Jet Magazine

''Jet'' is an American weekly digital magazine focusing on news, culture, and entertainment related to the African-American community. Founded in print by John H. Johnson in November 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, the magazine was billed as "The Weekly Negro News Magazine". As publisher, the Johnson Publishing Company created ''Jet'' magazine to offer Black Americans proper representation, noting under-representation of African Americans in the general media. ''Jet'' chronicled the civil rights movement from its earliest years, including the murder of Emmett Till, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the activities of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

''Jet'' was printed from November 1, 1951, in digest-sized format in all or mostly black-and-white until its December 27, 1999, issue. In 2009, ''Jet'' expanded one of the weekly issues to a double issue published once each month. Johnson Publishing Company struggled with the same loss of circulation and advertising as other magazines and newspapers in the digital age, and the final print issue of ''Jet'' was published on June 23, 2014, continuing solely as a digital magazine app. In 2016, Johnson Publishing sold ''Jet'' and its sister publication '' Ebony'' to private equity firm Clear View Group. As of the date of sale, the publishing company is known as Ebony Media Corporation.

History

Early history

The first issue of ''Jet'' was published on November 1, 1951, by John H. Johnson in Chicago, Illinois. Johnson called his magazine ''Jet'' because he wanted the name to symbolize "Black and speed". In ''Jet''s first issue, Johnson wrote, "In the world today everything is moving along at a faster clip. There is more news and far less time to read it." ''Jet''s goal was to provide "news coverage on happenings among Negroes all over the U.S.—in entertainment, politics, sports, social events as well as features on unusual personalities, places and events." Redd Foxx called the magazine "the Negro bible".

1952–2014

''Jet'' was published as a sister zine to the Ebony magazine which Johnson published 6 years earlier in 1945. ''Jet'' became nationally known in 1955 for its shocking and graphic coverage of the murder of Emmett Till. Its popularity was enhanced by its continuing coverage of the burgeoning civil rights movement. The publication of Till's brutalized corpse within the September 22, 1955 issue inspired the black community to address racial violence, catalyzing the civil rights movement. Some of the popular models of ''Jet'' during this era included Vera Francis and Nancy Westbrook. The Johnson Publishing Company's campaign for economic, political and social justice influenced its inclusion of progressive views. From 1970 to 1975, ''Jet'' challenged conservative readers' anti-abortion stance by giving physicians who performed abortions a platform to discuss scientific facts about abortion procedures.

2014–present

In May 2014, the publication announced the print edition would be discontinued and switch to a digital format in June.

Changes in ownership

In June 2016, after 71 years, ''Jet'' and its sister publication '' Ebony'' were sold by Johnson Publishing to Clear View Group, an Austin, Texas-based private equity firm, for an undisclosed amount but the sale did not include the photo archives. In July 2019, three months after Johnson Publishing filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy liquidation, it sold its historic ''Jet'' and ''Ebony'' photo archives to a consortium of foundations to be made available to the public.

In 2020, Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman, a former NBA basketball player, became the new owner of Ebony Media's assets for $14 million in a bid out of a Houston bankruptcy court. Bridgeman placed a bid of $14 million to take ownership of the company. His sports and media group has hired Michele Ghee as ''Jet'' and ''Ebony magazine's'' new CEO.

Content

''Jet'' coverage includes: fashion and beauty tips, entertainment news, dating advice, political coverage, health tips, and diet guides, in addition to covering events such as fashion shows. The cover photo usually corresponds to the focus of the main story. Cover stories might be a celebrity's wedding, Mother's Day, or a recognition of the achievements of a notable African American.

