--Iron sharpens iron--  

"If you have been 
offended by an article 
we have published 
in this magazine, 
we do not apologize. 
We do hope, however, 
that our offense has 
startled you into seeing 
that the world has 
many ideas that vary 
from yours; maybe 
your views are not as 
insightful or accurate 
as you think they are. 
And if we have prompted 
you to reconsider a 
position, an issue, an assumption, etc., 
we have accomplished 
a major portion 
of our goal." 

Each month approximately 200-250,000 people visit this magazine. A number of readers have posed questions about our magazine--its goal, its tone, its writers, and its arrangement, not necessarily in that order. As a result of those questions and because a number of college students and some readers who cannot understand some of the more difficult articles read this magazine regularly, we offer this note.

A magazine is different from a newspaper, and our magazine is different from mainstream magazines. Our magazine does not attempt to offer breaking news. Whereas we may publish interviews with public officials and noted personalities that may offer breaking news, it is not our intention to function as a newspaper. Instead, we provide ommentary on the news, we raise issues that are peculiar and important to the African American and ethnic minority communities and to the larger community secondarily.

Goal:
The  primary goal of this magazine is to provide an unfiltered voice for the African American and ethnic minority communities to present their ideas and opinions on a range of concepts and issues that affect them and the larger American and world communities.

Another goal of this magazine is to provide a forum for edgy and candid discussions on social, philosophical, religious, health,  ethical issues, etc., unlike mainstream media. By providing this forum, we provide a worldwide audience for African Americans and ethnic minorities to add their voices and opinions to the ongoing Black and ethnic minority dialogue.

Tone:
Although most magazines, newspapers, and news media are not objective, they claim objectivity anyway--we make no such pretense about our objectivity. Our articles, while well reasoned, project a certain political, philosophical, and world view that is the result of our harsh experiences in America and the world. It is intended that our edginess is seen, heard, and felt in our tone and style. That is another aspect which distinguishes us from other magazines and news media.

A new reader may be shocked by some of our differing views—differing from the mainstream media--but that is the reason many come to Gibbs. We have intentionally sought writers who discuss issues and ideas intellectually, but differently; our world has been fashioned by different parameters and different experiences. And those differences should have a voice for expression.

It is our intention to provoke, to view issues and positions differently, to question mainstream thinking, assumptions, and their homogenized thought processes; and we intend to offer options to the standard discourse of institutional American thinking and rationalization.

Our.Writers:
Our writers are African American, Hispanic, White, and bi-racial; they are female and male, middle class and working class; and they come to us from multiple disciplines, with vast educational backgrounds.  

Our writing blends the mundane and the arcane because we want to appeal to intellectuals and non-intellectuals alike. But because of this style, a number of references may be missed by some, yet the overall sum of what an article says should be understood by all.  

Disclaimer:
As a result of our difference and our edgy tone, a number of unsophisticated readers have viewed our alternative approach to analysis of social issues as racist; some individuals have even sent racist manuscripts for our publication. Sorry, we are edgy, candid, harsh, and often strident in our views, but we are not racist, homophobic, or misogynistic; we are just opinionated, and we are that way for good reasons.

If you have been offended by an article we have published in this magazine, we do not apologize. We do hope, however, that our offense has startled you into seeing that the world has many ideas that vary from yours; maybe your views are not as insightful or accurate as you think they are. And if we have prompted you to reconsider a position, an issue, an assumption, etc., we have accomplished a major portion of our goal.  

We encourage you to keep reading Gibbs--seethe if you must, but keep reading. You may even start to agree with our views, but if you don’t agree, at least you have considered faces unlike your own--they, too, are beautiful. So keep coming to Gibbs, and tell a friend about us. 

Thank you. 1/30/02

Frank A. Jones, CEO 
Gibbs/Mirror-Gibbs Publications
(Click on picture for audio message)