Ed Gordon (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Edward Lansing "Ed" Gordon III (born 1960) is an American journalist and host of the BET
program Weekly with Ed Gordon. He is the son of athlete Edward Lansing Gordon, Jr. Having worked at the local level in Detroit and nationally at CBS News
and NBC News
, Gordon is the former host of BET News and the syndicated talk show Our World With Black Enterprise.
for competing in the long jump
. In 1971, when Ed Gordon was 11, his father died. Gordon graduated from Western Michigan University
in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in communications and political science
. Although Gordon considered law school, Gordon aspired to be a television journalist and took an unpaid internship at WTVS
, the PBS affiliate in Detroit. At WTVS, he worked as a production assistant from 1983 to 1985.
Gordon married Karen Haney, a computer specialist. In 1993, they had a daughter, Taylor.
and in 1988 became anchor of the weekly program BET News, which covered African-American social issues and popular culture. While Gordon worked at BET, its news staff had only around 20 people, and Gordon produced most of his interviews with only one or two assistants.
Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots
, Gordon hosted a BET special, Black Men Speak Out: The Aftermath and interviewed President George H. W. Bush
about the riots. Gordon also hosted hour-long interviews on several occasions in the series Conversations with Ed Gordon. His subjects have included President Bill Clinton
, actor/director Sidney Poitier
, and singer Whitney Houston
.
On January 25, 1996, Gordon became the first journalist to interview former NFL star O. J. Simpson
since Simpson was acquitted of murder
the previous year. Gordon also joined NBC News
as a contributor to Dateline NBC
and Today and hosted the MSNBC
talk show Internight.
After BET fired the host of its nightly news program BET Tonight (Tavis Smiley
) in 2001, Gordon took over as host. As part of a reorganization focusing on entertainment productions, BET cut its news staff and canceled BET Tonight in December 2002 along with other public affairs shows hosted by Gordon, Lead Story and Teen Summit. That month, Gordon interviewed outgoing Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott
(Republican
of Mississippi
) following Lott's controversial remarks at the 100th birthday party for fellow Senator Strom Thurmond
that the nation would have been better off had Thurmond, a segregationist
, been elected for president in 1948
.
Gordon became a correspondent for the CBS News
program 60 Minutes Wednesday in November 2004. After Tavis Smiley left National Public Radio (NPR), Gordon began hosting a show on NPR titled News & Notes
, with a similar focus on African-American issues. Gordon began hosting the syndicated talk show Our World with Black Enterprise in September 2006. He was also nominated to the Alumni Academy of the Western Michigan University School of Communication in 2006.
BET announced in March 2010 that Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials." Gordon's latest series Weekly with Ed Gordon premiered on October 3, 2010 with a one-on-one interview with Representative Charles B. Rangel
, who was undergoing an ethics issues at the time. In the program, Gordon also discusses news and culture with a four-member panel.
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
program Weekly with Ed Gordon. He is the son of athlete Edward Lansing Gordon, Jr. Having worked at the local level in Detroit and nationally at CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
and NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, Gordon is the former host of BET News and the syndicated talk show Our World With Black Enterprise.
Personal background
Gordon's parents were both schoolteachers, and Gordon's father Edward Lansing Gordon, Jr. won a gold medal in the 1932 Summer Olympics1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
for competing in the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. In 1971, when Ed Gordon was 11, his father died. Gordon graduated from Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in communications and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. Although Gordon considered law school, Gordon aspired to be a television journalist and took an unpaid internship at WTVS
WTVS
WTVS, branded as Detroit Public TV, is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local...
, the PBS affiliate in Detroit. At WTVS, he worked as a production assistant from 1983 to 1985.
Gordon married Karen Haney, a computer specialist. In 1993, they had a daughter, Taylor.
Career
In 1986, Gordon became host of a local weekly talk show, Detroit Black Journal, which had a yearly salary of $11,000. On the side, Gordon worked as a freelance journalist at the then-fledgling cable network Black Entertainment TelevisionBlack Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
and in 1988 became anchor of the weekly program BET News, which covered African-American social issues and popular culture. While Gordon worked at BET, its news staff had only around 20 people, and Gordon produced most of his interviews with only one or two assistants.
Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles Riots or South Central Riots, also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest were sparked on April 29, 1992, when a jury acquitted three white and one hispanic Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a...
, Gordon hosted a BET special, Black Men Speak Out: The Aftermath and interviewed President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
about the riots. Gordon also hosted hour-long interviews on several occasions in the series Conversations with Ed Gordon. His subjects have included President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, actor/director Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
, and singer Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
.
On January 25, 1996, Gordon became the first journalist to interview former NFL star O. J. Simpson
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
since Simpson was acquitted of murder
O. J. Simpson murder case
The O. J. Simpson murder case was a criminal trial held in Los Angeles County, California Superior Court from January 29 to October 3, 1995. Former American football star and actor O. J...
the previous year. Gordon also joined NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
as a contributor to Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
and Today and hosted the MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
talk show Internight.
After BET fired the host of its nightly news program BET Tonight (Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
) in 2001, Gordon took over as host. As part of a reorganization focusing on entertainment productions, BET cut its news staff and canceled BET Tonight in December 2002 along with other public affairs shows hosted by Gordon, Lead Story and Teen Summit. That month, Gordon interviewed outgoing Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
(Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
) following Lott's controversial remarks at the 100th birthday party for fellow Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
that the nation would have been better off had Thurmond, a segregationist
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
, been elected for president in 1948
United States presidential election, 1948
The United States presidential election of 1948 is considered by most historians as the greatest election upset in American history. Virtually every prediction indicated that incumbent President Harry S. Truman would be defeated by Republican Thomas E. Dewey. Truman won, overcoming a three-way...
.
Gordon became a correspondent for the CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
program 60 Minutes Wednesday in November 2004. After Tavis Smiley left National Public Radio (NPR), Gordon began hosting a show on NPR titled News & Notes
News & Notes
News & Notes was a National Public Radio program focusing on issues affecting African-Americans and African diaspora communities. The listernership was multiracial and international. The program aired for one hour each weekday and was hosted by Farai Chideya until January 16, 2009, and then by Tony...
, with a similar focus on African-American issues. Gordon began hosting the syndicated talk show Our World with Black Enterprise in September 2006. He was also nominated to the Alumni Academy of the Western Michigan University School of Communication in 2006.
BET announced in March 2010 that Gordon would return to the network to host "a variety of news programs and specials." Gordon's latest series Weekly with Ed Gordon premiered on October 3, 2010 with a one-on-one interview with Representative Charles B. Rangel
Charles B. Rangel
Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the third-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation...
, who was undergoing an ethics issues at the time. In the program, Gordon also discusses news and culture with a four-member panel.