Photography

Jet's uncensored and vivid photography made it influential in politics and entertainment. ''Jet'' took photos of Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking and greeting fans, as well as detailed pictures of the subjects of the Entertainment section, including of Jimi Hendrix. The most famous picture taken and published by ''Jet'' was the remains of Emmett Till's face after his tragic death in 1955. Showing the picture uncensored and vividly describing what happened played a part in waking up the united states about its severe problem of racism

Civil Movements

Similar to ''Essence'', ''Jet'' routinely deplores racism in mainstream media, especially its negative depictions of black men and women. However, Hazell and Clarke report that between 2003 and 2004, ''Jet'' and ''Essence'' themselves ran advertising that was pervaded with racism and white supremacy. ''Jet'' has published colorist advertisements in the past. An advertisement for Nadinola, a bleaching cream, appeared in an issue published in 1955. It depicts a light-skinned woman as the center of men's attention. Amongst the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s, the Black is Beautiful Movement was also heavily covered within the 1960s through the glamorization of African women within multiple issues.

Beauty

Publication

''Jet'' claims to give young female adults confidence and strength because the women featured therein are strong and successful without the help of a man. Since 1952, ''Jet'' has had a full-page feature called "Beauty of the Week". This feature includes a photograph of an African American woman in a swimsuit (either one-piece or two-piece, but never nude), along with her name, place of residence, profession, hobbies, and interests. Many of the women are not professional models and submit their photographs for the magazine's consideration. In 2024, ''The New Yorker'' wrote that ''Jets "Beauties of the Week" column "democratized the thirst trap."

Representation

During the time period when these issues were first being published, 'beauty' had a very Western-centric image. ''Jet'' however, provided African American women with a platform to boast their own image of self-confidence and illustrate better representation of African Americans in the media. An issue posted through Xavier University writes "The Eurocentric standard of beauty only tolerates straight hair, especially on Black women who have a natural kinky hair texture". While within the course of the 50's there were societal confines of lighter skinned models with straight hair, there are notable early issues of ''Jet'' that spotlight African women with changeless hair, paving the way for ''Jet'' to have its reputation of rebellion and boldness that it does today.

Entertainment

Media Coverage

''Jet's'' coverage of entertainment spans throughout many topics of content, such as film, television, and music. Their coverage of music can be traced back as early as August 17, 1967, through their weekly list known as 'Soul Brothers Top 20'. This survey consisted of ''Jet'' asking its readers to list their twenty personal favorite records, while also highlighting the artist's name and record label. This survey of listing top 20 artists and records would appear as a continuing trend in the magazine throughout the following decades. Implementing this survey initially into the issues allowed for notable artists spanning multiple years to be recognized amongst the publications, such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. ''Jet's'' articles that fixate on these celebrities focalize on their cultural significance in society. One issue published on March 4, 1965 is encompassed entirely by the death and legacy of Nat King Cole. The publication delves heavily into his funeral ceremony, and how hundreds of people (including President Lyndon Johnson), had gone to pay their respects.

Census

In many issues of ''Jet'' there is a section of content titled census. This provides the reader with insight into the fluctuating number of people within the population that the magazine caters to. Congress representatives, artists, and other figures who pass away are all illustrated under this section, as well as their reputations and contributions to society.

Notable people

* Robert C. Farrell (born 1936), journalist and member of the Los Angeles City Council, 1974–91, ''Jet'' correspondent
* Robert E. Johnson (born August 13, 1922, in Montgomery, Alabama; died January, 1996, in Chicago) was associate publisher and executive editor of ''Jet''. He joined the ''Jet'' staff in February 1953, two years after it was founded by publisher John H. Johnson. He was one of the longest serving editors of ''Jet''.

Awards and recognition

* ''Jet'' was rated No. 1 as the acme in news digesting for the '' Baltimore Afro-American'' newspaper on November 17, 1951.

References

External links

Jet, 1951–2008 issues
(Google Books)

Black History Seen Through Magazines

{{African American press

1951 establishments in the United States
2014 establishments in the United States
African-American magazines
Lifestyle magazines published in the United States
Online magazines published in the United States
Weekly magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Digests
Johnson Publishing Company
Magazines established in 1951
Magazines disestablished in 2014
Magazines published in Chicago
Online magazines with defunct print editions