Darkened Skin of O.J. Simpson on TIME’s Cover (1994)

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Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "The Juice" is a former American footballer, presenter, actor, advertisement spokesperson, and convicted felon. Formerly a common figure among the U.S. media, he is currently remembered for having been prosecuted for the murders of his ex-partner, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was convicted of the killings in a federal case but was later found to be responsible for the deaths in a civil courtroom. [1]

TIME’s Problematic Magazine Cover

In the case of the Residents of the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson, also known as the O.J. Simpson's murder case, Simpson was on trial for the murder of his wife. Magazines such as Newsweek and TIME covered the event and featured Simpson's mug shot on the cover. Both magazines use the same image of Simpson but take two different approaches to present the image, which in turn evokes different feelings from viewing the covers. Here's a photo of the famous NFL football star O.J. Simpson, popularly featured on the front cover of magazines in 1994. [2]

Darkened Skin of O.J. Simpson on TIME's Cover (1994)

TIME enlisted artist Matt Mahurin to take a snapshot of Simpson's mug shot. Until the LAPD published the mug shot at 2 a.m., TIME considered using Simpson's drawing on the cover.

This was a big deal in June 1994, when magazine covers mattered more than they do today. As TIME and Newsweek put the same person on their covers in the same week, the person was a huge deal. [3] Any commentators said that by darkening the picture of Mr Simpson's profile, TIME lent him a more menacing look and was thus accused of racism. Some analysts said the magazine showed poor editorial judgement. [4]

Behind this Illustration

TIME magazine takes a different approach from Newsweek in an attempt to make Simpson appear guilty. Aaron Gullickson, author of "The Significance of Color Declines: A Re-Analysis of Skin Tone Differentials in Post-Civil Rights America," says, "some anecdotal evidence suggests that whites have particularly negative stereotypes about darker-skinned blacks, such as the darkening of O.J. Simpson's face."

Time magazine decided to use this mug shot on its cover but first they asked photo-illustrator Matt Mahurin to artistically interpret it (Museum of Hoaxes). Mahurin darkened the photo. Time managing editor James Gaines offered this description of the resulting cover: "the harshness of the mug shot -- the merciless bright light, the stubble on Simpson's face, the cold specificity of the picture -- had been subtly smoothed and shaped into an icon of tragedy.

The photo-illustrator emphasized Simpson's dark skin complexion and made him appear even darker; through this, he was able to make it harder to see Simpson's face because it was overpowered by darkness. In America, white colour is often associated with innocence, holiness, light and positivity. The black colour is often associated with evil, negativity, and darkness.

Apology from TIME Magazine

James R. Gaines, managing editor of TIMEMagazine at that period, wrote an electronic message on the bulletin board saying that "no racial implication was intended, by TIME or by the artist."

Gaines said that he wanted to make TIME covers that were "in some way iconographic”, as TIME has a long history of portraiture cover. But he added, "To the extent that this caused offence to anyone, I deeply regret it. Nor did we intend any imputation of guilt. We were careful to avoid that in our story, but for at least some people, this cover picture was worth several thousand words." [5]

Reference

  1. O. J. Simpson. www.en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  2. O.J. Simpson's Image. www.people.southwestern.edu. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  3. OJ Fact Check: Read Time Magazine’s Apology for Making Simpson Blacker. February 16, 2016. www.thewrap.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  4. Time Responds to Criticism Over Simpson Cover. June 25, 1994. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.
  5. COVER WASN'T RACIST, TIME MAGAZINE SAYS. June 25, 1994. www.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2021.