Ed Gordon returns to primetime TV in a big way

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Award-winning broadcast journalist, Ed Gordon, is returning to primetime TV with his own show and a clear mission: cut through the noise to tell good stories. 

Gordon has worked as a news anchor and correspondent for networks like BET, CBS “60 Minutes II” and Dateline NBC. Now, he’s bringing his talents to Bounce TV with its first ever news magazine show, which will focus on issues of interest to the black community. The first episode features the Mothers of the Movement, the cast of Birth of a Nation and R&B legend Maxwell.

Gordon spoke with theGrio about his new show, how the news business has changed since he started three decades ago, and the real reason why he’s always dressed in the those sharp suits.

theGrio: What will your show bring to the black community that we’re missing on TV?

Ed Gordon: I’m more than excited to bring these kinds of stories that are of importance to black America. Because it’s really not about “black stories”— it’s about good stories. It’s going to be told from our perspective, and the characters will be people of color.

First show out we’ve got the Mothers of the Movement and I say this — this is not the hype part. This is such an emotional interview that people will find it at times hard to watch, but riveting nonetheless. We had to stop. The crew was crying, mothers were crying. It got so deep and emotional. And it’s not about just the death of their children, it’s about continuing their child’s life through their fight.

–‘Mothers of the Movement’ deliver staggering testimony of loss, hope at DNC

TG: When you think about what you want to explore with the show, down the line, are there other topics you think it needs to dive into?

EG: I want to look at the situation in Chicago. I grew up in Detroit, and my wife is from Chicago. Just the sheer numbers of people being shot and killed in Chicago, it’s unfathomable. If this were happening on Michigan Avenue [downtown area in Chicago], they would’ve found a way to stop it.

The majority of people being killed and shot in Chicago are African-Americans. The majority of people doing the shooting and killing in Chicago are African-American. That’s an issue for all of us.

–More than 3,000 people shot this year in Chicago

TG: What do you think about the current state of journalism, compared to when you started?

EG: I think it’s the definition today that’s the real problem. There are a lot of people who get called — and call themselves — journalists. I think in order to be a journalist, you really need to be trained. You can’t just go call yourself a doctor.

There are bloggers and social media influencers who have a platform, and I’m not saying there’s not room for them. But they’re more like the old newspaper columnists, sharing their opinion and trying to shape opinion — but they weren’t journalists necessarily.

I think the lines have been blurred, and I don’t know that that’s always a good thing. There’s a part of me that says let’s make the line definite. News has never been unbiased, but we tried our best.

TG: That reminds me of the Nate Parker case and Birth of a Nation, where people picked camps pretty quickly in the debate. The issue is one which your show will explore, right?

EG: We started the story prior to things bubbling up. You would think that this was unearthed, but anyone who interviewed [Parker] prior knows this was on his Wikipedia page; it wasn’t hidden. It was 17 years old and out there, had been dealt with.

You start to question… well, why now? When he was in “Red Tails,” “Beyond The Lights,” it was never brought up. So it’s an interesting dynamic, and we explore that.

–Nat Turner’s story is way too important to be lost in Nate Parker’s past

TG: You always are dressed to the nines and usually in suits. Is that a Detroit thing, a broadcast TV thing or just an Ed Gordon thing?

EG: All of the above. My father and mother are lovers of clothes. My father died when I was 11. When he passed away, it was in the newspapers — he was a former Olympic gold medalist and a teacher in Detroit. The boy’s department store where we used to shop even sent us a sympathy card. He would have me there almost weekly buying clothes! (Laughs)

So certainly the style that I have is a Detroit thing, but the love of clothes came from my parents.

Denzel [Washington] used to tease me, “Are you ever out of a suit?” People can be anywhere, walking, 7/11, people are like, “Where’s your suit?”

TG: That’s not a bad reputation to have.

EG: It’s a good thing! I got it honest from my parents.

“Ed Gordon” premieres on Bounce TV on Tuesday, September 13th at 10/9 c.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been condensed and shortened.