Award-winning journalist Ed Gordon returns to prime-time television with his newly revamped show “Ed Gordon” on Bounce TV. The news magazine show will feature exclusive one-on-one interviews and impactful segment features. In one of those keen interviews, Nate Parker and the cast of Birth of a Nation were featured. Check out rolling out‘s interview with Gordon.
What can viewers look forward to with your new show?
I hope they see what most people have seen throughout my career, which is trying to get people to talk honestly. You know, whether it’s something as serious as the Mothers of the Movement or something as fun as sitting down with Maxwell; I just want to try to get people to give a peek behind their door of who they really are. And, not the face that you put out when you’re out in public. But, who are you really? That’s always my goal when I sit down with people. For instance with the Mothers of the Movement, I really want people to see who you are as a person, and the fight that you have for living the legacy of your children. I asked them to be honest with me and to open up and they did that. The piece got to the point where it was so emotional for everyone: the crew, the mothers everyone. They were very open and honest. You will also see my one-on-one with Maxwell, who I’ve known since the beginning of his career, about 20 years. We talked about how Maxwell thought he was just a regular kid; nothing special. He states how music has always been his way of showing he’s not just a regular kid. So, I’ve always just wanted people to open up to me.
How have you grown in your journalism career?
Well, I have been doing this for so long I sure should be better than when I first started! I think all of us no matter what we do; we should all try to grow day to day through our experiences. Growth is like going to a new school. At first, the school seems so big, and you wonder how are you ever going to get through this. Then, by the second and third day you start gradually getting more comfortable with your surroundings. There is never a day you shouldn’t learn. I tell journalists this all the time, “It’s great to get the job, but if you don’t learn your craft and don’t get better than before; you’re really not doing what you should.” I know that I try to just continue to get better. I critique myself all the time. I look back after my interviews and always say, “I should’ve asked or done this.”
With social media, the internet and blogs disseminating “news,” what’s your opinion on how people gather information?
I am from a different generation. I don’t mix the two of journalism and blogging. I think people that are journalists have been trained and gone to school. They’ve learned certain things. I don’t think people that are bloggers are always journalists. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with being a blogger, but you’re not necessarily a journalist. There are differences. A blogger is often opinionated and doing interviews, but not necessarily interviews they’ve been trained to do. Again, I want to make sure people understand that I don’t think that’s wrong or that there’s a stigma to it; it’s just different. I think we’ve started to mix the message of who’s a journalist and who’s a blogger. I think we need to be careful. As, journalists we try our best to be unbiased and not give an opinion. I think the one thing that is different today with journalists is they try to be more a part of the story than covering it. If debating with the talent is for a greater cause then awesome, but debating just to get more likes and clicks; I don’t see the sense of that.
After interviewing the cast of Birth of a Nation, what are your thoughts about Nate Parker’s alleged past sexual indiscretion coming to the forefront?
When I sat with Nate at the time the controversy had not bubbled up. I didn’t bring it up initially because I didn’t think it was new news. It had been something that was out there for awhile. I’ve been interviewing Nate, probably since Red Tails, and this has never came up in any of his interviews. In this case they say “be careful what you wish for,” with this kind of fame and scrutiny. What might’ve seemed small and ignored before can jump big now! We offered Nate an opportunity to sit down with us again, and he and his team respectfully declined. It’s one of those things that depends on what perspective you look at this. I don’t know if there are any right or wrong answers to determine how you see it. Some people think he had been adjudicated through the judicial system and should be left alone and others believe that the system failed; his perspective is wrong. They believe that he shouldn’t be supported. The sad thing is no matter what, a movie that I think many people were looking forward to a system of Hollywood changing, is probably not going to receive the same positivity it would have before these allegations.
Do you agree with Ed Gordon’s opinions on how Birth of a Nation will do at the box office? Tune in to “Ed Gordon” premiering on Bounce TV Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 10 p.m. EST
