Journalist Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine, was removed from the board of directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation after controversial statements in an interview with the New York Times, published on Friday (9/15). Saturday’s decision had only one dissenting vote, attributed to Bruce Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau.
Wenner is co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, created in 1993 with the goal of “promoting rock & roll as a cultural aspect of modern life and society.” His removal came after speeches considered racist and misogynistic.
Controversial interview
In the interview that led to his firing, he was promoting his new book “The Masters,” which features conversations with seven major rock figures: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Jerry Garcia and Pete Townsend . Asked by the New York Times about the absence of women and artists of color in the book, Wenner argued that women in rock were not “articulate enough on this intellectual level”. He used a similar argument to exclude black artists. “I mean, they just weren’t articulate on that level,” he said.
As if the lack of diversity and defense of white men as true “rock philosophers” weren’t enough, in the same interview Wenner admitted to allowing his interviewees to edit transcripts of their conversations, a practice that violates journalistic ethics .
Shortly after the interview was published, Wenner faced significant criticism on social media, including from other journalists.
Historic
Jann Wenner ran Rolling Stone for fifty years before stepping down in 2019. The magazine’s current owner is Penske Media, which acquired 51% of the publication in 2017 and the remaining 49% in 2020.
Wenner has faced previous accusations of favoritism in his coverage of artists and even selections for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Source: Terra
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