Despite positive messages that they originally try to deliver on the magazine's cover, these stars' appearances on the front page of a publication eventually backfire and spark debate.
- November 22, 2020
AceShowbiz - Back in 1994, in the midst of O.J. Simpson's murder trial, both Time magazine and Newsweek featured the former athlete's mugshot on their covers. When the two magazines were placed side by side on newsstands, public soon realized Time's cover had considerably darkened O.J.'s skin. The photo, representing a case already laced with racial tension, caused massive public outcry.
The magazine responded to the backlash in a statement, claiming that "no racial implication was intended, by Time or by the artist," while quietly replacing the edition on newsstands with the unaltered image. Meanwhile, photoillustrator Mat Mahurin claimed his edits had no racial agenda. "Much like a stage director would lower the lights on a somber scene," he explained in a book later published on the history of Time magazine, "I used my long-established style to give the image a dramatic tone."
