Reason #1178 Why I don’t subscribe to Ebony Magazine


I saw this cover when I was in Target this morning. It’s their annual 10 hottest couples issue and who’s front and center? Donkey and ex-Mrs. Babyface, Eddie Murphy and Tracie Edmonds. A duo who had a show wedding then broke up over their two week honeymoon.

But as bad as this is, what’s worse on the cover is a tease to a story about whether light skinned blacks have it better than dark skinned blacks. How many times is Ebony going to re-write this tired article? See? This is why me and Ebony had to break up. The light versus dark article along with interracial dating, black college beauty queens and that whack Whitney Houston article they ran about eight years back where they didn’t ask her any hard questions piss me off. Ebony never evolves. It never changes. It never challenges. It’s never critical, except of black men dating white women. It’s just annoying. It’s vapid. It’s lame.

Anyone know a better black magazine? I’ve tried a few others to replace Ebony in my life (I still read the occasional Jet Magazine though), but so far I’m still frustrated. I used to read Essence, but even it’s lacking nowadays. I loved reading my mother’s Essence, not the one that was revamped to court a younger, hipper set. This all makes me want to start my own political/fashion/celebrity/society/investigative journalism glossy mag, a la Vanity Fair, but with a more comprehensive coverage of black, Asian, Latino and biracial stars, in conjunction with their white counterparts. I don’t know. Someday maybe.

daniellebelton

5 responses to “Reason #1178 Why I don’t subscribe to Ebony Magazine”

  1. Deb S. Avatar
    Deb S.

    I feel you on Ebony. Emerge was an excellent black news magazine when <A HREF="http://curryingfavor.blogspot.com“ REL=”nofollow”>George Curry was editor some 10 years ago. I’m not sure if the print version of the magazine survived after George stepped down as editor. Reportedly, the magazine was underfunded.There was another black news magazine that surfaced that was really very good – Savoy. Veteran journalist <A HREF="http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/30690/Ron_Stodghill/index.aspx“ REL=”nofollow”>Ron Stodgill was the editor. But Ron stepped down, too, and that publication eventually bit the dust. <A HREF="http://www.maynardije.org/columns/dickprince/051114_prince/“ REL=”nofollow”>Reportedly, Savoy was underfinanced.By the way, George and Ron have St. Louis connections. George reported for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for several years. Ron is a St. Louis native, whose career has included the New York Times and Time. Ron was educated at Mizzou and Harvard. I believe George has had professional ties to Howard University.Good post.

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  2. The Black Snob Avatar
    The Black Snob

    I loved Emerge too. I think it was the best black news magazine ever made. I’ve met George Curry a few times and heard him speak. He’s a pretty amazing guy. He and a few other former St. Louis black journalists banded together to save the National Association of Black Journalists chapter when it was dying here in St. Louis.And my mother has pretty much never forgiven former BET exec Bob Johnson for pulling the funding from Emerge.Sigh.

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  3. Catt Avatar
    Catt

    Emerge was really good. American Legacy is okay for historical perspectives, I’ll submit. Ebony, though, is doing what mainstream media at times does best; Manipulate what they’ve identified as popular ideology. Let’s find another way to get an Amen–keep ’em hooked; afterall these are brainless subjects, such that even a 5th grader could relate.

    Reply
  4. Shondra Avatar
    Shondra

    Sorry so late, but I’m new to this blog and I just had to post. I miss Emerge and Savoy also. I feel like a lot of these magazines just publish stuff because they know people will buy them. It’s too mainstram for me. A couple of my friends and I have been working on a new magazine for young black women and one of our inspirations is Vanity Fair…with some more color…I’ll keep you updated…

    Reply
  5. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    actually, i thought that article was pretty good. ebony has been on the come up lately. have you actually read it before you bashed it? it’s really one of the only things we have left.. so if you think it needs improvement, write to them with suggestions.. but seriously, the magazine looks totally different than it used to. i dunno what they’re doing over there, but whatever it is, they should keep it up. i like the stories that are a little lengthier now, like real magazine stories.

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