Devil's Advocate position:
As ZetaAce alluded to, I'm not clear on the target audience of Ebony. Maybe their articles are written with that audience in mind. If so, then maybe it is WE who yearn for something different who are remiss in looking for it in a magazine clearly not targeted to us. We wouldn't go to Cosmopolitan and be angry to see a million articles on clothing, make-up and sex, so why do we expect all black publications to provide to us the sustenance we require? I am not ashamed to say I read Ebony or Jet: for celebrity news and general fluff stuff, like like I read Jane, or even upon occasion, People
. I read Fortune for business articles, Time (and used to read Emerge) for political and news views. I read Essence for beauty information. Heart and Soul and Muscle and Fitness for health and training info, and so on...
Maybe we should be angry at the BET media group that changed the format of the political magazine Emerge to another Upscale-esce fluff piece? That would be a legitimate complaint, as they changed formats yet expected the same target audience to support the publication anyway.
On Bryant...I will admit that the messenger needs to carry some level of credibility with his/her audience or the message may not be readily accepted. I have never noticed Bryant being particularly interested in discussing and debating the "Negro" experience as opposed to a Cornell West, a Henry Louis Gates, a Julienne Malveaux or even a Lawrence Otis Graham, so I would look at him with a jaundiced eye to hear him talk about the ills of the Negro race...simply because his "credentials" are unknown to me. Then again, he might impress and inspire me.