulk of our tax dollars never make it back to our community to stimulate economic growth. Even worse, the few dollars that escape political pork barrels are usually controlled by Black faces in high places that sell out their underserved community and swill from the public troth too. Excuses aside, We Must Understand, if a Black newspaper is to exist at all, it must be different to survive. Excuse our French, but "Nigra rigging" translates to taking what we have and making it what we need it to be. Finding unique and different ways to thrive is the primary reason we've survived. And we're talking a different plan, rather than a different man or woman. Where are we coming from? When Malonson Company, Inc. decided to go into the publishing business, it was essentially to give the Black community a different kind of newspaper. Originally we put ads at the top of our pages. It made sense to us, that if advertising is the most important part of a newspaper, it should definitely be our first priority. Fortunately, our different format attracted a veteran journalist out of retirement. He jumped at a chance to work with a publisher who dared to be different. And there is no other way to be different, other than to do things differently. Need we further explain why AAN&I is a different kind of Black newspaper? Or does the "Black" designation speak for itself? Apparently it does, inasmuch as in our 7th year we have become Texas' widest circulated newspaper with a Black perspective and the strongest editorial voice in Black America. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION must be taken by astute African Americans to learn why Black newspapers |
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