Black Journal (TV program)

Origins

Black Journal was publicly funded in response to the Kerner Commission of 1967, which cited inflammatory representation of riots and lack of presence in mass media as sources of Black American discontent. The program aimed to present Black urban life and Black issues, providing Black Americans with representation in the media. President Lyndon B. Johnson, concerned with the impact of the long, hot summer of 1967, hoped such programs would prevent future riots.

Production

After the Newark riots began on July 17, 1967, National Educational Television (NET) immediately commissioned a documentary covering the uprisings and their causes. The production team rented a room in Newark's Robert Treat Hotel as a base and began filming. On the third day, executive producer Alvin Perlmutter suggested to NET's VP Bill Kobin that public television forego coverage in favor of providing black citizens with responses to their complaints about media representation.

Perlmutter proposed a series of programs for blacks, about blacks, addressing everyday issues from health to family and culture to politics, produced by black and white producers. Kobin recast his budget within a week to provide four once-a-month hour-long productions that became Black Journal. Perlmutter was named executive producer and instituted a magazine-style format with a black and white production staff. He suggested a black executive producer be named after the first four programs.

As the third program was readied for air, black staff members petitioned for a black EP sooner; Perlmutter agreed, and William Greaves took over the EP role. Perlmutter continued as a consultant for the next couple of programs.

Featured guests

Episodes featured interviews with activist Angela Davis and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, along with segments on the black community in Compton, the role of the black artist, and education in newly independent Guyana. Charles Hamilton, Columbia University political science professor and co-author of Black Power, was a frequent guest, shown lecturing and providing commentary on electoral politics. Kathleen Cleaver, Communications Secretary for the Black Panther Party, often advocated for violence in Black social justice. Historian Richard Moore appeared as one of the few defenders of civil disobedience, but was outnumbered by radicals on the panel.